Victoria Hindu Parishad And Cultural Center
1934 Cultra Avenue V8M 1L7 Saanichton, BC, Canada

http://www.victoriahindutemple.ca/ Virtual Diwali Cultural Show Nov 14 and Nov 15 6pm to 8pm DAY 1: VIRTUAL DIWALI CULTURAL SHOW LINK FROM 6PM TO 8PM (PST):

Link to Virtual diwali Cultural show: https://m.facebook.com//victor/permalink/5251073144906625/

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VHPCC - Message to Members - Community Support Dear Community Members,... Namaskar, I hope you are keeping well during this challenging time and doing your best to stay home, healthy and safe. As we have to keep vigilant about adhering to the current social distancing and isolation recommended by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix, once considered simple tasks may now be seem very difficult. Please know that Victoria Hindu Parishad is here for you. We realize that many in our community, such as new students, new families from India, seniors living by themselves, new parents and expectant mothers and others may need assistance during these difficult times. If you are in isolation and are in need of help, or you just feel the need to get in touch for some information, please connect with me or one of the other Victoria Hindu Parishad board members listed at our website www.victoriahindutemple.ca or via email to [email protected]. Also, there are others in the extended community who are offering services. For example, our friends at Yellow cab have offered to help with free grocery or pharmacy pick up and drop off services. You can contact Sushil Hira at 250 881-4443. We would also appreciate volunteers who may be able to help out. If you would like to be a volunteer, please join the WhatsApp Temple volunteer group and get in touch with us! WhatsApp Temple Volunteer group can be found here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JZLTGgEGGbi6O38jiQOdHi Finally, lets take the time to thank all those exceptional people who are continuing to keep our essential services going. They are putting their own health at risk: health care providers, grocery store attendants, transit and taxi drivers, those keeping our supply chains moving and many more. We should appreciate their efforts and as well as their families for working around the clock to support our needs. Please refer to our website, sevak emails as well as our social media channels, which will be regularly updated with any new information or developments. Together we will get through this unprecedented time. regards, Surinder Sharma President, Victoria Hindu Parishad and Cultural Centre [email protected]

https://www.saanichnews.com//diwali-festival-goes-virtua/ Diwali Virtual Cultural Show! Nov 14/15 - 6pm to 8pm

Virtual Diwali Show November 14 &15, 2020 It is time again for our annual Diwali Cultural Show. This year due to COVID-19, Diwali Show will be a Virtual Cultural Show. The show will be broadcast on November 14th and 15th from 6pm to 8 pm in the comfort of your living room. Link to follow soon....

URGENT MESSAGE REGARDING COVID-19 Dear Devotees, Namaskar, ... Due to the public health advisory announced by Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer the Victoria Hindu Parishad and Cultural Center has suspended all functions until further notice. As the British Columbia Government, as well as top Health officials in British Columbia, have encouraged event organizers to cancel all gatherings of 50 people or more, we at our temple consider it our responsibility to put the well being of our devotees and our volunteers above everything. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We will continue to provide as much up-to-date information as possible in the coming days via our website, sevak e-mail and our Facebook page(s) (Victoria Hindu Community and Victoria Hindu Parishad and Cultural Center). The temple will remain open daily for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening for Pooja and Aarti. Temple timings: Mornings and Weekends 9am to 10 am Evenings and Weekends - 5pm to 6pm Hanuman Chalisa - Tuesdays - 7pm - 8pm For the safety of all, please consider self-restraining and limiting your participation, if you have recently traveled or not feeling well and we are encouraging the elderly to stay home to avoid contact with others members and the general public. One of the best ways to prevent it from spreading is by washing your hands with disinfectant soap at the temple and at home. Please refer to our website, sevak emails as well as our social media channels, which will be regularly updated with any new information or developments. On behalf of the Victoria Hindu Parishad and Cultural Center, we hope you remain healthy and well. Warm Regards, Thank you, Sridevi Ganti Public Relations Victoria Hindu Parishad and Cultural Center

Do not miss... Join at Sunday, 30th August at 4pm to watch our talented performers in IndiaFest Victoria... virtually!!! http://www.victoriahindutemple.ca/indiafest-victoria

Dear Devotees, Namaskar, This email is to update the temple members and devotees on the COVID-19 news .... Yesterday (March 11th ) Premier Horgan, Minister Andrew Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry called a teleconference call to discuss the current response to COVID-19 and to provide guidance and support to faith-based organizations. Our President Mr. Surinder Sharma attended this call on behalf of the Temple Executive Committee. The provincial and federal health authorities would like us to respect and encourage social distancing to control and constraint this pandemic. To make our functions and events safe for all, please consider self-restraining and limiting your participation, if you have recently traveled or not feeling well and we are encouraging the elderly to stay home to avoid contact with others members and the general public. For the safety of all, one of the best ways to prevent it from spreading is by washing your hands with disinfectant soap at the temple and at home. We will keep you updated on all upcoming Temple functions. Thank you, Sridevi Ganti Public Relations [email protected] Victoria Hindu Parishad and Cultural Center

IndiaFest Victoria Please join us on Sunday 30th August between 4PM to 6PM to watch IndiaFEST Victoria!!! Please click this link: http://www.victoriahindutemple.ca/indiafest-victoria

Namaskar, Due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health advisory, we are cancelling the function on Sunday March 15th. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.... Thank you, Sridevi Ganti Public Relations Victoria Hindu Parishad and Cultural Center

Maha Shivratri - Friday, February 21, 2020 - 6:30pm Namaskar, Our forthcoming function in the temple is Maha Shivratri on Friday, February 21, 2020 from 6:30pm onwards. Please join us in Puja, Bhajans (Chanting), Aarti and Preeti Bhojan.... Temple will be open all day from 9am onwards.

Saraswati Puja - Vasant Panchami - Sunday, Feb 2, 2020 - 10:30am Our forthcoming function in the temple is Vasant Panchami on Sunday, February 2, 2020 from 10:30am to 12:30pm followed by Preeti Bhojan. Please join us in Puja, Bhajans (Chanting), Aarti and Preeti Bhojan. We will be performing Hathe Khori and Aksharabhyasam (Akshar mean letter and Abyas mean learning) or Vidyarambham (vidya ka arambh) pooja. This is a ceremony for children from 3 years of age to 5 years where ...they are introduced to education and learning. Please come with your child by 11am. Please also bring a slate and chalk.Since we are celebrating Basant Panchami, a Spring festival, please come in yellow outfits (if you happen to have). The Preeti Bhojan (lunch) will be served by the Bengali families of Victoria . Vasant Panchami: Vasant Panchami highlights the coming of spring. Vasant means "spring" and Panchami means "the fifth day". Vasant Panchami is dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge, music, arts and science. The color yellow is associated with the festival, which is supposed to be the fields of mustard which can be seen in Punjab and Haryana during the spring. Men and women wear yellow clothes on this day. Sweets with a yellow hue are exchanged with friends and family. Another tradition associated with this day is that of initiating studies in the young. Young children often begin learning on this day. Aksharaabhyasam or Vidyaarambham is a traditional religious function in which the child is given initiation of education so that the child is ready to receive formal education. Hathe Khori celebration in West Bengal Saraswati puja holds a special place in the Bengali culture and Hathe Khori is a popular celebration in West Bengal where little children of the age of five years are made to perform a ritual of writing the first letters of the alphabet. They are made wear traditional cloths. Little boys are made to wear Dhoti and Kurta and the girls are made to wear Saree, especially yellow in color. New black slate, chalk and books and copies are purchased for the Hate Khori ceremony and the pandit performs the ritual. Little kids are made to sit on the lap of the pandit who hold their hands and make them write the first letters mainly, OM or A, B, C and or some Bengali alphabets like "K-a", "Kh-a".

Namaskar, This message is to inform you that due to the inclement weather and icy road conditions near the temple, our originally scheduled Lohri function for (Saturday, January 18th) at 7pm will be rescheduled. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We will let you know the new function date and time with further updates.... Thanks, Sridevi Ganti Public Relations Victoria Hindu Parishad and Cultural Center

Namaste everyone Please note time change for Hanuman Chalisa on New year's Eve will be at 5pm. Date : Dec 31, 2019 - 5pm Victoria Hindu Temple - 1934 Cultra Ave... Bus #72 Thanks, Sridevi Ganti Public relations VHPCC

Gita Jayanti Saturday, December 7, 2019 - 6:30pm Namaskar,... Our forthcoming function in the temple is Gita Jayanti on Saturday, December 7, 2019 from 6:30pm to 8.00pm followed by Preeti Bhojan (dinner). There will be chanting of the Gita. Please join us in bhajans (devotional songs), chanting and aarti. The Preeti Bhojan (dinner) will be served by Jyoti Kumar & Shikha and Family. Thank you, Sridevi Ganti Public Relations Victoria Hindu Parishad and Cultural Center