Celebrations
"Lord, You are the Light of Lights. You are the source of all lights. You are the Sun of Suns, Moon of Moons, Star of stars. You are the Light within and without. You are the Light of the enlightened. Kindly lead us from the darkness of ignorance to the light of understanding to realize the truth behind all these names and forms.’ This is my prayer on his holy occasion. Every holy day should remind us of our inherent divine nature." - Swami Satchidananda
Mahasivaratri
February 13, 2010
Mahasivaratri is a special all-night vigil in honor of Lord Siva, celebrated when the moon is at its darkest phase.
We will offer four pujas (worship services) to Lord Siva during the night, tell stories, chant his holy mantras, visit the Nataraj Shrine and more.
Guru Poornima – LOTUS Anniversary Weekend
July 23 – 25, 2010
On the annual sacred occasion of Guru Poornima, devotees worldwide pay homage to their Guru. Over the weekend we will honor our Gurudeva, His Holiness Sri Swami Satchidananda, and celebrate the Divine Light at the heart of all spiritual traditions. We will begin the weekend with chanting of the Guru Gita on Firday evening. On Saturday, we will have a Light of Truth Universal Service in the morning and an interfaith program in the afternoon. In the evening we will have heartfelt offerings from the sangha. On Sunday morning we will have a special puja honoring Sri Gurudev followed by a blessing of LOTUS in honor of the 24th Anniversary of our magnificent shrine. In the afternoon we will have the opportunity to experience darshan at Ananda Kutir.
Mahasamadhi & Mahagururatri Commemoration
August 21, 2010
On this auspicious day we will observe the 8th Anniversary Memorial of the Mahasamadhi of Sri Gurudev with a special puja at Chidambaram in the morning. Come evening, we will enjoy an all-night vigil, Mahagururatri, during which four pujas to our beloved Gurudev will be offered at Sivananda Hall, along with Guru chants and stories of our experiences with him. Gururatri will give us a wonderful opportunity to tune into Sri Gurudev’s Divine Presence and stay “tuned” while we live our lives in the world.
Other Annual Celebrations
Passover Seder, April 1, 2010
Easter Worship Service, April 4, 2010
Mother’s Day Worship Service Sunday Morning, May 9, 2010
Sagadawa Full Moon Celebration of the Birth, Enlightenment and Mahasamadhi of the Buddha Friday Evening, May 26, 2010
Father’s Day/Nataraj Shrine Anniversary Puja Sunday Morning, June 20, 2010