World Vegetarian Day
Encyclopedia
World Vegetarian Day is observed annually on October 1. It is a day of celebration established by the North American Vegetarian Society in 1977 and endorsed by the International Vegetarian Union
in 1978, "To promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism
." It brings awareness to the ethical, environmental
, health
and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle.
World Vegetarian Day initiates the month of October as Vegetarian Awareness Month, which ends with November 1, World Vegan Day
, as the end of that month of celebration. Vegetarian Awareness Month has been known variously as Reverence for Life month, Month of Vegetarian Food, and more.
Several additional days of vegetarian significance are included in Vegetarian Awareness Month:
Meatless Monday is part of the Healthy Monday initiative. Healthy Monday encourages Americans to make healthier decisions at the start of every week. Other Healthy Monday campaigns include: Do The Monday 2000, Quit and Stay Quit Monday, Move it Monday, Monday Mile and others.
International Vegetarian Union
The International Vegetarian Union is an international non profit organization whose purpose is to promote vegetarianism. IVU was founded in 1908 in Dresden, Germany....
in 1978, "To promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
." It brings awareness to the ethical, environmental
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
, health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle.
World Vegetarian Day initiates the month of October as Vegetarian Awareness Month, which ends with November 1, World Vegan Day
World Vegan Day
World Vegan Day is an annual event celebrated on 1 November, by vegans around the world. The Day was established in 1944 by Louise Wallis, then President & Chair of The Vegan Society UK....
, as the end of that month of celebration. Vegetarian Awareness Month has been known variously as Reverence for Life month, Month of Vegetarian Food, and more.
Several additional days of vegetarian significance are included in Vegetarian Awareness Month:
- October 1 – World Vegetarian Day
- October 2 – World Farm Animals Day (WFAD) or World Day for Farm(ed) Animals
- October 4 – The Feast Day of St. Francis of AssisiFrancis of AssisiSaint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
- First full week + additional 'straggler' days (in order to include as many weekends as possible for church, mosque, and temple involvement – World Week of Prayer for Animals (always includes The Feast Day of St. Francis of AssisiFrancis of AssisiSaint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
). This may have been initiated by the now-defunct INRA, International Network for Religion an Animals, founded in 1985 by the late Virginia Bouraquardez (aka Ginnie Bee). - October 16 – United Nations World Food DayWorld Food DayWorld Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945...
(often a time of global reckoning with issues of human food security) – the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture OrganizationFood and Agriculture OrganizationThe Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
of the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in 1945. - November 1 – International Vegan Day aka World Vegan DayWorld Vegan DayWorld Vegan Day is an annual event celebrated on 1 November, by vegans around the world. The Day was established in 1944 by Louise Wallis, then President & Chair of The Vegan Society UK....
– a vegan holiday celebrated since 1994 on November 1 – the anniversary of the creation of The Vegan SocietyVegan SocietyThe Vegan Society is a registered charity and the oldest vegan society in the world, founded on November 1, 1944, in England by Donald Watson, Elsie "Sally" Shrigley, and 23 others....
Additional Global 'Vegetarian Days'
- March 20 – Great American Meatout – developed and sponsored every year by FARM, aka Farm Animal Rights Movement
- The last Friday of September- International 'Hug a Vegetarian' Day
- October 4 – Hug a Non-Meat Eater Day
- November 1 – International Vegan Day aka World Vegan DayWorld Vegan DayWorld Vegan Day is an annual event celebrated on 1 November, by vegans around the world. The Day was established in 1944 by Louise Wallis, then President & Chair of The Vegan Society UK....
– a vegan holiday celebrated since 1994 on November 1 – the anniversary of the creation of The Vegan SocietyVegan SocietyThe Vegan Society is a registered charity and the oldest vegan society in the world, founded on November 1, 1944, in England by Donald Watson, Elsie "Sally" Shrigley, and 23 others.... - November 25 – International Vegetarian Day aka SAK Meatless Day – the birthday of Sadhu Vaswani (largely celebrated in India and throughout the Asian Pacific Rim nations, but known in Western nations among many vegetarians of Indian and Southeast Asian descent)
US-based 'Vegetarian Days'
- Meatless MondayMeatless MondayMeatless Monday is an international campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays to improve their health and the health of the planet....
– Every Week, go totally meatless on Monday – an international campaign that encourages people to cut out meat on Mondays to improve their health and the health of the planet. Reducing meat consumption by 15% (the equivalent of one day a week) lessens the risk of chronic preventable illness and has a strong positive impact on the environment. MeatlessMonday.com offers weekly meat-free recipes, articles, tips and news. Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns Inc. in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthJohns Hopkins School of MedicineThe Johns Hopkins School of Medicine , located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., is the academic medical teaching and research arm of Johns Hopkins University. Hopkins has consistently been the nation's number one medical school in the amount of competitive research grants awarded by the National...
. The program follows the nutrition guidelines developed by the USDA.
Meatless Monday is part of the Healthy Monday initiative. Healthy Monday encourages Americans to make healthier decisions at the start of every week. Other Healthy Monday campaigns include: Do The Monday 2000, Quit and Stay Quit Monday, Move it Monday, Monday Mile and others.