On May 18, the First Falun Dafa Festival Ceremony was held at Paliament Hill in Ottawa to celebrate 9 years of Fa spreading in the world. Nearly five hundred Falun Dafa practitioners came from Canada, the United States, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, France, Sweden and other regions around the world. Many members of Parliament also attended.
1. Prelude
In the morning, practitioners from different regions gathered at Parliament Hill to celebrate the First Falun Dafa Festival. Many practitioners had just returned from Geneva to come together once again in Ottawa. We all felt very close to each other and also everyone seemed to have made great progress in such a short period of time.
With the help of many practitioners, the stage was decorated with a large rainbow of colorful balloons. On the lawn, practitioners put up 27 huge colorful banners handmade by practitioners in Los Angeles, California, on which everyone could see from afar the words "FALUN DAFA" and our Falun emblem. On the walkway to the steps of Parliament's center block were 18 posters that informed pedestrians and tourists about the nine years of spreading the Fa in this human world. The displays illustrated how millions have benefited from the practice of Falun Dafa and also spoke of the brutal persecution inflicted on practitioners since the evil crackdown of 1999. One poster was trimmed with many flowers and had pictures of the 202 practitioners who have died from torture for their belief in Falun Dafa. This touched the hearts of every person who read of their plight and many people stopped to talk and ask questions concerning the persecution against Falun Dafa. Canadians struggled to understand the reason why the Chinese government considers Falun Dafa a threat to their stability.
After lunch, 500 people did a brief set of the Falun Dafa exercises. An airplane flew overhead with a very large banner that everyone could see. The banner read "CELEBRATING FALUN DAFA". It was a very beautiful site.
After the exercises were completed the band played a lively piece of music to turn the focus towards the stage and prepare for the speeches from Members of Parliament. The first speaker was M.P. Rob Anders who said "I too support Falun Gong. The reason I do this is because I believe that you should be able to be free to practice without persecution." He also stated, "I believe there are certain liberties that a government should not violate"
The second Member of Parliament to speak was Clifford Lincoln, who spoke of basic human rights and how people should enjoy freedom of lawful assembly, freedom of expression, and a basic right to practice their beliefs. He welcomed our many international practitioners to Ottawa and wished us a successful weekend in this beautiful city.
Irwin Cotler, who was instrumental in the release of professor Kunlun Zhang, spoke next. He said, "Thousands upon thousands of people are languishing in prisons, in labour camps, and in mental institutions for only practicing their beliefs, which had previously been protected by the Chinese government. I believe that it is the responsibility of Canadians to speak for those who cannot be heard, to bear witness for those who cannot testify, and to protect those whose lives are on the line." He went on to say "We must affirm and reaffirm and recommit ourselves to the values of truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance." The M. P.'s righteous voices have awakened the consciences and compassion of many people.
2. Celebration
Dafa practitioners and some artists from Ottawa performed for the audience. Our program included music, dancing, Peking Opera, etc. Many everyday people joined our celebration, both as audience members and as performers. Our practitioners shared their experiences with everybody and expressed their feelings with their songs. Everyone applauded warmly for the great performances, and the ceremony ended to a great ovation from the audience.
3. Parade
After the ceremony, just before the practitioners were about to leave Parliament Hill in two groups for the parade, the weather suddenly changed from light rain to sunny and clear. Practitioners yellow Dafa T-shirts, big colorful balloons and banners shone in the sun, which attracted all the passersby's attention.
One group went to the Chinese Embassy and the other went to China Town. Many cars driving by honked their horns to express their support. Many people asked for our flyers and literature. Later, practitioners held a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Embassy. A great energy field appeared around the practitioners on the photos we took of the event.