Australia’s Hindus celebrate the birth of Krishna
Thursday 21 August 2008
Australia’s Hindu community will shortly be celebrating one of the most important events in the Hindu calendar.
Known as Krishna Janmashtami or Krishna Jayanti, the August 23-24 festival celebrates the birth of Krishna more than 5000 years ago in Mathura, India. Krishna was one of the incarnations of Vishnu and is one of the most popular deities in Hinduism.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, Laurie Ferguson, extended his best wishes to the Hindu community.
‘I wish all those celebrating Krishna Jayanti an enjoyable celebration,’ Mr Ferguson said.
Celebrations take place over two days. The first is a day of fasting, which is broken at midnight with sweets made from dairy products.
Australia’s 150 000-strong Hindu community grew by 55 per cent between the 2001 and 2006 censuses, making it the fastest growing religion in Australia.
Of that number, about 65 000 were born in India, joined by nearly 24 000 Australian-born, 23 000 from Fiji and nearly 12 000 from Sri Lanka.
Mr Ferguson said the Hindu community has had a long history in Australia, beginning in the 19th century when Indian migrants arrived to work on farms. Many stayed and eventually became merchants between small rural communities.
Members of the diverse Hindu community continue to contribute to Australia’s prosperity, working in professional fields such as medicine, engineering, commerce and information technology.
‘I wish Hindu Australians all the best on this auspicious occasion,’ Mr Ferguson said.Media Contact: Khaldoun Hajaj - 0404 078 692
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au
/parlsec/media/media-releases/2008/lf08051.htm
Last update: 21 August 2008 at 16:00 AEST