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World Vegan Day

Celebrated every year on November 1, World Vegan Day raises awareness about animal rights and advocates the widespread adoption of a vegan lifestyle. The day was created 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.

Family cooking a vegetarian meal.

Veganism is a lifestyle that depends primarily on a plant-based diet.


Compassion Towards Animals

Adherents of veganism refrain from using anything that may have been made from animals, such as meat, eggs, milk, and honey. Strict vegans may also avoid products that use animal labor, including those that are tested on animals. Visiting zoos and aquariums or supporting activities such as animal racing or fighting is also frowned upon by vegans.

According to vegans, non-violence and compassion towards all of nature's creatures lie at the heart of the vegan philosophy. To them, activities that involve the use of animals as food, as labor, or as entertainment are exploitative and cruel and should be eschewed. For vegans, veganism is as much an issue of ethics as it is of health.

Plant-Based Diet

Because vegans do not eat animal products, their diet is solely plant-based. This makes the vegan diet high in fiber and low in cholesterol. Because of this, proponents of veganism suggest that adopting a vegan diet can have many health benefits including reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.

Due to low levels of Vitamin B12, calcium, and vitamin D in plant-based foods, nutritionists, and medical professionals recommend that vegans add supplements to their diets.

Vegans are allowed lifesaving medicines, even if they include animal products.

What Happens on World Vegan Day?

World Vegan Day is not an official holiday so, businesses, schools, and government offices are open. Vegan groups and practitioners of veganism organize educational drives and workshops to bring attention to the importance of animal rights and kindness towards our fellow creatures on Earth. Many restaurants and cafés provide special menus for their vegan customers and they may even give discounts to celebrate World Vegan Day.

World Vegan Day Observances

YearWeekdayDateNameHoliday Type
2015SunNov 1World Vegan DayWorldwide observance
2016TueNov 1World Vegan DayWorldwide observance
2017WedNov 1World Vegan DayWorldwide observance
2018ThuNov 1World Vegan DayWorldwide observance
2019FriNov 1World Vegan DayWorldwide observance
2020SunNov 1World Vegan DayWorldwide observance
2021MonNov 1World Vegan DayWorldwide observance
2022TueNov 1World Vegan DayWorldwide observance
2023WedNov 1World Vegan DayWorldwide observance
2024FriNov 1World Vegan DayWorldwide observance
2025SatNov 1World Vegan DayWorldwide observance


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