This year, this Christmas, we invite you to pack your suitcase. Carefully stow your devotion, make room for your faith and willpower, add your desire to open up more and more to divine love, joy, peace, light, wisdom, and finally, add everything you have to offer the cosmic beloved.
It is a holy and blessed journey, a time to prepare inwardly for the coming of Christ, to embrace in yourself the qualities He has manifested. We will offer you direction and guidance along the way: with events, satsangs, lectures, meditations, choir concerts, a whatsapp chat and daily inspiration.
You can take this journey by joining your spiritual family, here at Ananda to experience the power of Christ in person or by comfortably tuning in from your home. The result does not change. Hop on the train and travel with us to the heart of Christmas.
Inspiration
Make sure you pack your suitcase with some of these: our latest videos and blogs and let’s embark on this journey into the heart o Christmas: into radiant Light, into Divine Love and ever-new Joy!
Blogs & Articles
Christ Lives!
The Christmas Truce
New Hopes for the New Year
From the Gift of Compassion
to The Gift of Light
Videos
Our Advent Calendar
Every day on our Ananda Europe Instagram we will publish beautiful post with paintings from our artists and beautiful quotes to accompany us on our journey into the heart of christmas.
Calendar
Welcome to the calendar of this year’s holiday season. We wish you truly holy-days and joyful moments in our company and with your loved ones.
Week 1 - JOY
Joy
28 November – 4 December
“Ever-new Joy is God. He is inexhaustible; as you continue your meditations during the years, He will beguile you with an infinite ingenuity.”
-Paramhansa Yogananda
29 November
20:00 – 21:00 ONLINE: Satsang with Nayaswami Kirtani “Embarking on the Journey into the Heart of Christmas“ 
Kirtani will share her personal experiences of living Christmas in a more spiritual way and give us some valuable lessons on how to make this holy season an inner and profound celebration.
4 December
5:00 pm RESIDENTIAL: Christmas Concert of the Ananda Joy Choir in Bagnara 
Finally the choir can go out again, so this holiday season we’ll sing 4 big concerts to spread Swamijis music and Master’s love with many people in this holiday season!
Week 2 - LIGHT
Light
5 – 11 December
“O blazing Light! Awaken my heart, awaken my soul, ignite my darkness, tear the veil of silence, and fill my temple with Thy glory.”
– Paramhansa Yogananda
7 December
8:30 pm ONLINE & RES: Satsang with Darshan in Italian
Be inspired by Darshan: embrace the energy and profound lessons that the true Christmas brings.
Darshan will share his personal experiences on how to experience Christmas in a more spiritual way and give us valuable insights on how to make this holy season an inner and profound event.
8 December
6:30 – 8:45 am ONLINE & RES: Special Meditation for the Divine Mother
Embrace Divine Mother’s vibration in this meditation. Through songs and readings we will open our hearts to her love and wisdom.
Watch the Live-Stream
20:30 pm RESIDENTIAL: Christmas Concert by the Ananda Joy Choir
Join us for the first big Christmas concert the Ananda Joy Choir will give in the Temple of Light this year. This one will be also dedicated to Divine Mother as the 8th December is Italy is a holiday dedicated to the Madonna.
Join the concert in person
Week 3 - PEACE
Peace
12 – 18 December
“From the heart of peace alone Comes understanding. To bring peace to the world, we must seek it first within.”
– Swami Kriyananda
14 December
8:30 pm ONLINE: Satsang with Lakshmi in French “Retrouvez la spiritualité de Noël“
Lakshmi will share her personal experiences on how to experience Christmas in a more spiritual way and give us valuable insights on how to make this holy season an inner and profound event.
15 December
8:30 pm ONLINE & RESIDENTIAL: “Revelation of Christ” Satsang with Narya in Italian
Narya will go deeper with us into the teaching of Christ and its true message and surely share one or two stories of his latest pilgrimage to the Holy Land: a wonderful opportunity to tune into Christ presence and also a little teaser on the online course with the same name that seeks to deepen our understanding of Christ and Yogananda’s interpretation of the bible.
16 – 18 December
RESIDENTIAL COURSE: The Joy of Inner Communion
Including the long Christmas meditation, a tradition begun by Yogananda.
In this weekend we will seek to attune ourselves to Christ, both as the little child who opens our hearts and awakens our devotion and as the formless Christ Consciousness dwelling ever within us. The traditional 8-hour Christmas meditation will be a beautiful and inspiring way to prepare ourselves to fully receive the blessings of the Nativity.
Explore the course
17 December
8:30 pm ONLINE & RES: Christ Kirtan
Singing to God is bliss. Join us and let us sing together to Christ.
Watch the Live-Stream
18 December
9:00 am ONLINE & RES: 8-hour Christmas Meditation
Let us celebrate his birthday in a joyous celebration at the Temple of Light online and in-person with our spiritual family from all over the world!
Paramhansa Yogananda had a mission in the world: to inspire all souls with love for God and to share the teachings and practices of Kriya Yoga. He was sent by Babaji to the West to offer this technique that allows us to experience directly the presence of God within us. Whether you are a disciple of Yogananda, or have just heard of him, you will find this event inspiring, uplifting and full of joy.
Week 4 - LOVE
Love
19 – 25 December
“My Heavenly Father, Thou art Love and I am made in Thine image. I am the cosmic sphere of Love, in which I behold all planets, all stars, all beings, all creation as glimmering lights. I am the Love that illumines the whole universe.”
— Paramahansa Yogananda
20 December
18:30 Christmas Concert of the Ananda Joy Choir in Orvieto
Finally the choir can go out again, so this holiday season we’ll sing 4 big concerts to spread Swamijis music and Master’s love with many people in this holiday season!
Luogo del concerto: Chiesa San Giovenale, Orvieto
21 December
8:30 pm ONLINE: Satsang with Jayadev in German “Reise in das Herz Weihnachten“ 
Jayadev will share his personal experiences on how to experience Christmas in a more spiritual way and give us valuable insights on how to make this holy season an inner and profound event.
20 – 26 December
RESIDENTIAL COURSE: Christmas at Ananda
Christmas at Ananda is truly special: inspiring, simple, meaningful.
Christmas at Ananda is a period of deep joy which you can experience with us as a member of our spiritual family as we rejoice in the birth of the Christ Consciousness.
23 December
20:30 ONLINE & RES: Satsang: Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Take a journey with us to the heart of Christmas: to the Holy Land!
Pilgrimages are journeys of the soul: intense, profound and blessed. During this Christmas season, it is important to tune into the vibrations of Christ, and the stories of those who have visited the holy places where he lived are inspiring and transforming.
24 December
21:30 ONLINE & RES: Christmas Eve Celebration
Christmas Eve is one of the most beautiful and special moments of the Christmas season.
With elevating Christmas music, inspiring images and nativity scenes, we will celebrate the birth of Christ together.
25 December
11:45 – 13:30 ONLINE & RES: Christmas Sunday Service with Kirtani and Anand
In the Ceremony of Light, we tap into the deep blessings of the Lord’s day, absorbing nourishment for body, mind and soul, and we give thanks for His gifts, cooperating with Grace for the diffusion of Light in the world.
Watch the Live-Stream
20:30 ONLINE & RES: Christmas Concert in the Temple of Light
What would Christmas be without the music? Thus the Christmas Concert with the choir is always one of the highlights and a wonderful closing of a rich and deep Christmas Day. Come to the Temple of join online from your home!
Week 5 - POWER
Power
26 December – 1 January
“Love for God is not a sweet sentiment or a feeling that makes you weepy – it’s something incredibly powerful.
I remember once standing in the doorway saying goodbye to Yogananda, and he looked at me with a power that was overwhelming. […] it was a power that came out of his eyes and overwhelmed me. I stood rooted to the spot. The kind of power that he brought is what this world needs today”
– Swami Kriyananda
26 – 31 December
21:30 – 0:30 RESIDENTIAL COURSE: Reflections on 2022
Every year for over 40 years this course on Reflections has been offered at Ananda during the last week of December.
It offers a unique opportunity to reflect on the past year—embracing its most important messages and lessons—and, in the company of other spiritual seekers, to plan your next steps in the new year. This year, the course will be a 4 day intensive.
Explore the course
30 December – 01 January
21:30 – 0:30 RESIDENTIAL COURSE: A New Tomorrow: New Year at Ananda
Celebrate the New Year with Ananda: an occasion always dear to our hearts, and this year even more so!
Let’s get ready to let go of what is no longer necessary and make room for the wonderful new chapter that awaits us… Happy 2023!
Explore the course
31 December
21:30 – 0:30 ONLINE & RES: New Year’s Eve Celebration
In this special meditation, we want to tune into the joyful consciousness of our beloved Guru.
Meditation is the primary tool to realise the union of all within ourselves, let’s meditate together in this holiday season to strengthen the Light of Union all around the world.
1 January
10:30 ONLINE & RES: New Year Message by Kirtani and Anand
We start the new year with an inspiring message from our spiritual directors, Nayaswami Kirtani and Anand.
With wisdom, humor, and deep attunement, Nayaswami Kirtani and Anand will offer us guidance and encouragement as we face the challenges and victories of the coming year.
11:45 am – 1:30 pm ONLINE & RES: New Year’s Sunday Service with Narya and Premi
In the Ceremony of Light, we tap into the deep blessings of the Lord’s day, absorbing nourishment for body, mind and soul, and we give thanks for His gifts, cooperating with Grace for the diffusion of Light in the world.
Watch the Live-Stream
Week 6 - WISDOM
Wisdom
2 – 8 January
“Divine wisdom is Omniscience itself. In such wisdom there is no shadow of sorrow, only bliss absolute, bliss infinite, bliss eternal!”
-Swami Kriyananda
1 – 6 January
RESIDENTIAL COURSE: The Essence of Paramhansa Yogananda
Paramhansa Yogananda had a world mission: to inspire all souls with love for God and to share the teachings and practices of Kriya Yoga.
The path of Self-realization, introduced to the world by Paramhansa Yogananda, has the power to meet the needs of humanity in this new age and to prepare us for the great changes we are facing in these times of equally great challenges and opportunities for growth. In this week, we will tune in to Yogananda and explore his transformative teachings. It also includes the celebration of Yogananda’s birthday on January 5.
4 January
11:00 RESIDENTIAL: First Kriya Initiation – January 2022
“If Kriya Yoga is practised with a sense of inner attunement to one’s own guru, it speedily lifts one to enlightenment.” –Swami Kriyananda
Kriya Initiation is one of the most sacred ceremonies at Ananda and only for Kriyabans or becoming Kriyabans.
5 January
6:30 am ONLINE & RES: Meditation for Yogananda’s Birthday
In this special meditation, we want to tune into the joyful consciousness of our beloved Guru.
Meditation is the primary tool to realise the union of all within ourselves, let’s meditate together in this holiday season to strengthen the Light of Union all around the world.
8:30 pm ONLINE & RES: Yogananda’s Birthday Celebration
Let us celebrate his birthday in a joyous celebration at the Temple of Light online and in-person with our spiritual family from all over the world!
Paramhansa Yogananda had a mission in the world: to inspire all souls with love for God and to share the teachings and practices of Kriya Yoga. He was sent by Babaji to the West to offer this technique that allows us to experience directly the presence of God within us. Whether you are a disciple of Yogananda, or have just heard of him, you will find this event inspiring, uplifting and full of joy.
Give Ananda
Gift Voucher
Are you looking for a meaningful and inspiring Christmas gift? Maybe a gift voucher for a course or stay at Ananda Assisi sounds just right? Contact our reception to gift this life-changing opportunity to someone you love.
Explore Ananda's online stores:
Let's share the joy!
Everything that Ananda Sangha Europe does, even this joyful journey into the heart of Christmas, is only thanks to your generous donations we receive.
Yogananda said that gaining money for God’s work is the second most important activity after His realisation. If you would like to support the activities of Ananda Sangha Europe, you can do so with a donation. Thank you, for your energy and dedication.
Make a Donation Today
How has your journey into the heart of Christmas been so far? We are certain that it has gone very well and that you have shared some of the gifts you received with those closest to you! But your journey is just beginning! Why? We will answer that straight away 😉
True christmas is an inner journey that lasts the whole year. You have just taken the first steps, but there is much to be done. You can bring the gifts of benevolence, selfless service, love and peace into your life every day and keep them alive through daily practice.
Tune in to these intentions to make the journey into the heart of Christmas a profoundly transformative experience and you will be helped and supported by us through The Joy of Giving initiative.
In this article, Swami Kriyananda explains to us how giving from ourselves can lead us to bliss!
The Christmas tree is now filled with many hearts and stars that will enlighten us throughout the year. A special year in which we will continue to keep these sparks of love alive.
To do this we can simply choose to say yes to life. Start giving and you will also start receiving. These two aspects are in fact the manifestation of the same energy: giving opens the heart, and it is with an open heart that you will be receptive to the gifts that life generously presents to you.
What are you waiting for?
