Practitioners from all across Florida gathered on the campus of the University of
Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day on Monday, May 13th.
The UCF Falun Dafa Cultivation Club organized the celebration, which was held at school's Student
Union Building. The University of Central Florida has an enrollment of about thirty thousand
students, and the Student Union Building is one of the most popular locations on campus, so
practitioners were assured of having many chances to clarify the truth and offer salvation there.
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| Entrance of the UCF |
Photo exhibition |
Watch video about Falun Dafa |
UCF provided a ballroom as well as a stage and space in front of the building for
Falun Dafa Celebration. A large banner displaying the peaceful meditation hung over the building
entrance. Practitioners set up a Falun Gong Photo Exhibit and a video display inside the building,
featuring artwork by practitioners as well as photos of group practices and the persecution. Falun
Gong videos were continuously played throughout the day. Outside, practitioners set up two tables
with information and petitions. Practitioners decorated the stage and the area around it with large
banners reading "World Falun Gong Day," "Truth, Compassion, Tolerance", and
"The Whole World Knows Falun Gong is Good."
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| Our booth |
Sending forth righteous thoughts |
Sending forth righteous thoughts |
The event began at 10 o'clock in the morning with practitioners sending forth
righteous thoughts. They then began a non-stop exercise demonstration on the stage, with different
groups of practitioners alternating between demonstrating the exercises, passing out flyers,
collecting signatures on petitions, and going inside to answer questions at the photo and video
exhibit. Every hour most practitioners would stop and send forth righteous thoughts, while a few
would explain what was going on to passers-by.
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| Speech by a practitioner |
Speech by a representative from AI |
At noon, the celebration formally started. The President of the Falun Gong club
gave a brief address explaining the significance of World Falun Dafa Day, and invited the audience
to join in a moment of silence in honor of the practitioners in China, while the rest of the
practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts. Then a spokesperson from Amnesty International
delivered a speech asking everyone to help end the persecution.
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| Singing the song "Falun Dafa is in my heart forever" |
Singing the song "Being saved" |
Singing "Falun Dafa is good" |
Later on, a practitioner sang Dafa songs, accompanied by another practitioner on
the Chinese violin. Even though she is not a professional musician, the song she wrote and composed,
"Falun Dafa in My Heart Forever," touched everyone's heart. She also sang "De Du"
(Be Saved) in Chinese. Then everyone sang "Falun Dafa Hao" with all their hearts.
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| Collecting signatures |
Collecting signatures |
The pure music, colorful banners, and the graceful exercises attracted a constant
stream of students and professors, almost all of whom took information; many also signed petitions
and visited the photo and video exhibit. Practitioners were able to collect several hundred
signatures throughout the course of the day. At each top of the hour, practitioners sent forth
righteous thoughts.
The outdoor celebration concluded at 6 p.m. Practitioners then moved inside for
group study. Practitioners also exchanged Hongfa ideas and methods. After group study, all the
practitioners drove to the home of a practitioner who lived nearby to send forth righteous thoughts
one more time before everyone left to return to their home towns and cities.
When planning this year's Falun Dafa Day celebration, many practitioners
expressed the idea that this event should not simply be a celebration for Dafa practitioners but
instead an opportunity to spread Dafa and offer salvation, and that this would be truly in the
spirit of Dafa. Guided by this thought, Florida practitioners were able to leave good thoughts about
Dafa in the minds of hundreds upon hundreds of people, and created a great interest in Dafa on the
University of Central Florida.
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