(Clearwisdom.net) On the fourth day of the first month of the Yiyou year (February 12, 2005, Saturday), Flushing, which has the second largest Chinatown in the New York area, celebrated the Lunar New Year with a grand parade and festivities. Flushing is an Asian community whose residents are mostly immigrants from Mainland China, Taiwan and Korea. The parade this year had a huge lineup. In addition to the effective promotion, the weather was also nice. The sun shone when the parade set off. The parade route covered the major roads and busy areas in Flushing. Residents in the community lined up on both sides of the route long before the parade set off. They raised their heads and waited.

The Falun Gong practitioners' colorful procession

Falun Gong practitioners' procession included banners, which were full of power and grandeur, noble golden dragons, lions bursting with energy, a majestic waist drum troupe, a graceful troupe of celestial maidens, and practitioners' exercise demonstration troupe, was grand and won round upon round of applause. It was the most spectacular procession in the entire parade.

In July 1999, the Jiang regime started persecuting Falun Gong in Mainland China and set up the Chinese Consulate in New York as the headquarters to extend its persecution to all Chinese communities. Using the pro-Communist organizations as their mouthpiece, the regime has tried all kinds of methods to deter Falun Gong practitioners from participating in community activities, especially the parades in Chinatown and Flushing. Falun Gong practitioners have persevered in comprehensively clarifying the truth about Falun Gong to people from different walks of life in the community, sought legal advice, and contacted media outlets in a timely manner to expose how the Chinese Communist regime trampled the freedom of belief on American soil. Finally, Falun Gong practitioners obtained the opportunity to take part in the Chinese New Year Parade in Flushing in the years 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. Starting in 2004, the Flushing community began to completely accept Falun Gong practitioners' parade procession. Furthermore, practitioners' procession won the reputation of being colorful, with rich content and worthy of watching.

Falun Gong practitioners' procession was led by a purple velvet banner imprinted with golden words, "Falun Dafa". A golden dragon followed. A golden banner with red words, "Celebrating the New Year • Coming for you" sent New Year's Greetings to the audience. Four lions swaggered and a dancer made up as a child wearing a big-head mask swung a big fan, which added to the festive atmosphere. After them was a blue velvet banner imprinted with golden words, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance". Then the waist drum troupe led by a red banner with golden words, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance--Coming for you" followed. Because a great number of Korean people also reside in Flushing, Korean practitioners especially prepared a banner with words in Korean, "Falun Dafa is great." Practitioners, men and women, old and young, made up the rest of the troupe. They held in their hands small flags with words in Chinese and English, "Falun Dafa" and "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance", and waved toward spectators to extend New Year's greetings to them. This told people that Falun Gong practitioners are not only cultivators who believe in Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, they are also part of the community. Next was the celestial maiden troupe that performed the fan dance. A golden banner with red words, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" was at the end and echoed the banner with the words "Falun Dafa" in front.

The song, "Falun Dafa is good" coupled with the sound of the waist drums resounded in the streets and avenues of Flushing.

The Falun Gong practitioners' splendid performance won round upon round of applause from the spectators. Media and spectators frequently took pictures and did not want to miss the wonderful moment.

Falun Gong practitioners' dragon dance and lion dance are warmly received The New Year parade attracts numerous local residents

Parents took pictures for their children together with the "lions."

When the dancing golden dragon passed by, everyone cheered.

A gentleman sighed with astonishment, "Wow, fairies descend to the world! Celestial maidens descend to the world!"

The "lions" shook hands with little children, which make the parents very happy.

When practitioners' procession passed by the main podium, the ceremony hosts loudly announced, "Falun Gong," "Falun Dafa!"

A reporter from Voice of America asked a practitioner, "Are all these costumes made at your own expense? You must spend some money to prepare for these performances. Why would you do so?"

The practitioner answered, "All of this is paid for by practitioners. Currently, the Chinese Communist regime is suppressing Falun Gong. We practice cultivation in accordance with Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. We wish to extend our Lunar New Year's greetings to our fellow people and to all Chinese people over the world and spread 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance' to more people, so as to allow more people to learn the truth about Falun Gong. At the same time, we would like to tell people that Falun Gong practitioners truly display the traditional Chinese culture."

The reporter from VOA continued to ask, "Some pro-Communist organizations refused to take part in the parade because of the participation of Falun Gong. Do you have comments on that?"

The practitioner answered, "I feel very sorry about that. At this moment to celebrate the Lunar New Year, we are all Chinese people, therefore we should let go of our prejudices and extend our greetings to the community together. At the same time, here in the U.S. we have a different political and cultural environment, and we hope these people will cherish this opportunity to learn about Falun Gong."

The parade concluded and the normal traffic was restored in Flushing. The Falun Gong practitioners' outstanding performances left a deep impression with the spectators.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/2/14/95448.html