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325 São Paulo, v. 4, n.1, p. 325-333, Oct. 2019
THE RATHA YATRA RELIGIOUS
FESTIVAL PARADES IN
THE PUBLIC SPACE OF
“INTERCULTURAL LISBON”1
DEBORA BALDELLI
Centro em Rede de Investigação em Antropologia, Faculdade
de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa,
Lisbon, Portugal, 1649-026 - cria@cria.org.pt
Instituto de Etnomusicologia e Dança, Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas,
Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, 1069-061 - inet@fcsh.unl.pt
1. This article is based on my doctoral thesis entitled “Spiritual and expressive
practices in a migratory context: an ethnography of the Hare Krishna Movement
in the city of Lisbon”, at the New University of Lisbon, 2017, funded by Coorde-
nação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes, 11871-20); and an
unfolding project focused on the Ratha Yatra Festival I developed independent-
ly at CRIA-FCSH/UNL. Thanks to Inigo Sanchez, Guilherme Tosetto and Fraser
Newell for the suggestions. E-mail: imaginarydebora@gmail.com and website:
http://w ww.imaginarydebora.com.
orcid
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3873-4283
doi
https://dx.doi.org/10.11606/
issn.2525-3123.gis.2019.162343
São Paulo, v. 4, n.1, Oct. 2019326
This photo essay presents the second edition of the Ratha Yatra reli-
gious festival in Lisbon which has been organised by ISKCON (Interna-
tional Society for Krishna Consciousness) 2, since 2016. Ratha Yatra, also
known as the Chariot Festival, was initially celebrated in the city of
Jagannatha Puri in India. The Hare Krishna Movement has been organ-
ising this same festival for decades in several cities, including London,
Paris and New York. It is the activity that gives the most recognition to
the Hare Krishna Movement nowadays.
The Ratha Yatra Lisbon proposes to unite different groups, entities and
communities of immigrants in a collective performance through the
streets of the city centre, performing what could be called a “citizen-
ship parade”. In Lisbon, the festival parades through some of the main
streets of the city centre, starting from the recently gentrified Largo do
Intendente, passing by some of the main tourist attractions, such as the
recently renovated Praça do Comércio, towards Ribeira da Naus, located
on the banks of the Tagus River. Along with its path, the Hare Krishna
mantra is sung and, just like in a carnival group, its lyrics and melody
are repeated by most who follow the parade, thus providing feelings of
integration among those who participate. The Ratha Yatra festival can
also be seen as a result of the Hare Krishna devotees’ efforts to partic-
ipate in the city’s expressive practices as a vehicle for its growth as a
movement. They follow the notions of “diversity” and “multicultural-
ism”, which have been proposed by the Lisbon City Hall.
The Hare Krishna Movement has sought to integrate itself into the ev-
eryday and festive practices of the city of Lisbon, organising activities
that, despite being of a religious nature, are presented as cultural events
of the city. The Hare Krishna Movement’s activities are aligned with the
change of the city’s dynamics, focusing on promoting the image of Lis-
bon as a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, which has been changing
the services, activities, and events which it offers, including those that
have a religious aspect. The Hare Krishna Movement is increasingly oc-
cupying the city’s festive space by treating spiritual practice as a public
spectacle (Rasmussen 2010: 125). Devotees and participants in the activi-
ties of the Hare Krishna Movement, mostly immigrants, appropriate the
public space to express themselves as citizens in the city where they live.
2. Although the Hare Krishna Movement (ISKCON) is a branch of Hinduism, it was not
developed in India. In fact, when the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Con-
sciousness) was registered in the United States in 1966, its founder Bhaktivedanta Swa-
mi Prabhuphada described the practice as a “spiritual movement.” In Lisbon, there is a
coexistence agreement between devotees of Krishna and Hindu families who are not
devotees of Krishna. ISKCON and Hindu communities have become more collaborative
recently, as the Hare Krishna Movement has been helping these communities to gain
visibility in the city with the Ratha Yatra Festival.
São Paulo, v. 4, n.1, Oct. 2019327
The parade’s warm-up happens in Largo do Intendente. Hare Krishna
devotees and members of various Hindu communities play instru-
ments such as the mridangam (Indian drum) and sing mantras to keep
the public engaged.
FIGURE 1
Devotees play
mridangam,
which is the main
instrument of
the parade.
FIGURE 2
A devotee blows
a shell, known as
shankha, which
reproduces the
Ohm sound.
The sound of
the shell is also
used to draw
attention to the
ceremony from
those present,
even helping
people to focus
on the mantras.
São Paulo, v. 4, n.1, Oct. 2019328
The following two pictures show the group walking behind the car-
riages and performing choreographies to engage participants. In
the background, you can still see Largo do Intendente, where the
parade began, and also one of the most critical points of the gentri-
fication of Lisbon.
The parade begins with carriages at the front, where deities are found. Among
the deities (religious statues), the founder of the Hare Krishna Movement,
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, leads the group of small carriages.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 4
São Paulo, v. 4, n.1, Oct. 2019329
In the photo below, you can see a group of Bangladeshi immigrants
in t-shirts with the festival’s self-created logo, parading effusively
as they pass by the Hotel Mundial, in Martim Moniz, on the way to
Praça da Figueira.
Since the Hare Krishna Movement doesn’t have a significant number
of devotees to make a large-scale parade, the Ratha Yatra festival can-
not happen in Lisbon without the support of the Hindu´s communities.
The festival was ISKCON´s first attempt to create a dialogue with Lisbon
City Hall. It focused on showing the Ratha Yatra and the Hare Krishna
Movement as a hindu tradition which has a good dialogue with oth-
er Hindu communities such as Hindu Community of Portugal, Shiva
FIGURE 5
Musicians
interacting
with the people
participating in
the parade, at
Rua da Palma.
FIGURE 6
São Paulo, v. 4, n.1, Oct. 2019330
FIGURE 7
A group of women
with different
backgrounds make
choreographies
at Rua Aurea,
walking just
behind a group
carrying the Hindu
Community of
Portugal’s flag.
FIGURE 8
In Praça da
Figueira, a group
of tourists
watches the
parade through
their balcony.
Temple, Gurdwara Sikh Sangat Sahib (Sikh temple), BAPS Shri Swami-
narayan Mandir, Bangladesh Community in Portugal and Durga tem-
ple, all collaborators of the festival. Although most Hindu communities
are not interested in an in-depth dialogue with the Hare Krishnas, the
Ratha Yatra create a possibility for Hindu representation and occupation
of the public city space.
In the 2017 edition, the ties between the hare krishna movement and the
Hindu communities became stronger and more recognized by City Hall.
The reflection of this was a protocol of support and co-organization was
signed with the Lisbon City Council, which included the festival as part
of the CML’s activities focused on “interculturality”, which defines Ratha
Yatra as: “a universal festival made by all and for all.”
São Paulo, v. 4, n.1, Oct. 2019331
The cosmopolitan character of Lisbon, along with the process of tour-
istification of the city, has changed the cultural activities of the city,
which has also influenced the way spiritual/religious practices work
and function in the public space. This cosmopolitan characteristic al-
lows religious/spiritual practices like the Hare Krishnas to broaden
their dialogue with cultural associations of immigrants, such as those
related to South Asian countries, which seek greater visibility as im-
migrants in the city. The cultural policy of the Lisbon City Hall aims to
respond to the needs of its inhabitants and visitors, making the public
space a stage for all kind of celebrations, including religious ones. These
are presented as the city’s cultural activities and expressive practices
participating in the process of festivalization of religion.
FIGURE 9
In this picture,
you can see two
representatives
of the Lisbon
City Council
(wearing orange),
but not actually
participating,
just passing by
the large group
of tourists who
watch the parade,
while waiting
their turn to go on
Santa Justa Lift.
FIGURE 10
Musicians are
walking together
with par ticipants
already halfway
through the end
of the parade.
São Paulo, v. 4, n.1, Oct. 2019332
This photo below highlights the flag of the Hindu Community of Portugal
arriving at the final destination of the parade, where presentations take
place in the “Interculturality Stage”, set up by the Lisbon City Council.
FI GUR E 11
To the right,
Param Gati
Prabhu, leader
of the Hare
Krishna temple in
Lisbon, Brazilian,
dancing alongside
an Indian Hare
Krishna devotee,
ahead of a
large, diverse
group of people
from different
backgrounds
and origins.
FIGURE 12
TRANSLATION
Débora Baldelli
Through these images, I have emphasised the importance of musical
performance, dance and other expressive practices as forms of individ-
uals, articulating collective identities which are fundamental for the
formation and sustenance of social groups and indispensable for sur-
vival (Turino 2008: 2). I have also sought to emphasise the importance of
performances associated with music and dance in public spaces to the
understanding of transnational experiences (Trovão & Rosales 2010). Its
influence is interspersed with understanding self-identification at their
place of origin and migratory integration “(2010: 11), represented in this
essay by the congregation of immigrant devotees of various religious
groups at the Ratha Yatra festival in Lisbon.
São Paulo, v. 4, n.1, Oct. 2019333
REFERENCES
Baldelli, Debora, 2017, “Práticas espirituais e expressivas no contexto migratório: uma
etnogr afia do Movimento Har e Krishna na cidade de L isboa”, Tese de Doutorado,
Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências sociais e Humanas,
Instituto de Etnomusicologia (INET-md), Lisboa, Portugal.
Brown, Sara, 2014, “Krishna, Christians and Colors: the socially binding influence of
kirtan singing at a Utah Hare Krishna Festival”, em Ethnomusicology, vol.58,
n.3, 454-480.
Fahy, John, 2010, Music, Experience and Belief in the Hare Krishna Temple. Monografia
em Antropologia. Befast, Queen´s University Belfast.
Giumbelli, Emerson, 2008, “A presença do religioso no espaço público: modalidades no
Brasil”, em Religião e Sociedade 28, (2), 80-101.
Giumbelli, Emerson, 2014, “Pesquisando religião: novos temas, novos métodos, novos
desafios”. Texto apresentado na 29a Reunião Brasileira de Antropologia.
<http://www.29rba.abant.org.br/resources/anais/1/1401803505_ARQUIVO_
ABA2014_textomesa.pdf> (Consultado em 20/12/2016)
Mafra , Clara, 2011, “A “ar ma da cultura” e os “univer salismos par ciais”, em MANA 17 (3), 607-624.
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entre Bangladeshis em Lisboa”, em Religião e Sociedade 29 (2), 134-151.
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Berkeley, University of California Press.
Trovão, Susana & E ROSALES, Marta (org.), 2010, Das Índias. Gentes, Movimentos e
Pertenças Transnacionais. Lisboa, Colibri.
Turino, Thomas, 2008, Music as Social Life: The Politics of Participation. Chicago,
University of Chicago Press.
ABSTRACT
This photo essay presents the second edition of the Ratha Yatra religious
festival in Lisbon which has been organised by ISKCON Lisbon (Interna-
tional Society for Krishna Consciousness) since 2016. The Ratha Yatra Lis-
bon proposes to unite different groups, entities and communities of immi-
grants in a collective performance through the streets of the city centre,
performing what could be called a "citizenship parade";. I sought to empha-
sise the importance of performances associated with music and dance in
public spaces to the understanding of transnational experiences.
DEBORA BALDELLI holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology from Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
She is a collaborator at the CRIA (Centro em Rede de Investigação em Antropologia), at
FCSH / NOVA and she is a doctor integrated in the INET-md (Instituto de Etnomusicologia
e Dança ), in the same institution. Her investigations are based on expressive practices in
the city. E-mail: baldelli@fcsh.unl.pt
Use license. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY License. With
this license you can share, adapt, create for any purpose as long as you assign the work.
Received: 10/04/2018
Resubmitted: 04/13/2019
Accepted: 04/18/2019
KEYWORDS
Religion; festival;
imigration; tourism;
public space.