Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony is an annual Japanese

vigil A vigil, from the Latin ''vigilia'' meaning ''wakefulness'' ( Greek: ''pannychis'', or ''agrypnia'' ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word ''vigilia'' has become gener ...

. Every August 6, "A-Bomb Day", the city of Hiroshima holds the Peace Memorial Ceremony to console the victims of the

atomic bombs A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

and to pray for the realization of lasting

world peace World peace, or peace on Earth, is the concept of an ideal state of peace within and among all people and nations on Planet Earth. Different cultures, religions, philosophies, and organizations have varying concepts on how such a state would ...

. The ceremony is held in front of the Memorial Cenotaph in the

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is a memorial park in the center of Hiroshima, Japan. It is dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima as the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack at the end of World War II, and to the memories of the bomb's direct and indirect vict ...

. Participants include the families of the deceased and people from all over the world. The first ceremony was held in 1947 by the then Hiroshima Mayor

Shinzo Hamai ''Shinzo'', known as in Japan, is an anime television series produced by TV Asahi, Toei Advertising, and Toei Animation. It was directed by Tetsuo Imazawa, with Mayori Sekijima handling series scripts, Sachiko Kamimura designing the characte ...

Contents of the ceremony

Satsuki Eda Yohei Kono and Yasuo Fukuda 20080806

*Dedication of

Water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

(by the citizen representatives of Hiroshima), accompanied (since 1975) by the music "Prayer Music No. 1: Dirge" by

Hibakusha ''Hibakusha'' ( or ; ja, 被爆者 or ; "person affected by a bomb" or "person affected by exposure o radioactivity) is a word of Japanese origin generally designating the people affected by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at th ...

composer Masaru Kawasaki *Opening *Dedication of the Register of the Names of the Fallen Atomic Bomb Victims *Address *Dedication of flowers *

Silent Prayer "Silent Prayer" is a song by American singer-songwriter Shanice featuring Johnny Gill. It was released in April 1992 as the third single from her debut album, '' Inner Child'' (1991). The song peaked at number 31 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 a ...

and Peace Bell (for one minute from 8:15am) **The bell is rung by one representative of bereaved families and one representative of children *Peace Declaration (by

Mayor of Hiroshima Mayor of Hiroshima is the head of the local government of Hiroshima City. Until 1871, Hiroshima was ruled by a feudal prince from the Asano clan, who ruled from Hiroshima Castle. On April 1, 1889, all cities in Japan were granted a municipality. ...

) *Release of

Doves Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

*Commitment to Peace (by Children's representatives) *Addresses (by

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Sta ...

and other visitors) *Hiroshima Peace Song, with music by Minoru Yamamoto and lyrics by Yoshio Shigezono *Closing

Memorial ceremonies for Hiroshima outside Japan

Due to the dissemination of the memorial culture surrounding Hiroshima worldwide, memorial ceremonies were and are being held also in other parts of the world. One such instance was on Aug. 6, 1986, as a delegation from Hiroshima of 18 individuals arrived at the Israeli Holocaust memorial of

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

and held a brief ceremony at the Yizkor Hall.

United States

In 2010, John V. Roos became the first United States ambassador to Japan to attend the ceremony, paving the way for a historic visit to Hiroshima by then President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

six years later.

References

External links

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony

* Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony 2009 *
Offering of water, 5,635 names added to the list of victims, making 263,945 in total
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Offering of flowers, minute's silence for the victims
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Peace Declaration by Mayor of Hiroshima
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Commitment to Peace by students
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Addresses by Prime Minister of Japan, by Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture
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by president of the United Nations General Assembly, by the Secretary-General of the United Nations
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Chorus of Hiroshima Peace Song

{{coord missing, Hiroshima Prefecture Monuments and memorials concerning the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace monuments and memorials Ceremonies in Japan Annual events in Japan August observances Summer events in Japan

Contents of the ceremony

Memorial ceremonies for Hiroshima outside Japan

United States

See also

References

External links