HAPPENINGS at The Peacemakers' Circle: October 2010

The International Day of Peace 2010 in Manila was celebrated through several public activities throughout the Peace Consciousness Month of September.

Earth Dance Manila - Global Peace Festival (September 18-19, 2010)

On the weekend before World Peace Day, Manila joined countries in the global peace celebration called Earth Dance Festival that brought together artists, performers, ritualists, dancers, cultural creatives, peace workers, environmentalists, youths and different earth-lovers from all walks of life in an over-night gathering at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Monument in Quezon City.

World Peace Prayer Society, Mandala Peace Arts Initiative, The Peacemakers' Circle, and United Religions Initiative booths

Activity and advocacy booths, as well as a green market enlivened the venue and engaged the public as they enjoyed music from a night-long concert that kicked-offed with interfaith prayers (led by The Peacemakers' Circle) and ritual dances, followed by performances from different traditions and genres.

ritualists offered chants and prayer dances to open the event

community dancing and music-jamming for unity and solidarity amidst diversity of traditions

Writing peace prayers on the big mandala cloth

booth of The Peacemakers' Circle and United Religions Initiative (URI-Southeast Asia-Pacific) include free healing by the Shinji Shumei Kai

night-long concert

With its theme: "Embracing All Traditions"-- the event highlighted an Inka Fire Ceremony at 3:00am and a global synchronized prayer for peace at 7:00am in the morning.

GenPeace Youth Peace Day Celebration (September 21, 2010)

With its theme for the year: "Sustaining the Youth's Engagement, Bridging the Peacebuilding Gaps" -- the Generation Peace Youth Network, with partner organizations-- including the World Peace Prayer Society Philippines and The Peacemakers' Circle-- led the celebration of World Peace Day in Manila at the Peace Bell Area of the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City.

Recognizing the different gaps (i.e. between youth and elder advocates, between apathetic and socially-active youth, etc.) the celebration saw a wide participation of different groups, civil society organizations, academe, government agencies, performing artists from all over Metro Manila and even as far as Visayas and Mindanao.

The program opened with interfaith prayers led by The Peacemakers' Circle and representatives from Christian, Muslim, Indigenous, Hindu, Brahma Kumaris, Tibetan Buddhist, Baha'i and Shumei faiths

Solidarity messages, honoring grassroots peacebuilders, exhibit booths, poetry reading, cultural presentations and musical renditions for peace-- offered by both youths and elders-- enlivened the program.

Dr. Shakun Vaswani (regional coordinator of URI-SEAP) presented to Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte a plaque of the Golden Rule stated in different faiths.

One of the highlights of the program is the presentation of a special Peace Pole by volunteers of World Peace Prayer Society Japan (WPPS) for the president of the Philippines through the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

Mr. Mario "Toots" Fungo (WPPS-Phils) introducing Ms. Yoshie Hagiwara (volunteer representative from WPPS-Japan) and Asec. Romie Halabaso (OPAPP) receiving the Peace Pole in behalf of the president