World Hello Day

I intended to write about the last of Oregon’s Seven Wonders today, but when looking at the Bing Photo of the Day, I saw that today, November 21, 2025 is World Hello Day.

Brothers Brian and Micheal McCormack established this day in 1973 in an attempt to diffuse tensions and to promote peaceful communication. It is observed in 180 countries, and has been endorsed by world leaders (except ours!), educators, citizens and many others. According to their website, the day encourages people to build stronger and kinder communities through a simple greeting. Their five goals are:

1. Say hello to at least ten people during the day.
2. Greet someone you don’t usually talk to.
3. Reach out to reconnect with a friend or relative.
4. Encourage children or students to practice friendly greetings.
5. Share messages promoting kindness and communication.

Do you greet a passerby with a cheerful hello or even a simple nod? TheTravelsketcher and I tend to talk to many people we meet while taking walks, in the elevator, on the streetcar and sometimes in restaurants or bars, as long as they’re open to chatting. We will quickly stop if they are reluctant to chat. Recently, on the streetcar, we chatted with a woman who has since become a friend; I’m even a member of her bookclub now.

It seems that people are more open to greetings and a quick chat when on a trail, pathway or taking a leisurely stroll, than those on a busy city street. We’ve enjoyed many pleasant conversations with fellow hikers over the years.

People in France are very friendly and usually always greet a passerby, unless on a busy sidewalk. When we lived there, we often visited the local village of Ceaucé where there was a nice park with a trail around a lake. Everyone there always greeted us with a friendly bonjour monsieur et dame, even groups of children and teenagers!

Here’s a beautifully, eloquent quote from the official site:

As a global event, World Hello Day joins local participation in a global expression of peace. Thirty-one winners of the Nobel Peace Prize are among the people who have realized World Hello Day’s value as an instrument for preserving peace.

I have never heard of World Hello Day before, but sign me up! We need more peace, compassion, understanding and compromise in our world right now, particularly in the US.

Have you heard of World Hello Day? As always, I would love to hear from you so leave a message or a simple “hello”! 😉

Wishing you a delightful day,

Tricia