FFWPU and UPF hosts ‘Multicultural Family Educational Peace Festival’ in Nepal

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On February 21st, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification hosted the “Multicultural Family Educational Peace Festival 2015.” The Vice President of Nepal Parmananda Jha, Former Nepal Prime Minister H.E. Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nepal Minister of Education Chitralekha Yadav, Nepal Parliament Member Ek Nath Dhakal, India’s Official Representative Suri Austhos, Indian Parliament Member Hon. Bhagat Singh Koshyari, current and former heads of state, members of Parliament, religious leaders and 700 residents of Kathmandu attended this event held at the Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Nepal’s premier football stadium.

This festival was recorded as the first interfaith festival of its kind to be held in Nepal. First of all, over 80 different ethnic groups from all over Nepal gathered in order to participate in this event. 32 religious representatives from eight religious denominations including Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism, Baha’ism, Jainism and Sikhism oversaw the Interfaith Benediction Ceremony. Furthermore, a Marriage Blessing ceremony for 3,000 previously married couples was also held.

Unification Church hosts Interfaith and Intercultural Event

The Vice President of Nepal Parmananda Jha, representing the Nepalese government, stated, “(participating in this event) I can see that Nepal’s tradition of families is still alive and well. The fact that people from over 300 educational institutions and social organizations have gathered here shows that we still place much importance on the education of family values. I hope that the new constitution being composed by the National Assembly will reflect our people’s desire and protect family values.”

Nepal Parliament Member and Family Party President Ek Nath Dhakal, who promoted the “Multicultural Family Educational Peace Festival,” stated that “This is the 18th time that the festival has been held in Nepal. Nepal is no stranger to the culture of mass marriages, and for that reason the reaction after each event has always been positive. This time the festival was organized so that over 300 schools near the Kathmandu area funded the festival, making it a people’s festival. The festival was broadcasted on national TV and 10 other TV stations.”

Unification Church officials explained, “This event is not religious, but rather focuses on the vital concepts of multiculturalism, family, education and peace. The Nepalese government acknowledged these efforts and gave us permission to use the national stadium, and provided 200 police men. We also requested the cooperation of the Nepal Education Hall in order to send out official memos to the private and public schools. As a result, professors, parents and students from a total of 293 schools and universities could participate in the event as well. …