Global Forgiveness Day Date in the current year: July 7, 2024

The concept of forgiveness is present in most religions across the globe in one form or another. However, it wasn’t until the 20th century that psychologists, social scientists and medics began studying the phenomenon of forgiveness and its impact on our mental and emotional well-being.

From a psychological standpoint, forgiveness is a voluntary and intentional process by which a person who feels victimized overcomes their negative emotions regarding a given offense. Forgiving is not the same as condoning, excusing, or forgetting past offenses; it is the act of letting go of an emotional burden and moving on with your life.

Forgiveness is an important aspect in interpersonal relationships, be it family relations, friendship or marriage, because it is impossible to never hurt others. If we were unable to forgive each other, we would be unable to forge long-lasting relationships with other people. Of course, some things are truly unforgivable, but most grudges are not worth holding on to, and you’re only hurting yourself by keeping them forever.

The importance of forgiving is widely recognized by the general public, but people are often at loss for ways to accomplish forgiveness and need outside help to be able to forgive and move on with their lives. This is why Global Forgiveness Day is so important. It is meant to highlight the importance of forgiveness and encourage people to seek help if they find themselves unable to forgive past transgressions from years ago.

Global Forgiveness Day originated in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada as National Forgiveness Day. It was launched by the Christian Embassy of Christ’s Ambassadors in 1994. As the annual celebration was getting more and more media attention, it became an international event and is now referred to as Global Forgiveness Day or sometimes World Forgiveness Day.

Different cultures and religions have their own observances to encourage people to forgive each other. For example, the final day of pre-Lent in Orthodox Christianity is known as Forgiveness Sunday. Jews seek forgiveness during the annual period between Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) referred to as Days of Awe (Yamim Nora’im).

Global Forgiveness Day, however, is a secular observance, even though it was started by a Christian organization. It is the day when everyone can take a moment to forgive those who hurt them and turn over a new leaf in their lives, as well as ask people whom they wronged in the past for forgiveness.

Why is forgiveness so important? Forgiving those who wronged you helps to let go of the pain and anger of the past. Holding on to anger and negative memories leads to stress and anxiety, while a conscious decision to stop keeping grudges makes you emotionally stronger. Don’t let bad memories haunt you and allow yourself to heal by choosing to forgive.