Hiroshima Day Success – Incredible Turnout
On August 6th, 2015 approximately fifty people gathered at City Park in Kingston and processed to McBurney (Skeleton Park) where roughly 250 gathered to mark Hiroshima Day with the community and to make a collective wish for peace.
For more information about the Kingston Hiroshima Day Coalition, please visit their website.
Some gorgeous photos were taken by Hilbert Buist – you can find them on his Flickr page.
Nuno Ramalho, a local filmmaker, kindly made a video of the evenings events which you can watch below:
Looking forward to seeing you all again next year!
You can read the original July 13th press release below:
KINGSTON HIROSHIMA DAY – PEACE LANTERN CEREMONY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – JULY 13, 2015
You can view the full event details HERE. RSVP to the facebook event HERE.
On August 6th, 2015 the Kingston Hiroshima Day Coalition marks the 70th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with a family-oriented gathering and peace lantern ceremony in McBurney Park (at Clergy & Ordnance in downtown Kingston).
Widely known as the first time nuclear weapons were turned on a large civilian population, August 6th and 9th 1945 are remembered and mourned worldwide. In Kingston, Hiroshima Day ceremonies have been held for over 30 years. Commonly expecting around 100 in attendance, the ceremony features crafts, origami, live music, an immersive slideshow, storytelling and the lighting and floating of peace lanterns at dusk. This year also features brief talks by Cathy Vakil, a family doctor at Queen’s and board member of Physicians for Global Survival, and Julie Salverson, a drama professor at Queen’s whose research and writing focuses on the atomic age.
Additionally, local non-profit PeaceQuest will be leading an inter-faith peace walk from City Park to the ceremony site. “It’s really about taking a moment with ourselves and our community to reflect on the role we all play in working toward a nuclear-free world,” says Wendy Luella Perkins, an event organizer “even though the subject is quite grim, we all leave the event with a profound sense of connection and hope – it’s a very inspiring evening.”
The interfaith peace walk is open to those of all faiths and philosophies. To join in, meet in City Park at the corner of Barrie & Bagot Street at 6:15pm for a 6:30pm departure to the ceremony which will start at 7:00pm at McBurney Park.
PeaceQuest Interfaith Walk (Part 1)
When: Thursday, August 6, 2015
Time: 6:15pm
Where: City Park (Corner of Barrie & Bagot St)
Hiroshima Day Peace Lantern Ceremony (Part 2)
When: Thursday, August 6, 2015
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Where: McBurney Park/Skeleton Park
For further information contact:
Jolene Cheryl Simko
Administrative Coordinator – PeaceQuest
613.583.2569
Wendy Luella Perkins
Hiroshima Day Coalition
613.549.3102
Sr. Kay Morrell
September 9, 2015 @ 2:24 pm
I just watched the video, with the lantern ceremony. Very lovely evening!
Congratulations to all organizers and participants.