(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in upstate New York were invited to the 4^th Annual Moon Festival celebration in Deerpark on September 13, 2019. Their exercise demonstration, waist drum performance, and information booth were all well received by festival attendees, and many local residents learned the exercises.

Located in Orange County, New York, the town of Deerpark is a two-hour drive from Manhattan. The Moon Festival has become one of the largest events of its kind in the tri-state area and is becoming an annual tradition for many families in Orange County.

This year's Moon Festival celebration in Deerpark was a three-day event that started on Friday, September 13, and continued through Sunday evening.

Exercise demonstration by Falun Dafa practitioners during the festival celebrations in Deerpark

Waist drum performance by practitioners

Practitioners demonstrated the meditation on stage during the event, and the host explained to spectators that the practice was introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in May 1992. Along with five easy-to-learn exercises, the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance have attracted more than 100 million practitioners in more than 100 countries.

Spectators stop at the Falun Dafa booth for information about the practice.

Local Residents Interested in Falun Gong

Inessa picked up a yellow paper lotus flower at the booth. She said she had seen practitioners at different activities in recent years and the golden yellow color practitioners often wear had left an impression on her.

A resident learns the Falun Dafa exercises from a practitioner.

Locals began to learn the exercises during the celebrations, including Sean Prell from Warwick, Orange County, who learned the first four exercises.

Vikee Fung, who had immigrated to the United States from China's Guangdong Province 23 years ago, said her mother had learned the exercises in Hong Kong many years ago and her health had improved greatly. Vikee had heard about the suppression in China and that it has lasted for 20 years, so she wanted to know how such a tragedy could have come about. A practitioner explained that Jiang Zemin, the former leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), had started to suppress the practice in 1999. “The CCP’s use of violence and hate propaganda fundamentally contradicts Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Plus, the number of practitioners had exceeded the number of CCP members,” she said.

Qiu, a resident of Long Island, NY, was interested to hear about the health benefits of Falun Dafa.

Qiu is originally from Fujian Province but now lives on Long Island. It took her more than two hours to drive to the event. She is in her 70s and usually can only stand for a few minutes at a time. “When I was learning the exercises today, I was able to stand for 30 minutes before realizing it,” she exclaimed. “I am so happy!”