Global Feast for Peace

By Fred Arment

Annual Event on International Day of Peace, September 21st

Sharing food together in celebration of friendship and common interest is a tradition as old as the human family. The Global Feast for Peace is part of the U.N. sponsored International Day of Peace, celebrated around the world on September 21st each year. Whether it’s a small family celebration or a large community gathering, the Feast for Peace is a simple and profound expression of peace that everyone, no matter how humble or blessed their circumstances, can connect with and enliven the global celebration. 

With all the violence around the world, how can we sit down to enjoy a meal? The mantra of The Global Feast for Peace is "Celebrate the Peace we Have; Contemplate the Work to be Done." The positive effect of the entire world sitting down together to contemplate peace will be extraordinary and impacting. In 2013, there were 30 Feasts around the world, from the U.S.A. to Nigeria, from Argentina to Canada. In 2014, we hope to have 100 cities participate in the Global Feasts. Does this sound like something you could do for this year's annual International Day of Peace? It's easy to Feast for Peace!

Who can participate?

• Families, neighborhoods, communities, and cities
• Organizations, including faith-based, interfaith and secular
• Businesses, both for-profit and not-for-profit
• Schools from nursery schools to higher education
• Anyone who wishes to express their wish for peace

What to do?

Join together during International Day of Peace or during Peace Week. The gathering can be a formal lunch or a group potluck where people bring a dish and share. Other events can be planned before, during, and/or after the Global Feast, including bell ringing, speakers, musical events, meditations and prayers, moments of silence and other activities that foster a culture of peace.

Go to The Global Feast for Peace Facebook site to register and put your city, community, or family and friends occasion on the Global Map. Feast for Peace!

https://www.facebook.com/GlobalFeast

For the Spanish Fiesta Mondial Por La Paz, sponsored by Mil Milenios De Paz in Argentina, go to: https://www.facebook.com/fiestamundialporlapaz

J. Fred Arment is the founder and executive director of International Cities of Peace. He is author of two novels and the academic work, "The Elements of Peace: How Nonviolence Works." This fall McFarland Academic Publishers will release his new book, "The Economics of Peace: Freedom, the Golden Rule, and Broadening Prosperity."