O World Peace Day is celebrated every year in January 1st date, having been a creation linked to the Catholicism. In 1967, the then Pope Paul VI proclaimed a message in which this commemorative date was established, with the aim to promote the feeling of peace around the world, then marked by Cold War and by military instability.
Is important don't confuse the World Peace Day like International Day of Peace, the latter established by UN and celebrated on September 21, the day on which the General Assembly of the Organization began its activities in 1981. It is, therefore, of two different dates around the same theme.
Ceremony
As a religious date linked to the Catholic Church, every year the Vatican performs a ceremony official on the date, there is always a new theme for the World Day of Peace chosen by the Pope. In 2018, for example, the theme was "Migrants and refugees: men and women in search of peace"; in 2019, in turn, the theme chosen was "Good policy is at the service of peace". The 2020 theme is "Peace as a path of hope: Dialogue, Reconciliation and Ecological Conversion".
See too: What is Corpus Christi?
peace concept
It is important, in this context, to reiterate that peace is a very broad and polysemic concept. In the case of the World Day of Peace, it is celebrated not only the search for peace related to the stillness and the absence of conflicts, but also peace that changes the reality of many people who suffer from inequality, violence, hunger and misery. Thus, peace, in some senses, can represent a social transformation aimed at the universal inclusion of people.
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
Therefore, the struggle for peace in today's world is still very arduous it's difficult. In addition to the various ethnic, territorial and other conflicts around the world - with emphasis on the frequent clashes between Jews and Palestinians in the Middle East – there is also the ample need to fight poverty, epidemics and hunger in various parts of the globe. According to the World Bank, 3.4 billion people live below the poverty line.
It is clear that in order to promote peace – or to make it at least go further – something much bigger than a universal commemorative date is needed. However, January 1st is very important to establish a reflection about whether and how we will promote peace in different parts of the world.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PENA, Rodolfo F. Alves. "January 1 — World Day of Peace"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/datas-comemorativas/dia-da-paz.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
