The Haridwar Pilgrimage versus The Oyama Beerfest

Since 1980, most of my Labour Day weekends have been spent in the Okanagan at Craig and Julie’s place in Oyama. The event quickly became known as the Oyama Beer Festival for reasons I fail to recall. During its hey-day there would be up to 40-people in attendance. In recent years it has been simply a good excuse for me to make another visit. Over the years I have missed only five Beerfests, all due to the fact I have been out of the country.

This year’s Labour Day weekend coincided with my trip to India. I spent part of my time in Uttarakhand, the Land of the North, including the pilgrimage centre of Haridwar. You would be hard-pressed to find a place more different than Oyama, but in my warped little way I was still able to develop some comparisons.

Location:
1) Haridwar – Is situated where the Ganges River emerges from the Himalayas and enters the Indian plains.
2) Oyama – Craig tells me that it is situated in the Centre of the Universe.

Meaning of Name:
1) Haridwar – Means “Gateway to the Gods.”
2) Oyama – To me, means “Gateway to the Fridge.”

Festivals:
1) Haridwar – Each evening at sunset Hindu priests perform the Ganga Aarti, or river worship ceremony.
2) Oyama – Activities include beer tasting, picking hockey pool teams and telling the same old stories year after year after year. Also known for Craig’s worship of centre Peter Nedved.

Cleansing Benefit:
1) Haridwar – Pilgrims bathe in the river, as it is believed that the powerful currents can effectively wash away sins. A footprint of Vishnu left in a stone endorses this.
2) Oyama – Beerfest excels at washing away one’s memory of pretty much anything that happened the night before, sins included. This is confirmed by the feeling of a footprint on your brain.

Lightshow:
1) Haridwar – Small leaf baskets filled with flowers are set alight and sent drifting down the Ganges.
2) Oyama – During my friends’ reckless youth anything involving lighter fluid would have undoubtedly resulted in much larger flames.

People:
1) Haridwar – Hindu pilgrims travel from across the land, some dressed in a manner that is beyond description.
2) Oyama – Have you ever seen Murray in a speedo? Honourable mention goes to Craig’s tragic collection of shirts.

Eating and Drinking:
1) Haridwar – As a holy place, alcohol and meat are strictly prohibited and their consumption is a prosecutable offence.
2) Oyama – Will never be a Hindu holy place.

I had a memorable time in Haridwar and it was interesting to visit the religious sites and observe the river worship ceremony. However, I figure if you’ve seen one river worship ceremony you’ve seen them all. Therefore, hopefully next year my pilgrimage will once again be to the Centre of the Universe.