World Laughter Day was established in 1998 and the first celebration was on 10 May 1998, in
Mumbai, India
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...
, arranged by Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of the worldwide
Laughter Yoga
Laughter yoga (''Hasyayoga'') is a modern exercise involving prolonged voluntary laughter. This type of yoga is based on the belief that voluntary laughter provides similar physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. It is u ...
movement.
The day is now
celebrated on first Sunday of May worldwide.
History
World Laughter Day was created in 1998 by Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of the
worldwide Laughter Yoga movement.
Dr. Kataria, a family doctor in India, was inspired to start the Laughter Yoga movement in part by the
facial feedback hypothesis The facial feedback hypothesis, rooted in the conjectures of Charles Darwin and William James, is that one's facial expression directly affects their emotional experience. Specifically, physiological activation of the facial regions associated with ...
, which postulates that a person's facial expressions can have an effect on their emotions.
The celebration of World Laughter Day is a positive manifestation for
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 ...
and is intended to build up a global consciousness of brotherhood and friendship through laughter.
It is most often celebrated by gatherings of people in public places with the sole purpose of laughing.
Its popularity has grown exponentially {{When, date=November 2014 with that of the Laughter Yoga movement now counting thousands of Laughter Clubs in more than 115 countries. And now it is celebrated worldwide.
References
External links
Official World Laughter Day WebsiteLaughterYoga.org page
May observances
Unofficial observances
1998 establishments in Maharashtra
Recurring events established in 1998
Laughter