World Peace Day: An International Celebration

There are a lot of hard things happening right now, from wars and abuse to flat-out bullying and fights. But there are still ways to find goodness and kindness in the world, no matter how bad it gets. There is even a day celebrated worldwide called World Peace Day. But what is it, exactly?

World Peace Day, or International Day of Peace, was first celebrated in 1981, created by the United Nations General Assembly, and celebrated on the third Tuesday of September. Twenty years later they reassigned the day to the 21st of September and it was declared a cease-fire and non-violence day. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Peace is needed today more than ever. War and conflict… [is] unleashing poverty, and hunger, and driving tens of millions of people from their homes. [Chaos] is all around.”

This year, World Peace Day lands on September 21, 2023, and was created for “commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples,”(UN Resolution.)

There are many ways to celebrate the International Day of Peace, but the biggest tradition is the Minute of Silence, at 12:00 noon in your time zone. This creates an international ‘Peace Wave’ across the globe. Besides this, people hold potlucks, get together with family and friends, and attend sports games and performances, but you can celebrate in whatever way feels right.

The International Day of Peace is for everyone to celebrate, so join us! Figure out where you feel joy and at peace doing, and share the feeling. Have fun and leave a comment!

Sources:

–https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-peace

– https://internationaldayofpeace.org/about/ 

–https://nationaltoday.com/international-day-of-peace/ (this site has some great history and ideas for celebration)