Vegan Day first occurred on November 1st, 1994 as a way of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the UK Vegan Society and indeed the term “Vegan”. The Vegan Society was established in November of 1944; although the exact date was unknown. The President of the Vegan Society decided to elect the date of the 1st of November. This is now recognised as the date on which the Vegan Society was founded and on which Vegan Day would be observed.
Along with celebrating the start of the Vegan Society, Vegan Day is an opportunity to promote the benefits of a vegan diet and veganism in general. The term Vegan was coined by Donald Watson and derived from the word Vegetarian. At that time, the differentiation was that Vegans did not consume dairy products. Later this extended to eggs, and by 1951, veganism had become a movement of people who did not partake in the exploitation of animals.
Each year there are a number of festivals and exhibitions held around the world by vegan societies. In addition, there are many local events, talks and cooking demonstrations organised by individuals.
