Peace Day 2023 at Puna Hongwanji – Sunday, September 17 and Thursday, September 21
Peace Day Events at Puna Hongwanji
Peace Day Service
Sunday, September 17, 2023 at 9:00 a.m.
Puna Hongwanji Social Hall
Open to the Public, All Are Welcome
Join us on Sunday, September 17, 2023 for our Peace Day Service at 9:00 a.m. On the program we will have:
- Messages by various speakers
- Hula by Lori Lei’s Hula Studio
- Puna Hongwanji Choir
- Dylan Yamanaka on keyboard
- Puna Taiko
This service will be available in person or online via Zoom. To receive the Zoom link, please email mpunahongwanji@twc.com. We highly encourage you to attend the program in person as we will be in the social hall so we hope that our audio will work for us when we have the different entertainments. Please bear with us if you decide to join online. Mahalo!
Light refreshments will be prepared.
Peace Day Cranes
We have a two-headed crane and want to cover it up with the origami cranes that you make or that we have on hand for you to add to our crane. There is no size requirement and you can use recycled paper or regular origami paper. We will glue your cranes on.
Ring Your Bell for Peace Day & Movie: “GATE: The Atomic Flame”
Thursday, September 21, 2023 at 8:30 a.m.
Puna Hongwanji
Temple doors open at 8:00 a.m.
Open to the Public, All are Welcome
Puna Hongwanji will open the temple doors at 8:00 a.m. to participate in the Ring Your Bell for Peace Day starting at 8:29 a.m. There will be a moment of silence at 9:00 a.m. and then at 9:01 a.m. we will ring our bells. We will join the group via Zoom to be a part of the event. Below is the program planned for the Ring Your Bell for Peace Day. Have a bell handy and ready to be rung for 5 minutes starting at 9:01 a.m. Wear pink in support of Maui in the spirit of Aloha.
In 1981, United Nations passed a resolution of establishing Peace Day. Peace day is observed around the world each year on September 21. Hawaii is the
first state to recognize September 21 as Peace Day. Back in 2007 the Hawaii Federation of Junior Young Buddhist Association (Jr. YBA) members inspired the Hawaii Legislature in 2007 to enact House Bill 347, and be the first state to establish Peace Day Hawaii, a non-holiday observed on September 21 of each year in the State of Hawaii. On April 18, 2007, Governor Linda Lingle signed a bill making Hawaii the first state in the United States of America to recognize September 21 as peace day.
After the Ring Your Bell for Peace Day at Puna Hongwanji we will play the movie “Gate: The Atomic Flame”.
The Peace Walk will also honor the courage and determination of three (3) Buddhist monks. Nine years ago , they made a 1600-mile pilgrimage to Trinity, New Mexico returning the atomic flame, which has burned continuously at a memorial site between Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Trinity is the birthplace of the atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The hope in returning the atomic flame to its birthplace was an effort to close the cycle of nuclear destruction and user in a new cycle on nuclear disarment.
Peace Day T-Shirts
New Peace Day t-shirts have been created. Funds from the t-shirt will go to support Lahaina Hongwanji families who were displaced by the Maui wildfires and support relief efforts on Maui. Shirt is navy blue and dri-fit. Origami is the International symbol of Peace and pink is for the Island of Maui. The white lotus is for purity and enlightenment.
Prices:
Children’s t-shirts $15.00 Sizes – S, M, L
Adult sizes: S, M, L, and Xl, price is $20. For sizes 2XL and 3XL prices is $21
Cost for shipping requests to be added
To order a t-shirt, please place your order at http://bit.ly/PeaceDayShirts2023
