Image: istockphoto.com
John Lennon
On Sept 21, millions of people will be imagining peace as they celebrate International Day of Peace.
Participating is as simple as joining in the “One Minute of Silence” at noon. Wherever you are, at work or at home, stop for 60 seconds and think about peace.
You’ll be in good company. Last year 27.6 million people from 200 countries participated in 3,500 Peace Day events. This year over 2,000 organizations in 190 nations will be participating.
Different culture, different projects
Whether it’s drama and poetry in Ghana, tree planting in Liberia, sports tournaments in Rwanda, a peace convoy in Kuala Lumpur, a silent vigil in Australia, meditation in Croatia, choral singing in Nice, story telling in England, bible readings in Texas or an art exhibition in Tehran, communities are choosing their own way to celebrate peace.
History of the day
International Peace Day was started in 1981 as part of the UN’s 20th anniversary in hopes of reminding people that despite obstacles and limitations, peace is still possible. Sept 21 became the official date in 2001 after a UN resolution was put forth by the U.K. and Costa Rican governments. The Sept 21 date was first chosen by British filmmaker Jeremy Gilley after he founded Peace One Day in 1999 upon completing his documentary of the same name.
Weekend events
Worldwide peace events will continue throughout the day and well into the weekend. A 24 hour vigil is being held by the International Day of Peace Vigil. Many churches and other spiritually based groups are participating.
From Sept 21 to 23, the Global Mala Project will have hundreds of yoga studios in more than 35 countries doing their sun salutations and mantras at the same time. (Mala are the string of beads used to help concentration while repeating a mantra.)
If you’re not sure how you would like to participate in peace events, Wiser Earth has a Peace Wheel with eight paths to help you get started. You can also find listings of events happening around the world today and throughout the weekend at We The World, 11 Days of Global Unity Calendar.
Peaceful families
The colourful Peace Day Picture Book is available for downloading in 13 languages.
Families will also be interested in the Roots & Shoots Day of Peace being held on Sept 23 throughout cities, towns and villages worldwide. Celebrations include music, plays and parades with giant peace dove puppets flown by young members. Roots & Shoots is the youth network started by the Jane Goodall Institute. Roots & Shoots offers a do-it-yourself manual on how to build your own peace dove and listings of events happening around the country.
A final thought
“PEACE is more than the absence of war. It is about transforming our societies and uniting our global community to work together for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world for ALL.”
The United Nations
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