Blog by Nirgun
On December 16, it was our joy to host the annual Christmas party for our local workers. The ashram simply couldn’t function without their cheerful, knowledgeable, dependable help in our kitchen, bhavans, households, greenhouses, gardens, and outdoor growing spaces; and we’re profoundly grateful to and for each one of them.
Workers’ Christmas Party
By Manisha
The event opened with a Spanish-language gathering upstairs in the lodge, starting with meditation and contemplative guitar music offered by Hanuman. Lakshmi then reviewed the accomplishments of the past year, acknowledging and thanking the workers for their contributions to those.
Next, all of us joined together in the festively decorated dining room for a bountiful brunch with an opening blessing from Tara. The cooks and their assistants presented us with an amazing menu featuring enyucadas, scrambled eggs, guacamole, and numerous tasty sauces and side dishes. That was followed by a luscious dessert of fruit skewers and Tres Leches topped with strawberry and mint.
Towards the end of the meal, Hanuman and Kalyan stepped forward to lead several games for the workers that had everyone roaring with laughter. They were asked to estimate the number of random objects in a closed container, identify people shown in baby photos, and guess the contents of a Christmas stocking that kept talking back to them. The prizes were almost as much fun as the games themselves.
After that, our community musicians accompanied us on instruments while leading us in singing several carols in Spanish and English. The party was an international, polyglot gathering that included our current Shakti Saturation students from the UK, Canada, China, Germany, and Australia. Given the current state of the outside world, there was hardly a dry eye in the house.
At the end, the workers were given gift bags of goodies, along with their choice of numerous varieties of seeds that they themselves helped to grow and harvest here and that they can now use on their own land at home. From start to finish, the party was a heartfelt affair with love, laughter, and gratitude all around.
