"I came because of New York and the suffering that has been caused elsewhere, like in Afghanistan," says Linda. "And to meditate on the fact that we in the West ignore suffering in places like Rwanda and Sudan, suffering that we do have a hand in perpetrating. That was a moment for me to say we need an end to violence. Peace can work."

Linda says people found places both inside and outside the tent to sit quietly and pray and meditate, both while she was there and throughout the day. Some engaged in quiet discussion.

Some people made offerings in the form of songs, poems and monologues on peace. One young man came in with a copy of the song "Amazing Grace," which he wanted to sing with those there. He also offered a few words about what he felt was necessary for peace. Another family who was personally affiliated with a company that had been destroyed in one of the World Trade Centre towers talked about some of what they were feeling.

Margaret Slavin, who took part in the Vigil from two to four in the morning and then throughout the day as well says the most meaningful time for her was during the tobacco peace ceremony.

"I had been hurrying around helping with organization. During the tobacco ceremony was when I was finally able to move into prayer and meditation about all the troubled places in the world, to think not only September 11 but also the bombing of Afghanistan."

Margaret says that what made the ceremony especially meaningful was the sense that so much that is not peaceful has happened to Native Peoples. "Yet this native elder was able to bring us the gift of those prayers for peace. It was very moving."

Numbers of people who participated in the Vigil haven't been tallied yet, but it's estimated that there were several hundred. As Mayor Sylvia Sutherland, who participated in the Vigil later on in the day, said, "We all pray for peace. We all hope for peace. This was a place for people to go on a day when perhaps peace is more on our minds than some days."

A group of children from the Hindu Association of Peterborough sang several songs, both in Tamil and Sanskrit, on the topic of peace at the Vigil.

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