World Hello Day
| World Hello Day | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | 180 countries |
| Date | 22 November |
| Next time | 22 November 2016 |
| Frequency | annual |
World Hello Day is a secular holiday observed annually on 21 November, to express that conflicts should be resolved through communication rather than the use of force. Participants verbally greet ten people or more on that day as an expression of the importance of personal communication in preserving peace. The annual global event began to be celebrated in 1973 as a response to the Yom Kippur War.
Background
Every year, November 21 is World Hello Day.[1] The objective is to say hello to at least ten people on the day. The message is for world leaders to use communication rather than force to settle conflicts.[2]
World Hello Day was founded in 1973 by Brian McCormack, a Ph.D. graduate of Arizona State University, and Michael McCormack, a graduate of Harvard University, in response to the Yom Kippur War. World Hello Day has been observed by people in 180 countries.[1]
Any person can participate in World Hello Day simply by greeting ten people or more. This demonstrates the importance of personal communication for preserving peace. World Hello Day was begun in response to the conflict between Egypt and Israel in the fall of 1973. People around the world use the occasion of World Hello Day as an opportunity to express their concern for world peace. Beginning with a simple greeting on World Hello Day, their activities send a message to leaders, encouraging them to use communication rather than force to settle conflicts. In its first year, World Hello Day gained the support of 15 countries.[3] As a global event World Hello Day joins local participation in a global expression of peace.
Thirty-one winners of the Nobel Peace Prize are among the people who have noted World Hello Day's value as an instrument for preserving peace and as an occasion that makes it possible for anyone in the world to contribute to the process of creating peace. Among other supporters include almost 100 authors, entertainers, and world leaders.[3]
21 November 2015 marked the 42nd annual World Hello Day.
Michael McCormack
Michael McCormack has recalled since a young age of seven that he enjoyed writing and acting. He graduated Harvard University in 1974 and, during the fall of his senior year in 1973, he and his brother, Brian McCormack, started World Hello Day. Throughout his college years, McCormack was editor of the first-year literary magazine and a writer for the Lampoon, a semi-secret organization that publishes a humor magazine. Since the creation of World Hello Day, Michael J. McCormack has written several novels including, Gandhi's Last Book and "The Quotations of Chairman Meow", as well as plays like "Farewell Fillmore High". After graduating from Harvard, McCormack moved to New York City. In 1999, Michael McCormack was accepted to the University of California at Los Angeles film school for directing and subsequently moved to LA from Nebraska to follow his directing aspirations.[3]
References
- 1 2 Gulf News Link up with others with a greeting on World Hello Day, November 20, 2008
- ↑ USA Today Looking Ahead, November 20, 2008
- 1 2 3 "Bonjour, Hola, Shalom: Michael McCormack, Founder of World Hello Day". The Crimson. Retrieved 2 May 2015.