‘’Hoog Swami, kijk omhoog Swami!’’

It is July 17th 1981, thousands of international Sannyasins flood Amsterdam-South. A 17-hour-long non-stop party is about to take place in the Frans Otten Stadium, right next to the Olympic Stadium. The party is dedicated to showing gratitude for Osho (then called Bhagwan), the leader of the movement. It is the first time ‘The Orange Full Moon Affair’ takes place outside of Poona, India, where Osho’s original commune was established. The city vibrates with excitement. To announce the festival, desciples dress up the statue of Het Amsterdamse Lieverdje located on Spui square in traditional orange Rajneesh clothing. It remains unclear if Osho himself will attend the celebration, but a throne is set up for him in one of the tennis halls just in case.

The iconic Dutch singer and actor Ramses Shaffy, who then went by Swami Ramses, performed at the celebration. Before becoming a Sannyasin, Shaffy was mostly known for hanging around in Amsterdam bars until closing time. He turned to Osho in 1980, finding in this movement his true loving self and loosing his self-image of a careless drunkard.

To house all the Sannyasins coming into town, the organizers rented a vacant wing of the former penitentiary centre near the Haarlemmermeer station, only ten minutes from the party. After a successful festival, despite Osho never showing up, the municipality decided to let the community stay. The members quickly transform the old prison into a comfortably habitable space complete with a zen garden. Ma Anand Sheela even orders every disciple living in Dutch Rajneesh communes to move to the new commune. Around 200 followers, with many children among them, lived in the building for 2.5 years. This arrangement ended in 1984. Due to the rise of criminality in Amsterdam, the municipality decided to take back the building and turn it once again into a prison.