The 15th annual Festival of Joy is returning to Bloomington-Normal this weekend. From culture to cuisine, the community will experience a taste of Indian culture in their own backyard.
The festival will take place on Sunday, Sept. 22, from 1-6 p.m. in downtown Bloomington's museum square. The event is meant to showcase Indian culture, cuisine and spirituality, and can be openly celebrated by anyone interested in participating.
Organizers Poorvi Shah and Prakash Chincholikar spoke on what the festival will entail and the cultural significance of it.
“I strongly believe we have a lot more in common than what divides us,” said Chincholikar, who grew up in India and moved to Bloomington-Normal nearly two decades ago. “Just show up in whatever you are comfortable in."
The family-friendly event includes henna and dot face painting artists. A variety of plant-based Indian cuisine will be on hand, and there are a multitude of activities and performances, including dance, music, yoga and meditation. One booth measures visitors' "spirituality quotients." Another, the popular "try a sari or turban" booth, wraps guests in up to five meters of fabric, adorning them in signature Indian dress.
“For me, it’s very fulfilling to show our children that we are proud of our culture,” said Shah, who is Chincholikar's wife. The couple has known each other since they were young children.
At 3 p.m., the Ratha Yatra parade will begin, passing through Main Street between Jefferson and Mulberry streets. Also known as the Festival of Chariots, this parade has been observed for over 3,000 years in the city of Jagannatha Puri in Orissa, India. Festivals take place in major cities all over the United States—yet visitors come from far and wide to attend Bloomington's festival.
The festivities traditionally include the head of state sweeping the ground—a custom which Chincholikar and Shah said Mwilambwe gladly participates in.
“The idea was three large chariots come out on the street, and the presiding deity of that area is Lord Jagannath," Chincholikar said. "He, along with his brother and sister, come on the chariot. It's an expression of love. That expression of love extends to all human beings, to all animals, to the community, to fraternity. So all of us come together on that special day.”
Bloomington's Festival of Joy originated in 2010 on a private lot near the airport. After many years in Miller Park, it was Mwilambwe who convinced the grassroots committee of families organizing the festival to move it downtown last year, yielding a larger, more diverse crowd—and more Bloomington-Normal residents than ever.
“There’s going to be something for everyone,” said Shah, urging everyone to take an active part—whether or not they have Indian heritage.
"It's an open for all festival," she said. "Can you come in Indian dress? Yes. If you don't want to, you don't have to. But make sure you participate. That's when you feel the joy."
The day ends with a free, communal vegetarian meal, served until the last samosa is gone.
The Festival of Joy takes place from 1-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, in museum square, downtown Bloomington. Most activities are free with some vendor items available for purchase. For details, visit festivalofjoybn.com.
