World Vegan Day

World Vegan Day is an annual event celebrated by Vegans across the globe every 1 November. 

It raises awareness about animal rights and promotes the adoption of a Vegan lifestyle. Vegans are compassionate towards animals. Strict vegans also avoid products that use animal labour, including those which need to be tested on animals. Vegans criticize activities such as visiting zoos, aquariums, animal racing or fighting.

Who is Vegan? 

Let’s first understand about the term Vegan. Veganism is the practice of refraining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, not only meat but also honey, dairy products and eggs. A follower of the diet or the philosophy is known as a Vegan. 

Origin of Vegan Day

The day was established in 1994 by British animal rights activist, Louise Wallis, as a way to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of The Vegan Society in the United Kingdom. Louise Wallis said: "We knew the Society had been founded in November 1944 but didn’t know the exact date, so I decided to go for 1 November, partly because I liked the idea of this date coinciding with Samhain/Halloween and the Day of the Dead – traditional times for feasting and celebration, both apt and auspicious."  

Is being Vegan healthy? 

As Vegans do not eat animal products, their diet is mainly vegetarian based. This makes the vegan diet fibre-rich and low in cholesterol. Adopting a vegan diet has many health benefits like reducing the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

Nutritionists and medical professionals advise vegans to take supplements to their diets as the plant-based foods have low levels of calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. 
 

How is Vegan day celebrated? 

It is not an official holiday on World Vegan Day. Vegan groups and practitioners of veganism organize educational drives, workshops, plant saplings or set up stalls to bring attention to the importance of animal rights and kindness towards them. Many restaurants and cafés provide special menus for their vegan customers and they may even offer discounts on account of the World Vegan Day.