(Clearwisdom.net) Thousands of people filled downtown Portland to watch the annual Rose Festival Starlight Parade. The Starlight Parade has a long history going back to 1907, when it emerged as one of the nation's first night parades illuminated by electricity. This year's parade was its 96^th session and 92 groups participated in the parade. Parade organizers expected about 300,000 spectators for the two-hour parade. The Oregon Falun Gong Association participated in the parade for the first time.

Practitioners from Oregon and Washington decorated a floral float. Before the parade, the Mayor of Portland Mr. Katz visited the preparation area. Practitioners sincerely thanked him for his support and presented him with a paper lotus flower. When practitioners lined up and practiced, a very positive energy field filled the area. Many reporters and spectators were deeply attracted by the Falun Gong formation. They took out their cameras and took pictures. Many asked to take photos of practitioners in their yellow practice suits. Children were eager to ask practitioners where they could get the beautiful paper lotus flowers.

Spectators packed along the parade route, sometimes 10 rows deep. Young and old were attracted to the beautiful flowers. Many people happily shouted out, "Falun Dafa." "Thank you," Practitioners waved to spectators and gave them lotus flowers with words "World Needs Truth-Compassion-Tolerance." During the parade practitioners demonstrated the elegant Falun Gong exercises.

The performance of the Falun Gong practitioners left a deep impression on parade goers. After the parade, some people met practitioners and praised, "You were wonderful." The largest newspaper in Oregon, the Oregonian, mentioned Falun Gong in the first paragraph the following next day.

Thousands of spectators attended the parade and many more watched on TV. Through the event, many more people were able to witness Dafa's magnificence.

Posting date: 6/6/2003
Original article date: 6/5/2003
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/6/3/51551.html

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