WORLD PEACE DAY
The International Day of Peace, also known as the World Peace Day, occurs annually on 21 September. It is dedicated to PEACE and specifically the absence of war, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone. It is observed by many nations, political groups, military groups, and peoples. The first year this holiday was celebrated was 1981.
To inaugurate the day, the “Peace Bell” is rung at UN Headquarters (in New York City, United States). The bell is cast from coins donated by children from all continents apart from Africa. It was given as a gift by the United Nations Association of Japan, and is referred to as "a reminder of the human cost of war." The inscription on its side reads: "Long live absolute world peace." Individuals can also wear White Peace Doves to commemorate the International Day of Peace, which are badges in the shape of a dove produced by a non-profit in Canada.
The United Nations General Assembly declared, in a resolution sponsored by the United Kingdom and Costa Rica the third Tuesday of September/the opening day of regular sessions of the General Assembly as the International Day of Peace devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace Tuesday, 21 September 1982, was the first occurrence of the International Day of Peace. In 2001 the opening day of the General Assembly was scheduled for 11 September, and Secretary General Kofi Annan drafted a message recognizing that observance of International Peace Day on 11 September. That year the day was changed from the third Tuesday to specifically the twenty-first day of September, to take effect in 2002. A new resolution was passed by the General Assembly sponsored by the United Kingdom (giving credit to Peace One Day and Costa Rica (the sponsors of the original day) to give the Day of Peace a fixed date and declare it as a global ceasefire day. 
A diplomatic stir occurred in 2004 when Lions Club International sponsored a contest to select a set of posters to be used for commemorative stamps issued by the United Nations of America. A poster by 13 year-old Taiwanese junior high school student Yang Chih-Yuan was announced as one of the winners. However, it was later announced Yang's poster would not be used. Taiwan media reports, Taiwan Lions Club and the government of Taiwan claimed the decision not to use the poster resulted from pressure from China The government of Taiwan Republic of China later issued a stamp containing the image. Critics claimed that the rejection of the student's paintin on purely political grounds did not reflect the ideals of the International Day of Peace, while the UN issued a statement that "due to an internal misunderstanding and miscommunication, Mr. Yang's proof got publicized in error as one of the six stamps intended to be issued." In 2005, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for the worldwide observance of a 24-hour cease-fire and day of nonviolence to mark the Day.
The United Nations' (UN) International Day of Peace is celebrated on September 21 each year to recognize the efforts of those who have worked hard to end conflict and promote peace. The International Day of Peace is also a day of ceasefire – personal or political.
The dove is a symbol often associated with the International Day of Peace. ©iStockphoto.com/Sue McDonald
On the International Day of Peace, also known as Peace Day, people around the world take part in various activities and organize events centered on the theme “peace”. Events vary from private gatherings to public concerts and forums involving large audiences. Activities include:
• Interfaith peace ceremonies.
• A toast for peace.
• A peace choir.
• Lighting candles.
• Peace prayers.
• A peace convoy of vehicles.
• Tree planting for peace.
• Art exhibitions promoting peace.
• Picnics for peace.
• Peace walks.
Organizations such as Roots & Shoots, an international environmental and humanitarian program for youth, show their support for the event on an annual basis. Young people involved in Roots & Shoots may engage in activities such as crafting giant peace dove puppets from re-used materials and flying the doves in their communities. People from diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds also commit to organizing an International Day of Peace Vigil. Some groups observe a minute of silence at noon in every time zone across the world on Peace Day. The UN’s International Day of Peace is a global observance and not a public holiday. It is a day when nations around the world are invited to honor a cessation of hostilities during the day.
A UN resolution established the International Day of Peace in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the UN General Assembly. The first Peace Day was celebrated in 1982 and was held on the third Tuesday of September each year until 2002, when September 21 became the permanent date for the International Day of Peace. The assembly decided in 2001 that the International Day of Peace should be annually observed on September 21 starting from 2002. By setting a fixed date for the International Day of Peace, the assembly declared that the day should be observed as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence.By creating the International Day of Peace, the UN devoted itself to worldwide peace and encouraged people to work in cooperation for this goal. Since its inception, Peace Day has marked personal and planetary progress toward peace. It has grown to include millions of people worldwide and many events are organized each year to commemorate and celebrate this day. The peace dove flying with an olive branch in its beak is one of the most commonly featured symbols for the day. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam a white dove is generally a sign for peace. The dove can also represent “hope for peace” or a peace offering from one person to another, hence the phrase “to extend an olive branch”. Often, the dove is represented as still in flight to remind people of its role as messenger
Inter Religious Prayers.
Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.
Be fair in judgement, and guarded in thy speech,
Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness,
and a home to the stranger.
Be eyes to the blind,
and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring.
Be a breath of life to the body of humankind,
a dew to the soil of the human heart,
and a fruit upon the tree of humility.
Buddhist Prayer for Peace
May all beings everywhere plagued
with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wilderness -
the children, the aged, the unprotected -
be guarded by beneficial celestials,
and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.
Christian Prayer for Peace
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred ... let me sow love;
where there is injury ... pardon;
where there is doubt ... faith;
where there is despair ... hope;
where there is darkness ... light;
where there is sadness ... joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled ... as to console;
to be understood ... as to understand;
to be loved ... as to love.
For it is in giving, that we receive;
it is in pardoning, that we are pardoned;
it is in dying, that we are born to eternal life.
Hindu Prayer for Peace
Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real.
Oh God, lead us from darkness to light.
Oh God, lead us from death to immortality.
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.
Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions.
May there be peace on Earth.
May the waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome,
and may trees and plants bring peace to all.
May all beneficent beings bring peace to us.
May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all through the world.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself bestow peace on all
and may that peace come to me also.
Jain Prayer for Peace
Peace and Universal Love is the essence
of the Gospel preached by all Enlightened Ones.
The Lord has preached that equanimity is the Dharma.
Forgive do I creatures all, and let all creatures forgive me.
Unto all have I amity, and unto none enmity.
Know that violence is the root cause of all miseries in the world.
Violence, in fact, is the knot of bondage.
"Do not injure any living being."
This is the eternal, perennial, and unalterable way of spiritual life.
A weapon, howsoever powerful it may be,
can always be superseded by a superior one;
but no weapon can, however,
be superior to non-violence and love.
Jewish Prayer for Peace
Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
that we may walk the paths of the Most High.
And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares,
and our spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation -
neither shall they learn war any more.
And none shall be afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.
Muslim Prayer for Peace
In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the Universe who has created us
and made us into tribes and nations
that we may know each other,
not that we may despise each other.
If the enemy incline towards peace,
do thou also incline towards peace,
and trust God, for the Lord is the one that
heareth and knoweth all things.
And the servants of God,
most gracious are those who walk on
the Earth in humility, and when we
address them, we say "PEACE."
Native African Prayer for Peace
Almighty God, the Great Thumb,
we cannot evade to tie any knot;
the Roaring Thunder that splits mighty trees;
the all-seeing Lord up on high who sees
even the footprints of an antelope on a rock mass here on Earth.
You are the one who does not hesitate to respond to our call.
You are the cornerstone of peace.
Native American Prayer for Peace
Oh Great Spirit of our Ancestors, I raise my pipe to you.
To your messengers the four winds,
and to Mother Earth who provides
for your children.
Give us the wisdom to teach our children
to love, to respect, and to be kind
to each other so that they may grow
with peace of mind.
Let us learn to share all good things that
you provide for us on this Earth.
Shinto Prayer for Peace
Although the people living across the ocean
surrounding us, I believe, are all our brothers and sisters,
why are there constant troubles in this world?
Why do winds and waves rise in the oceans surrounding us?
I only earnestly wish that the wind will
soon puff away all the clouds which are
hanging over the tops of mountains.
Sikh Prayer for Peace
God adjudges us according to our deeds,
not the coat that we wear:
that Truth is above everything,
but higher still is truthful living.
Know that we attaineth God when we loveth,
Know that we attaineth God when we loveth,
and only victory endures in consequences
of which no one is defeated.
Zoroastrian Prayer for Peace
We pray to God to eradicate all the misery in the world:
that understanding triumph over ignorance,
that generosity triumph over indifference,
that trust triumph over contempt, and
that truth triumph over falsehood.
Prof. John Kurakar
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