GIVE ME PEACE in Maribor, Slovenija
The event, organised entirely on voluntary basis, was created by the Yoga in Daily Life society of Maribor, Slovenia under the patronage of the City Municipality of Maribor and with the cooperation of different organizations, societies, schools and individuals with the desire to encourage peace. The responses of the citizens were positive.
On May 20 afternoon, the area of peace on one of the main traffic-free squares in Maribor became lively. The square was filled with thoughts of peace, smells of vegeterian cuisine, and the music of acknowledged Slovene performers Trkaj, La'Vers, Nino Mureskic & Afir Bafir, Damir Vršic & Borut Zerdoner, Narayani. Through writing, drawing, and different hand-skills children and adults alike created a symbolic peace tree in the middle of the square. At the end of the event balloons with hundreds of peace thoughts on them were released into the sky.
The next day, May 21, featured the main official event, where the Ambassador of Peace and the author of the Yoga in Daily Life system, His Holiness Vishwaguru Mahamadaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda (Swamiji) and the Mayor of the City Municipality of Maribor, Franc Kangler planted a peace tree in the city park. There was also a short play staged by local primary school children in which the importance of the care for the environment was emphasised.
With the peace lime tree Maribor joined six Slovene towns, Ljubljana, Kranj, Novo mesto, Piran, Celje and Domžale, where H. Holiness Swamiji already planted the trees as a symbol of peace endeavours, which are a part of a wider project - peace in humans, peace among people, peace among all living beings, peace in the world.
The event in the park ended with the peace pigeon, released by H. H. Swamiji and the Mayor, but an exhibition of the Peace forest (peace trees created by the children of Maribor primary schools) and a photo exhibition of the competition Give me peace - Human contact with nature will still be open till the end of May.
GIVE ME PEACE 2009, Maribor/Slovenia
