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Day of Peace Observed in Netherlands
Written by UPF - Netherlands
Saturday, September 21, 2013
UPF-Netherlands organized International Day of Peace 2013 events in Nijmegen and The Hague.
Nijmegen
On September 21, a peace event took place in the city center of Nijmegen, a town of more than 165,000 inhabitants in the south-east of the Netherlands, close to the German border.
This Peace Event was initiated and organized by the Council of Ideology and Religion Nijmegen together with the Council of Churches in Nijmegen, in response to the Peace Week as it is celebrated worldwide. The theme was "What do you do to bring peace?" It was sponsored by local and national organizations and groups. As members of the Council for a couple of years, some Universal Peace Federation supporters have been actively involved in the organization, taking care of the logistics, hanging huge banners in different locations throughout the city, and helping to distribute flyers for this happening. They worked alongside Christians, Muslims, Jews, and a variety of other people and groups.
A podium was erected in the middle of the city, and the program included music, choirs, dances, and speeches by the mayor and other dignitaries. Away from the main podium, there were activities for children, storytelling, face painting, dance, or simply playing with unusual wooden toys. At the nearby library a big space was used for poetry, music, and other presentations about peace. During the week there were also some spiritual services in different locations, such as community halls and churches, with peace as main topic.
The square was filled with market stalls manned by various religious and ethnic groups, and NGOs. The Universal Peace Federation was also had a stall and gave out information about its programs and the autobiography of its founder, Rev. Sun Myung Moon.
All together it was truly a multi-religious and multicultural event, such as one would like to see in every town!
Report contributed by Christopher Davies
The Hague
UPF and the Women's Federation for World Peace in the Netherlands organized a program commemorating the International Day of Peace at Christus Triumfatorkerk in The Hague on September 26. The 64 participants included Christians (Protestant, Roman Catholic and Celtic), Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Pagans.
One of the speakers was Caecilia J. van Peski, who offers expertise on topics related to diplomacy and foreign affairs.
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