On Sunday afternoon, a festival highlight was the "World Peace Flag Ceremony", a moving interactive ritual featuring the 191 national flags of member nations in the United Nations.  The flag ceremony was a global celebration of the oneness of humanity - inviting people from all races, religions and backgrounds to come together and pray for peace to prevail for all peoples, in all nations, on Earth.

The World Peace Flag Ceremony is a world-traveled event, performing in 2003 for Colin Powell at the United Nations headquarters in New York, just before the Iraq war.  On it’s way to California, the ceremony made a special stop in the Illinois Valley.

** Youth from our region, aged 5 to 22, had the unique opportunity to participate in the World Peace Flag Ceremony as flag bearers.  As all assembled voice their prayers, the national flag of each country was gracefully presented, acting as a spiritual symbol through which the loving wishes for all life and lands on earth were expressed. We are very honored that this world-class event came to Shining Stars Festival 2003.

Children were encouraged to dress up in the national costume of the country represented.  It made a great project for classroom, home schoolers and youth clubs, and created meaningful memories for the children involved.

The World Peace Prayer Society, which sponsors the World Peace Flag Ceremony, does not take part in war protest rallies.  Flag ceremony coordinator Arthur Romano said, "We are definitely pro-peace, but we're also non-political".  Instead of protesting, the group promotes messages of peace and youth empowerment through ceremony and prayer.  "Young people have the power to transform communities, and adults have a great responsibility to act as guides and to stand back and let children shine.”  And shine they did– at last year's Shining Stars Festival.

To learn more about the World Peace Flag Ceremony, go to www.worldpeace.org.