Peace Day Parade 2010-click for larger image

The 4th Annual Parade & Festival for the United Nations International Day of Peace was Sunday, September 19 in downtown Honoka‘a.

The U.N. has celebrated the International Day of Peace for more than 25 years, but the official Hawai‘i Peace Day was signed into law by Governor Lingle in 2007 as a result of a campaign by a teen group – the Young Buddhists Associations of Hawai‘i. The purpose of the event is to celebrate and promote peace, compassion and awareness of global interdependence.

The parade and festival are the culmination of a series of events, all part of the Honoka‘a Peace Day Celebration. This year the peace festival featured a number of “resource agencies and organizations” that  provided advice and support during tough economic times.  

Hale Ho'ola Hāmākua residents in the parade - click for larger image

This is in keeping with building peace through the strengthening of relationships and by providing mutual support to one another.

The Peace Committee, the producer of this event, is supported by the County of Hawai’i Department of Research & Development and the Honpa Hongwanji Mission Buddhist Temples of Hawai‘i.

For more information or to see pictures from previous years, peace projects and more visit: http://www.peacedayparade.org/

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For a gallery of this year’s parade click here.

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Royal Court of Hawai'i Island Festivals