Philly-Style Vegan Potluck

In Defense of Animals’ Vegan Spirituality Group in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania hosted a vegan Thanksgiving celebration where sixty participants enjoyed a colorful array of delicious food, a community Gratitude Circle, and live music. The event provided a welcoming, safe space for those who prefer to celebrate the holiday with peace, instead of violence, on their plates.

Los Angeles Potluck Picnic

Over three hundred people attended the 24^th annual Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck Picnic in Rancho Park, California complete with an Opening Ceremony, hundreds of tasty vegan holiday dishes, salsa dancing, an open mic, Angel Walk, and Empathy Booth. Participants gather each year to celebrate the holiday while honoring their vegan values. Local musicians, poets, and speakers shared their talents during the Opening Ceremony, coordinated by In Defense of Animals’ Vegan Spirituality Group in Los Angeles, which featured a healing ritual to foster peace in a time of political unrest.

Enjoy this excerpt from the poem, “We Thank the Vegan Movement” by Nance Broderzen, adapted from Leonard Cohen’s famous song, “Hallelujah,” and sung during the Opening Ceremony:

As we protest with our forks each meal

Show the darkness what

It once concealed

We plant seeds of Ahimsa, Halleluiah

We’re all grateful

For the coming light

Vast awakening of the animal’s plight

We all thank the Vegan Movement, Halleluiah

Hallelujah…

Hallelujah…

Hallelujah…

Hallelujah!!!

To find a Vegan Spirituality Group in your area, please visit: http://veganspirituality.com/groups.html

Or register for our monthly Vegan Spirituality Online Gathering here.