UPDATE: Honoka‘a Peace Day Festival Returns Sept. 22
UPDATE: ROAD CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT
ORIGINAL POST: Sept. 16, 2018
The 12th annual Peace Day Parade & Festival in Honoka‘a will be held on Saturday, Sept. 22, celebrating the United Nations International Day of Peace. This year’s theme is “Calling all Immigrants.”
The event will feature a moving stage of Taiko drummers, hula and bon dancers, cirque performers, singers and multicultural music and exhibits. The parade will end at the Honoka‘a County Sports Complex where the festival will continue throughout the afternoon with food, taiko drumming, magic shows, bon dancing, live music and a silent auction.
This year’s immigration theme encourages inclusivity and calls for groups and individuals to present creative expressions of their ethnic heritage to the community including history, culture, costume, music, food and displays of pride like flags and banners.
Admission to the event is free and all are welcome to attend. Applications to participate are available online at http://www.peacedayparade.org/.
International Peace Day will be celebrated throughout the month of September with events in and around Honoka‘a including activities for book lovers, musicians, dancers, young artists, churches, and anyone who is interested in celebrating their culture and ethnicity.
More Peace Day events:
“Peace It Together” Student Poster Contest
Educators are invited to use the Peace Poster Contest as an opportunity for student dialogue and reflection on their role in creating a peaceful future. Prizes will be awarded to teachers who submit winning entries: 1st place $50, 2nd place $35, and 3rd place $25 for each grade category, K to 12. Winners will be announced at the Peace Day Parade & Festival, September 22. For more information, visit http://www.peacedayparade.org/.
“Read for Peace” — Honoka’a Public Library, Thursday, Sept. 13, from 5 to 6 p.m.
Read for Peace feature a reading from ANSHŪ: Dark Sorrow, the latest work of Hawai’i novelist and poet Juliet S. Kono. Based on historical events, ANSHŪ is a tale of passion and human triumph in the face of extraordinary adversity, spanning the cane fields of Hawai’i and the devastation of Hiroshima, Japan.
“Wine at Five” — Cafe Il Mondo on Friday, Sept. 21, 5 p.m.
Gather at Cafe Il Mondo for free samples of wine donated by Kamuela Liquors and kick off the weekend festivities with the Blue Zones Project Hawai‘i and Peace Committee. Hear live music by the New Dharma Band and purchase Peace Day Parade t-shirts.
A Day of Mindfulness — Saturday, Sept. 29, 12:30 to 5 p.m.
“Tending to the fields of sense experience with kindness and wisdom,” will be presented by Michele McDonald and Jesse Maceo Vega-Frey of Vipassana Hawai‘i. The event will feature a full day of intensive vipassana (or insight) practice, with periods of sitting and walking meditation guided by Buddhist teachings.
McDonald has taught insight meditation around the world for more than 36 years, helping individuals find their own entry points into inner stillness. She is the co-founder of Vipassana Hawai‘i and a frequent participant in Burma relief projects. She has studied extensively with Sayadaw U Pandita of Burma and Dipama of India.
Vega-Frey is a teacher of Vipassana meditation within Theravada Buddhism. His teaching aims to inspire the skills, determination and faith needed to realize human liberation from suffering. Vega-Frey’s approach is rooted in the tradition of Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma.
For more information, visit www.peacedayparade.org or email honokaamindfulness@gmail.com, or call (808) 775-1064.
All Peace Day events are being organized by the Peace Committee of Honoka‘a Hongwanji Buddhist Temple to promote awareness of Peace Day in Hawai‘i on Sept. 21. Peace Day in Hawai‘i was originally established in 2007 by a group of teens from the Hawai‘i United Federation of the Junior Young Buddhists Associations. Hawai‘i is still the only state with a permanent Peace Day that coincides with the United Nations International Day of Peace.
For more information, visit http://www.HonokaaHongwanjiBuddhistTemple.org.