Universal Earth Day Bell Ringing

2nd Annual Helen Garland flyer

2^nd Annual Helen Garland Universal Earth Day and Equinox Bell Ringing Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 2 PM

Bell ringing event and musical tribute to Pete Seeger at Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church celebrates global peace and arrival of spring

Gloucester, MA: The 2^nd Annual Helen Garland Universal Earth Day and Equinox Bell Ringing will take place this year on Sunday, March 20^th at 2 PM at Gloucester’s Unitarian Universalist Church located at 10 Church Street. A musical tribute to Pete Seeger by local musicians will also take place.

For the past 46 years, Helen Garland, a long-time nature advocate and resident of Gloucester, has traveled to the United Nations in New York City to ring the Japanese peace bell at the exact time of the Vernal Equinox to celebrate Universal Earth Day. In 2016, the Vernal Equinox will arrive at 12:31 AM. Around the world, the Vernal Equinox is recognized as a time to celebrate Earth’s balance, a planetary equilibrium of day and night, light and darkness, and a movement toward a new season. In the northern hemisphere, we celebrate light, renewal, and rejuvenation as we move into the spring season. In the southern hemisphere, people prepare for autumn and the oncoming winter.

Helen Garland’s work at the UN on behalf of Nature and Motherhood as chair of the Earth Society Foundation led her 46 years ago to attend the bell ringing ceremony. Now, we carry on her tradition in Gloucester, this year with the help of the Gloucester UU church.

This is a family oriented event and open to the public.

For more information contact: Maureen Aylward maureenaylward@comcast.net 978-290-1507

More about the UN Bell Ringing: The Vernal Equinox was observed as the beginning of a new year in ancient China, England, Persia, Egypt, and North and South America. At the exact moment of the Equinox the sun is setting at the South Pole and rising at the North Pole. On the equator at noon you will cast no shadow. The annual tradition of ringing the Peace Bell at the UN at the exact moment of the Vernal Equinox (March 20-21) was initiated by John McConnell with the support of UN Secretary-General U Thant on March 21, 1971. This tradition has been observed for 46 consecutive years at UN Headquarters. The UN 2016 ceremony is co-sponsored by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).