By Dafa practitioners in Toronto, Canada
(Clearwisdom.net) On January 29, 2003, Falun Dafa Association and Friends
of Falun Gong Association held a Lunar New Year Celebration at St. Lawrence Market Complex in Toronto. Over 1700 citizens attended. Falun Gong practitioners in
Toronto wished to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, and at the same time,
express thanks through the celebration to people in all social strata in Toronto
for their support and help for Falun Gong practitioners during the previous
year. They also wanted to let more Chinese people learn the truth about Falun
Gong and witness the peaceful and harmonious demeanor of true Falun Gong
practitioners.
Falun Dafa practitioners began holding such New Year celebrations with people
in all social strata during the 2000 Chinese Spring Festival, where over 400
people attended. This year, Falun Dafa practitioners offered free admission,
prepared wonderful performances and an abundant dinner. There were about 250
courses of food prepared by Toronto Falun Gong practitioners from Mainland
China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
At the celebration, several elected representatives from the legislative Assembly expressed their support and
congratulations to Falun Gong practitioners. George Smitherman, the first Member
of Provincial Parliament who stood up to support Falun Gong, said that he would
follow "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" as the guide of his life, and he
was happy and hoped to attend more such activities. Member of Provincial
Parliament Michael Prue said, "Besides congratulating the Chinese people on the
year of sheep, I also come to express my support for Falun Gong practitioners,
telling them the Canadian people are with them." He was proud to support Falun
Gong and called for an end to the persecution. Two diplomatic officials
from the Consulate General of Romania in Toronto and the President of the Taiwanese Canadian Association of Toronto, Mr. Ronald Wu
also came to extend their congratulations.
Performances were diversified and wonderful, including traditional Chinese
programs such as singing, dancing in folk and traditional costumes. Western
Falun Gong practitioners performed songs including "Coming for You." A Western
practitioner--a famous Canadian actor--performed a pantomime composed and
directed by himself. Together with several Chinese practitioners, he displayed
to the audience a Western young man's journey of life: from a life full of
puzzles and perplexity to a new life through practicing cultivation in Dafa.
After learning that his fellow practitioners in China suffered persecution
because they cultivated "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," he took to the
streets to distribute flyers to tell people the truth about the persecution. In
the end, he went to China to tell the precious Chinese people that the Western
people cherish Falun Gong. He walked on Tiananmen Square and shouted out loud
from the bottom of his heart, "Falun Dafa is Great!" The pantomime concluded
with him crying out from his bottom of his heart, which won applause from all
audience members.
Some predestined people viewed the wonderful performances and at the same
time tasted the abundant and delicious foods of their hometowns, and shared
experiences with many friends that they had not met for quite a long time. In
the harmonious atmosphere, together they greeted the arrival of the New Year.
Western practitioners sing songs in Chinese
Dancing
The celebration site
Exercises demonstration
Pantomime composed and performed by Michael
Posting date: 2/2/2003
Original article date: 2/2/2003
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Translated on 2/1/2003
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.cc/mh/articles/2003/2/1/43776.html