(Clearwisdom.net) The annual parade kicking off the Calgary Stampede, "the greatest outdoor show on earth," was held on July 9, 2004 in Calgary, an important city in western Canada. Falun Gong practitioners took part in the event and won the first place award in the cultural category in this, their first year in the Stampede Parade.

Falun Gong practitioners at the award ceremony

Practitioners' exercise demonstration during the parade

Practitioners performing lotus flower dance

Waist drum troupe

Float

The two sides of the 4.5-kilometer-long parade route are crowded with spectators

The annual Calgary Stampede is one of the largest outdoor fairs in North America. Its scale is close to that of the Canadian National Exhibition held in Toronto. The Stampede features Western cultural, rodeo, agricultural product exhibitions, a huge midway and various activities. Because the Calgary Stampede is imbued with local color and has numerous activities, it is called the "world's largest rodeo".

As usual, this year's stampede began with a "world-class" grand parade. The parade including about 170 entries set off at 9 am and concluded at about noon. It was estimated that along the 4.5-kilometer-long route, there were about 350,000 spectators enjoying the parade. Many TV stations conducted live broadcasting and the global TV audience amounts to 35 million.

This year, Falun Gong practitioners from Calgary participated in this grand parade for the first time. In order to display the beauty brought be Falun Dafa and the traditional Chinese culture, Falun Gong practitioners made abundant preparation. They also obtained full support and active cooperation from practitioners in other areas including Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, and Toronto. In the opening ceremony, Falun Gong practitioners' procession won the first place in the cultural category.

It is reported that apart from the parade, practitioners also attended Prelude Show. This was the performance given prior to the parade on the main route of the parade. Practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises and introduced the health benefit it brought to people. They also distributed truth-clarifying literature and flyers describing the South Africa shooting incident. Practitioners' effort won support and applause from spectators.