Falun Dafa in the University of Florida Homecoming Parade (Photos)

By a Falun Dafa Practitioner in Florida

(Clearwisdom.net) On October 7, Falun Dafa practitioners went to Gainesville to participate in the annual Homecoming Parade at the University of Florida, the biggest university in Florida. More than two thousand Chinese live in this college town. Falun Dafa practitioners in the university considered it a good opportunity to display the beauty of Dafa to local residents and the precious Chinese people. The Falun Gong Organization was invited to participate in the parade of "A Homecoming for the Ages." Our theme was "Falun Gong -- A Practice for the Ages."

Girl scouts and their teacher talking with Falun Gong practitioners	Falun Gong practitioners on their float (by a university photographer)

Parade Procession	Exercise demo on float	Fan dance

We checked in at the starting place two hours before the parade. Practitioners began arriving from other cities and we worked together to decorate our float. Practitioners in the dance group had their last rehearsal. The eight women in Tang Dynasty costumes attracted the interest of other participants lined up waiting for the parade to begin. Some practitioners took this opportunity to tell people about Dafa and the persecution. Impressed by the beautiful dance, an organization leader gave us his card and invited us to give a performance later. A group of girl scouts came over and were attracted to the pretty costumes and fans. They asked many questions and borrowed our fans to take a look. These lively children seem to be predestined to know Dafa. A local practitioner talked with their teacher and told her we would be glad to go to their organization and teach the girls how to fold paper lotus flowers. The teacher thought it would be a good opportunity for the girls to learn a different culture. She left her phone number. A photographer was taking pictures of floats when he saw our beautiful float and costume. He invited practitioners to take a group picture on our float. He sent us a copy of the picture later and told us it was his favorite.

Onlookers gave their warm applause to the practitioners holding banners and giving dance performances. Many people cheered our dances and costumes.

This was the first large parade that practitioners in Florida have participated in. The parade was broadcast live by the university TV station and Cox Communications, covering larger areas than previous years. Many people witnessed the beauty of Falun Dafa on TV. Pictures of Falun Gong practitioners in the parade appeared in University of Florida Digest, the university paper Alligator and the biggest local newspaper -- Gainesville Sun.

There were some dark clouds in the sky before the parade began. Teacher said,

Practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts together to eliminate all the evil elements in other spaces. The sky was swept clear, and the parade ended perfectly.

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