September 21^st marks the International Day of Peace, otherwise known as Peace Day.

This is a day for raising the awareness and consciousness of the world we live in and what we can do to make it a better place. This day, inaugurated by the United Nations, was created in 1981, and was celebrated for the first time in 1982. Originally it was held every year on the third Tuesday of September. Since 2002, it was decided that the 21^st of September should be the day internationally recognised as Peace Day.

Peace Day is a day for non-violence and ceasefire. It is expected that all fighting should halt on this day, leaving others to reflect on what the world would be like without violence. This was the founding concept; now it is about so much more.

In the spirit of the original vision, Peace Day is now about uniting the strength of people, to make a practical reality for our children and their children, in order to engage people to be reminded of the importance of peace in this world.

Many people celebrate this day by lighting candles, engaging in a minute’s silence, having meals with loved ones, practicing personal peace or by sharing a photo on social media with the hashtag #PeaceDay.

Annie Maccgregor along with two of her friends Patty Brown and Deb Prior, held marquees and organised live music at Federation Square in 2014 in order to promote awareness of peace. Along with other organisations and groups, they passed on the message originating from Prem Rawat who is an International Ambassador of Peace. The Words of Peace organisation has followed his journey since he was just a child. This is what it says about him on their website (http://www.wopg.org/prem-rawat/).

‘Prem Rawat began speaking about peace when he was just 4 years old. Although, perhaps unable to fully articulate at such a young age, his extraordinary passion for peace has inspired millions of people over the last five decades. Since his childhood, Prem has dedicated his life to addressing humanity’s essential need for peace. His perspective on peace goes beyond words. It is both practical and tangible. Peace is possible; it needs to be felt. When people are in peace, the world will be in peace.’

Annie shares his thoughts and ideals.

‘Personally, I’m interested in personal peace and this can spread out to peace for the greater good of everyone.

‘Really though, peace should be every single day’ she says.

Annie and her friends had a table set up with information about Peace Day. There were also performances by well-known artists: Hiatus Kaiyote, and Oscar Key Sung to lift the spirits of passersby.

The marquees weren’t as busy as hoped, but that’s okay. Above all, it’s a day to raise awareness, not to force morals and ideals upon other people.

The feeling of oneness and harmony was palpable in The Square that day.

You’d think that this day would be a happy one, easy to celebrate, and with a lot to celebrate, but Annie and other supporters of Peace Day are also reminded of all that is wrong in the world.

‘The way I see it, things are crashing down around us,’ she says.

‘If you wanted to make a list about all that’s going on, I could just go on and on and on.’

Peace Day is also a chance to reflect on ourselves and to ascertain who we are as individuals.

Annie says that the purpose of the day is to ‘just become aware of ourselves and what’s going on; to be conscious of what’s happening at the moment on our wonderful planet.’

‘It’s not just another attempt to highlight what’s wrong in the world. Hopefully people can take it on board and learn about what’s needed. It’s a big ask but, something has to change.’

The road to peace is a long one and one that we must travel together; by being aware of our own personal peace, and understanding that our own personal peace is a part of a much bigger picture.

Image of Prem Rawat below from http://www.wopg.org/prem-rawat/

All other images are courtesy of Annie Maccgregor.