“Do you remember / the 21st night of September” celebrating Peace Day? Unlike the song “September” by Earth Wind and Fire, Peace day is about recognizing and giving a tribute to worldwide peace. With a globally shared date, Peace Day is celebrated for all of humanity to commit to peace above all differences.

What more represents peace celebration than the celebration of earth preservation, tie-dye shirts, and caravans… right? Well, it’s less of a colorful hip celebration and more of a sentimental holiday. Instead, peace day focuses on preserving real peace amongst the globe! Each year on September 21st, 24 hours of ceasefire and nonviolence is allowed world-wide to strengthen the ideals of peace and promote global solidarity for building a peaceful and sustainable world. With that said, how exactly did this holiday come to be?

The day of peace was created for the sole purpose of preserving world peace, dedicating a cease of all violence and war to reach this goal. The holiday was established by the United Nations General Assembly, the main policy-making organ of the United Nations, in 1981. In 2001, it unanimously voted to designate the day to a period of non-violence and cease-fire.

To celebrate this day of peace, it’s usually done by designating a family dinner and giving a toast to a specific act of peace. Give a moment of silence for the gratitude of world peace. Also give this silence to serve as a reminder of your commitment of peace.

The goal of this day is to spread awareness of peace across the globe, manifest actions, and to help reduce the act of violence as we change our behavior towards each other and our environment.

In the grand scheme of things, this holiday holds importance towards recognizing global discrimination and conflict. Celebrating a holiday dedicated to putting aside our differences and ceasing unnecessary conflict is perfect to give prominence to these issues. Peace Day is devoted to strengthening the ideals of harmony, both within all nations and all people.

Why not take this day to relax and celebrate a day dedicated to peace? Get out there and spread some awareness. Take this day as a chance to make a difference!