Hyderabad: Every year World Gratitude Day celebrated on 21st September. This year it's takes place on the 3rd Saturday of the month. World Gratitude Day is a day all about being grateful for what we have and showing gratitude to those around us.
History
World Gratitude Day was initiated in Hawaii in 1965. People from around the globe gathered for a meeting to talk about the potential of establishing World Gratitude Day. It was agreed that holding an annual international event to purposefully show appreciation for various aspects of life would be beneficial.
In 1966, the first World Gratitude Day was established on September 21st. People worldwide have been enjoying World Gratitude Day festivities every year since it began.
This Year's Theme:
The theme for World Gratitude Day 2024 is "With Mary, guided by the 'Dream', we generate peace by taking care of our common home".
What is Gratitude? More than just saying "Thank You"
Gratitude is a powerful emotion and a habit that may change someone's life. The act of being grateful goes beyond merely saying "thank you". It is a gratitude for the generosity, empathy, presents, encounters, and individuals that enhance our lives. It's about recognizing the positivity in our lives and understanding that it frequently originates from external sources. Gratitude is a way of acknowledging and appreciating the amazing aspects of life, no matter how small, that we often overlook. Feeling thankful can have a significant impact on a person's life as it is a strong emotion and a practice.
Purpose of the Day
Discuss the importance of building a culture of gratitude within communities, workplaces and educational institutions.
Showcase initiatives taken by organizations such as Gratitude Foundations and the mandatory training groups, which promote the World Gratitude Day and encourage a day of gratitude and collective expressions of appreciation.
Highlighting the role of educational institutions in teaching gratitude as an important life skill that contributes to the holistic development of students.
Practicing gratitude can have many benefits, including:
Mental wellness: Gratitude can lead to more positive feelings, decrease feelings of sadness and worry, and enhance your psychological well-being by boosting your confidence.
Physical health: Gratitude can improve your sleep, l lower heart rate, and support cardiovascular health. It can enhance your physical well-being by strengthening your immune system and reducing stress.
Social relationships: Gratitude can help you form deeper connections with others and increase your ability to understand and share others' feelings.
Source of Happiness: Gratitude is linked to higher levels of happiness and positive feelings. It can help individuals feel more fulfilled and happy, even during difficult times.
Personal Growth: Gratitude can also aid in personal development. It encourages a stronger sense of self-worth, increases mental resilience, and fosters a more optimistic outlook. Consequently, individuals who practice gratitude tend to be more resilient and better prepared to deal with life's challenges.
Relationships: Gratitude can assist in forming strong interpersonal relationships. It can help to strengthen connections, increase empathy, decrease hostility, and foster a sense of social contentment. Individuals who express thankfulness often report having better relationships, both in their personal and professional lives.
A gift: Expressing Gratitude is a wonderful way to show others you value them, which can motivate and make them feel appreciated.
Reduced negative emotions: Gratitude can help you feel less frustrated, envious, resentful, and regretful.
Peace of mind: Being thankful can help individuals achieve a sense of peace and focus on the positive aspects of their lives.
Honesty and generosity: Gratitude can make people more honest and generous.
The Roots of Gratitude:
The origin of the term gratitude is from the Latin root gratus, which signifies “pleasing, welcome, agreeable.” Gratus is the origin of words like grace, gratuity, and gratis, which represent positive emotions, behaviors, and concepts. This is due to its Proto-Indo-European origin, gwere, which means "to honor, to rejoice; to connect with the Divine." Put simply, feeling gratitude is the same as recognizing the existence of the Divine in our lives. It's like experiencing pure happiness. It enables us to recognize worth, goodness, and advantage in all things. Regarding this, gratitude can be viewed as the remedy for various types of suffering. Therefore, it could also be considered as a genuine type of spirituality.
Gratitude in different culture:
Different culture say show there gratitude differently. Cultural values, parenting practices, and education may each play a role.
In India, “thank you” is not something that you say on a regular basis. But, even though you don’t say thank you, there’s an inherent sense that gratitude is felt and oftentimes is expressed through nonverbal behaviors, rather than the words “thank you.”In some societies, such as in India, saying thank you to family members can be considered distancing.
In numerous societies across South and Southeast Asia, such as India, where the phrase in Hindi translates to “धन्यवाद,” or “dhanyavaad,” spelled out as “dhanyavaad” in English, there exists a profound level of unspoken appreciation in personal interactions through this phrase.
Americans are recognized globally for their frequent use of the phrase “thank you” in various daily scenarios. While many of these expressions of gratitude are sincere, a significant number are also casual and uttered without much emotion. Considering how often Americans utter “thanks,” it might be unexpected to learn that in numerous other cultures worldwide, the phrase “thank you” is seldom used.
For instance, many Chinese individuals utilize the expression “謝天,” or “xiè tiān,” which translates to “thank sky,” as a means to express appreciation for everything under the sky. When phrased this way, it shifts the concept of gratitude from a transactional view of thankfulness to a broader perspective of kindness towards the world and acknowledging the benefits of receiving goodwill from others.
In Japanese culture, the concept of ‘Ongaeshi,’ which means ‘return a favor,’ reflects deep-rooted traditions of gratitude and reciprocity. In japanese, they syas Arigatou – ありがとう That's the word that most directly translates to a simple “thank you.”
In Taiwanese, people say “感心,” or “kám-sim,” which means “feel heart,” to express gratitude.
Meaning of Gratitude in different religions :
In Hinduism and Buddhism, gratitude is seen as an essential quality that can pave the way to liberation and enlightenment.
Within Christianity, thankfulness is commonly shown by saying prayers and singing hymns as a way to recognize the gifts bestowed by God.
Likewise, in Islam, showing appreciation 'Shukr' to Allah is a fundamental aspect of a believer's religion.
Know the States Of India Expressing The “Gratitude” In Different Ways
India is a linguistically diverse country with hundreds of languages spoken across its regions. Here are how different state of people in India show their gratitude and say "Thank You" :
Hindi: धन्यवाद (Dhanyavad)
Bengali: ধন্যবাদ (Dhonnobad)
Telugu: ధన్యవాదాలు (Dhanyavaadalu)
Marathi: धन्यवाद (Dhanyavad)
Tamil: நன்றி (Nandri)
Gujarati: આભાર (Aabhar)
Malayalam: നന്ദി (Nandi)
Punjabi: ਧੰਨਵਾਦ (Dhanvaad)
Urdu: شکریہ (Shukriya)
Odia: ଧନ୍ୟବାଦ (Dhanyabad)
Assamese: ধন্যবাদ (Dhonyobad)
Kannada: ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು (Dhanyavadagalu)
Sanskrit: धन्यवादः (Dhanyavadaḥ)
Manipuri: thaagatchari (Thank you)
Sindhi: Mehrbani (Thank you)
In Sanskrit, there are several ways to express gratitude, including "अभिवादनं" (pronounced as "abhivādanaṃ"), "कृतज्ञता" (pronounced as "kṛtajñatā"), and "आभारः" (pronounced as "ābhāraḥ"). Out of these, "अभिवादनं" is commonly used to express thanks in modern contexts.
How to Celebrate World Gratitude Day?
There are numerous ways to commemorate World Gratitude Day and express appreciation! Here are some things, whether large or small, that you could feel thankful for:
Having the opportunity to receive an education.
Having people around that love and support you.
The splendor of the world in its natural state.
Enjoying a delicious meal.
Having the opportunity to view your preferred programs.
World Gratitude Day also entails reflecting on our privilege. Some things that people may overlook could be inaccessible to others. For certain individuals, having clean drinking water available every day could present a simple yet difficult task. It is crucial to appreciate the significance of this.
You can show your Gratitude by either saying Thank You or by offering a gesture of thanks like flowers, sweets, thank you cards, or handmade gifts.
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