For the second year in a row, Falun Gong practitioners from around Queensland
took part in the Cairns “Festival of Lights Parade.” Cairns is a world-famous
tourist destination in the far north of Queensland, home to many attractions including
the Great Barrier Reef. The Festival of Lights Parade culminates three weeks of
multicultural activities held during the school holidays. The parade route follows
the Esplanade for two kilometers through the heart of Cairns and draws many thousands
of tourists and locals from the surrounding area. This area is particularly popular
with Japanese and Chinese tourists.
Parade procession |
Falun Dafa Banners |
Float |
The Falun emblem |
People learning about Falun Gong |
Queensland practitioners traveled great distances to support this activity as
north Queensland has a relatively small number of practitioners. Local
practitioners worked for a week creating a large double-sided Falun emblem. This
was painstakingly prepared out of different colored crepe paper rolled into
small balls and glued to both sides of a large plywood frame. The result was
spectacular. As the parade began at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, practitioners spent
the day preparing the truck with the Falun emblem and a float including large
lotus flowers and banners. Practitioners demonstrated the exercises on the
float. Since the event was called the “Festival of Lights,” all vehicles had to
be decorated or illuminated with lights.
When the parade was about to begin, the lights' fuse blew within minutes.
After replacing the fuse, the lights went out again shortly afterwards. The
driver and others began sending righteous thoughts and soon the lights came back
on. The procession was quite long with two banners in the lead, followed by the
large Falun display. Waist drummers were next, followed by three Falun banners
and the float. Practitioners also handed out flyers about the practice and
persecution.
The response to the procession was overwhelming. As the Faluns, drummers and
floats passed through the massive crowds lining both sides of the street, there
was the continuous sound of clapping and a stream of positive comments, along
with many people shouting “Falun Dafa.” Many Chinese tourists in the crowd also
pointed and said to each other “Falun Gong,” while warmly smiling and clapping
for the colorful procession.
The impact on the large crowd was extremely positive and many people learned
about the beautiful and peaceful nature of Falun Dafa. Practitioners handing out
flyers found it challenging to keep up with the demand!
The next day, practitioners had an information stall at the local markets
called “The Tanks.” Many people who stopped to talk had seen practitioners at
the parade and were very impressed with the display. This was an opportunity to
clarify the true situation in China and share experiences of practicing Dafa on
a more personal level.
Over the weekend, thousands of people had the good fortune to see and learn
about the beauty and peacefulness of Falun Dafa and the ongoing persecution
in China.
Posting date: 24/Oct/2004
Original article date: 22/Oct/2004
Category: Event
