By a practitioner from Dallas, Texas

(Clearwisdom.net) On March 13, practitioners participated in the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Dallas, Texas. They are the only Chinese group in the parade.

St. Patrick's Day is a traditional festival in Ireland memorializing a unyielding missionary who overcome many obstacles and introduced Christianity to Ireland. People named the date he died, March 17, as St. Patrick's Day and held activities like parade and rally on the day to commemorate him. Now many countries in the world celebrate this festival even including some cities in Japan and South Korea. In the United States, it is one of the major holidays the people expected in many large cities. In Dallas, this year is the 25^th St. Patrick's Day Grand Parade on "Green Street". (According to Irish tradition, people shall wear or take something in green on St. Patrick's Day.)

On the morning of the parade it was drizzling, but people were still excited. About 80 groups participated in the parade. Thousands of people watched along the route. Music could be heard all the way. Cheers and applauses came out from audience. People on the float throw small gifts like green-white necklaces, green T-shirts to the visitors long the road. Visitors returned them with cheers.

Three practitioners holding the banner "Falun Dafa - Truthfulness Compassion Tolerance" led the Falun Dafa group, followed by a few little practitioners from Minghui School with a "Falun Dafa is Good" banner in their hands. Next, came eight female practitioners dressed in green red Tang Dynasty costumes dancing the "Lotus Dance". One practitioner said she heard the many people said "so pretty" and one in the audience said, "You are the best!"

Practitioners printed a large banner saying "The World Needs Truthfulness Compassion Tolerance". Two practitioners held the banner at the end of the team. A few practitioners and children distributed truth-clarifying flyers along the way.

A the short time after the parade, practitioners demonstrated Falun Gong exercises to the people passing by.

Posting date: 3/17/2004
Original article date: 3/16/2004
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2004/3/16/70108.html

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