The sound of bells echoed Thursday through Buddhist temples and other sites across the state as people celebrated the International Day of Peace.
The International Day of Peace features a week of events promoting the notion that peace will prevail around the world.
In 1981, United Nations passed a resolution of establishing Peace Day, which is observed around the world each year on September 21. Hawaii is the first state to recognize September 21 as Peace Day.
On Thursday, several congregations and groups gathered on Zoom and in person to commemorate Peace Day with a bell-ringing beginning promptly at 9:01 a.m.
Groups of students, congregations, community organizations, and individuals were all in attendance, ringing their own bells to signal peace around the world.
The bell is symbol of peace and is based off the bell presented to Japan from the United Nations in 1954, which is rung on the International Day of Peace.
“I’m so impressed with the turnout over Zoom and to see how many people this reaches,” said Robin Sato, 2nd Vice President of Puna Hongwanji.
The bell-ringing was followed by a special message from the Rev. Gensho Hara from the Lahaina Jodo Mission, which has been in the midst of the Maui wildfire recovery efforts.
Hawaii ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro followed the message with an original song created for Maui that he performed on Zoom.
“It’s important to be reminded about peace in our world, especially during tragedies like the wildfires in Maui,” said Rene Mansho, Peace Day Committee Chairperson, during the service.
After the service, Puna Hongwanji played the movie “Gate: The Atomic Flame,” which is about three Buddhist monks who made the 1600-mile pilgrimage to Trinity, New Mexico, to return the atomic flame, which has burned continuously at a memorial site between Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.
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 usher in a new cycle on nuclear disarmament.
Peace Week will continue on the Big Island with a Peace Pole Dedication at the North Hawaii Hospice at 3 p.m. today. On Saturday, there will be a Peace Day Festival in Honokaa town from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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.
Those interested can purchase shirts at bit.ly/PeaceDayShirts2023.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.