How to host a kirtan at home

A kirtan at home works when the hosts plan for the singing, not only the food. The room, the seating, the timing and a clear word with the artists matter more than decoration. This guide walks you through it in the order a family usually plans it, from the first phone call to the last plate of prasad.

A home kirtan is called a satsang in many families: a gathering of people who sit together for devotion. It can be a Hare Krishna kirtan, a Bhajan Sandhya, a Khatu Shyam or Sai evening, or Shabad Kirtan. The planning is much the same for all of them.

What happens at a kirtan at home?

Guests arrive, remove their shoes and sit on the floor facing the altar or the artists. The singers begin softly. The lead sings a line, the room sings it back, and the pace slowly rises. After an hour or two the kirtan closes with an aarti or a short prayer, and prasad is shared.

That is the whole shape. In a Hare Krishna kirtan the same mantra may be sung for a long time, rising in tempo. In a Bhajan Sandhya the singer moves from one bhajan to the next. At Shabad Kirtan the sangat mostly listens to hymns sung in a raag. Ask the artist how they usually run an evening.

Which kirtan is right for my family?

Choose the tradition your family already follows or the deity connected to the occasion. If you are unsure, ask the elders. The artist can then fit the evening to the family, not the other way round.

If your family follows	Look at	Common day or reason
Krishna and the Hare Krishna mantra	Hare Krishna kirtan	Ekadashi, a new home, a birthday
Many deities, mixed bhajans	Bhajan Sandhya	Any evening, anniversaries
Shyam Baba	Khatu Shyam kirtan	Ekadashi
Sai Baba	Sai Sandhya	Thursdays
The Guru Granth Sahib	Shabad Kirtan	Family milestones, bhog

Our tips page lists the days many families prefer for each. These are customs, not rules, and they vary by family.

How do I choose and brief the artist?

Look at the artists who perform your tradition and check their videos. For home gatherings, look for someone who leads a call-and-response kirtan that lets everyone sing, such as Vraj Gopal Das, whose kirtan centres on congregational sankirtan. Other artists on the site list satsang among the occasions they sing at, including Radhika Das, Harikanta Devi Dasi and Madhurika Devi Dasi.

When you contact them, agree these things in one written message:

• the date, start time and how long the kirtan should run;
• how many musicians are coming and what they play;
• travel, and the offering for the artists;
• the bhajans or shabads your family would love to hear;
• whether they bring their own sound equipment.

Our home kirtan checklist keeps all of this in one place and can be ticked off on your phone.

Which room and how much space do I need?

Choose the room where you can clear the most floor. Move the sofas to the wall, spread durries or clean white sheets, and keep a few chairs at the back for elders who cannot sit on the floor.

Place the altar or picture at one end. Seat the artists beside it, or facing the guests, with a socket close by. Sit people at the same level as the singers where you can. Leave a clear path to the door so that latecomers and children can move without stepping across the room.

For numbers, count floor space. A seated guest needs a little more than a square metre once you allow for movement. A living room of about 12 by 12 feet comfortably takes 15 to 20 people with the artists. If more are coming, consider a terrace, a hall in your society or a courtyard.

What time should it start, and how long should it be?

Evening is the most common time, often between 6 and 8 pm after work, which suits both the family and working guests. An hour to two hours is usual at home. Longer kirtans are possible, but plan seating and breaks if the group includes elders.

Announce an exact start time and keep to it. Begin with whoever is present. Latecomers settle in quietly once the singing has started. If you are inviting guests for dinner, tell them the kirtan comes first and the meal follows. Guests stay more present when they are not waiting for food.

What should I keep ready at the altar?

Keep it simple: a lamp, incense, flowers, and the deity, picture or scripture your family worships. Many families add a plate for fruit or sweets that will be offered as prasad. Practice varies a lot between homes and traditions, so follow what your family does.

Keep a lamp or soft light near the artists so that they can read lyrics. Warm lighting makes a kirtan feel peaceful, but total darkness does not help the singers.

If your family follows the Sikh tradition and wants Guru Granth Sahib at home, that follows its own maryada: a clean, raised place with a canopy and a trained person for the sewa. Talk to your granthi first. The code is set out in the Sikh Rehat Maryada. At a Sikh gathering, heads are covered, shoes are removed and tobacco and alcohol are kept away, as the Golden Temple’s own visitor guide lists for visitors.

How do I prepare my guests?

Most guests only need a few lines of notice. In your invitation, give the address, the start time and the length. Then add a gentle note on a few points.

• Shoes come off at the door. Keep a clean place for them.
• Phones go on silent before the kirtan starts.
• No one needs to know the words. In call and response, guests listen to the first round and join in from the second.
• Sit cross-legged or tuck your feet in, and avoid pointing them at the altar or the singers.

Remember that someone will arrive who has never been to a kirtan. A warm word at the door, and a spot near the back to sit, is enough.

What do I do about children and elders?

Seat elders on chairs or against the wall, with cushions, and near the door. Seat children near the artists if they like to be close. Hand them small cymbals or manjira so they can take part. Our guide to kirtan with children goes through how to make the evening work for the young ones.

What about sound, neighbours and power?

A harmonium and one or two voices fill a living room with no microphone. For bigger groups the artists may bring a small speaker. Keep an extension board near the artists and check with them.

Many areas restrict loudspeakers late in the evening. Tell your neighbours in advance and, if you live in a society, inform the secretary. Neighbours who are invited tend to be understanding.

How do I serve prasad and food?

Decide beforehand who will distribute prasad and where. Serve it after the closing aarti or prayer, row by row. Then bring out the meal. Tell the kitchen when the kirtan will end so that the food is hot at that time.

Many Vaishnava families offer only vegetarian food cooked without onion and garlic, and Sikh langar is vegetarian. If your guests are from mixed backgrounds, ask the artists what they need before you plan the menu. It is a courtesy that is always welcome.

Serve the artists first or alongside the elders, with warm water within reach throughout the evening. Singers lose their voice to cold drinks and the draft of an air conditioner.

What should I do after the kirtan?

Thank the artists and settle their offering before they leave. If you would like to share photos with the guests, do so freely, but ask the artists before posting a recording of their performance. Some prefer that full sets are not put online.

A short thank-you message the next day, with a photo, means a lot to the artists. It also helps you remember what worked for the next time.

A simple plan, week by week

1. Three weeks before: fix the date, choose the tradition and book the artist.
2. Two weeks before: send invitations with the time, address and a line on phones and shoes.
3. One week before: send your requests to the artist, plan the seating and decide the prasad.
4. The day before: clear the room, shop for flowers and confirm the timing with the artist.
5. The day: set up the altar, test the socket, keep warm water ready and begin on time.

When you are ready, tell us about your evening and we will help you find an artist who fits.