News Eleven, Festival Underway

Imagine trying to plan a party for 30,000 people.

Priest Caru Das Adikari of the Krishna Temple is doing just that in preparation for the festival of colors in Spanish Fork. The volunteers are in preparation in getting the job done.

People throw bright pink, yellow and purple powdered colors each year to celebrate the season change. It’s a fun, carefree event, but some people say its also a religious one.
“We feel like this is a divinely inspired event and we are following in the footsteps of our lord in organizing it.” said Das Adikari.

Das Adikari prepares for this religious celebration by stocking up the gift shop and working with volunteers.”I’ve actually been working on this festival for a year, arranging the artist and the performers we have local performers who are actually rehearsing this year for a change . . . uh the cooking is a huge event, I mean we are having up to thirty-thousand people here.” he said.

Hundreds of boxes are filled with packets of colors all imported from India totaling over one hundred thousand colors. Krishna believers say the festival celebrates a triumph of good over evil. But most people come for the cultural experience and the throwing of colors.

“It’s kinda a fun cultural experience to go and see what other people believe. But, uh, I think most people go just ’cause it’s fun to throw stuff at each other and get really nasty” said festival goer Rico Christensen.

The shuttle buses, the music, the bonfire and performances are all updated from years past. People can already buy their colors for the highly anticipated event.

Color throwings will take place every two hours starting at ten a.m. on Saturday at the Krishna temple.

WOOFERS Love Utah Krishna Temple

Because of its organic gardens the Krishna temple has been host to a steady stream (the stream will become a flood in the spring growing season!) of 'WOOFERS' this past winter. 'Woofers' are World Wide Organic Farmers, young people from all over the world, who contact host farms and work 4 hours daily for room and board. Here are their comments as posted of the WWOOFA web site.

12/24/2010 9:39:26 AM
by sbrooney87 from Chicago
Really a great experience! Awesome! I came in December when when one wouldn't expect there to be a lot of learning and work to be done outside but there was. Activities went from building a cold frame, to mulching carrots to helping pull a fountain out of ice with a person scouting in a boat.
The hospitality and community were also about as good as you can expect. Immediately I was treated like a family member. They were so receptive to teach my about their faith but were not preachy or intrusive about it in the slightest. It was also very relaxing, probably due partly to the yoga and meditation. I can just imagine what it would be like in the growing season, with the one-two punch of agriculture and mountains all around, and then religious practices and yoga. Truly a unique experience.

1/18/2011 11:20:19 AM by keithmak from Toronto, girl friend Japan
Definitely a UNIQUE & different experience from the usual wwoof host. My girlfriend and I were a bit worried about finding hosts during the Christmas / New Years holiday but Caru and the Krishna Community welcomed us with open arms. We have been here for three weeks and counting.
This is a community of Hare Krishna devotees living and serving at the temple.
Everyone we met has warmly received us like family. The living accomodation is luxurious and the building & surroundings beautiful.
They were glad to share with us their religion, but never forced it upon us. Although we do not share the same beliefs, we were never put into any uncomfortable situations.
Although it was the winter season, we still spent time outdoors helping mainly with the llamas. Also, we spent lots of time in the kitchen helping with their daily vegetarian buffet. Indeed, you will NEVER go hungry here as the buffet is always open. The work is very flexible & reasonable with the opportunity to work on the jobs that most interest you.
We are really enjoying our time here and had our all expectations met. They are upstanding and genuinely caring wwoof hosts. You are bound to have a positive experience if you decide to visit.
Wwoofing during the growing season must be very interesting. With the opportunity to grow & cook food from the gardens + the hiking trails, mountains, and hot springs around.

Unique Opportunities:
- Daily Meditation, Chanting, Hare Krishna philosophy classes, yoga.
- Learning about Indian culture, dress, and cooking!

1/25/2011 4:12:22 PM by Katingale from Montana
I stayed at the Krishna temple for a week in January 2011. I found the community so embracing and inspiring it immediately felt like I'd joined a new family. The temple offers a wonderful opportunity to experience another culture and I highly recommend immersing yourself in the lifestyle--learn to cook Indian entrées and join evening yoga, meditation and chanting groups. The mountain scenery is fantastic and I hope to visit again in the summer time when the garden is growing and the llamas are heading out with hikers.

3/3/2011 4:23:00 PM by leviduke from Vermont
I would nearly go as far as saying that my life would never have been complete without a stop here. My accommodations were top-notch (especially the food), but that's secondary. A stay at this Hare Krishna temple is almost like a retreat to perfect soul body and mind. If you choose, you can learn yoga, cooking, meditation, and about the Vedic texts and spirituality in general. What keeps the pulse here beating so strongly is the familial community of interesting, caring, spiritual devotees, which you will quickly find yourself a part of if you are respectful and helpful.

Daily Herald: Festival of Colors Gears up for Record Crowds

The white-hot juggernaut that is the annual Holi Festival of Colors at the Krishna Temple shows no signs of slowing down.

In 2007, 3,000 people attended, celebrating spring by throwing 5,000 packets of colored flour at each other. In 2008 attendance tripled to 10,000, and the crowd snatched up 20,000 color packs.

Both attendance and the number of packets sold have continued to increase each year, said temple priest Caru Das. This year, hoping to raise $200,000 toward the purchase of a new property in Salt Lake City, the festival will offer a staggering 100,000 packets for sale at $2 each. And how many people will attend is anyone's guess -- certainly many thousands.

To handle the crowds, the temple has arranged for the use of 3,000 parking spaces, and shuttle buses will take festivalgoers to the temple. The festival has been expanded over two days, and for the first time, color-throwing will happen every two hours on both days. The goal is to spread the crush of people over different days and times.

"They can come and go when they want to, with no rush to get here," Das said. Read more...