(Minghui.org) The annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Keansburg, New Jersey, was held on March 26, 2022. George Hoff, Mayor of Keansburg, invited Falun Dafa practitioners to participate in this year’s parade to celebrate Irish tradition. Over 50 groups joined the parade this year and practitioners were the only Chinese group.
The mayor and local residents embraced Chinese tradition and enjoyed the practitioners' performance. Many of the parade-goers signed the petition to support the practitioners' effort to end the ongoing persecution of Falun Dafa in China.
The Falun Dafa entry was the only Chinese group in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Keansburg, NJ, on March 26, 2022.
Practitioners’ waist drum team in Keansburg’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Mayor Thanks Practitioners
The sun shone brightly even though rain had been predicted for the day of the parade. The mayor said that he felt amazed when the rain stopped and was thrilled that so many people came out to see the parade. He thanked God for answering his prayers and bringing the sunshine, he also thanked practitioners for bringing a good time.
Mayor George Hoff (middle) and Falun Dafa practitioners after the parade
Mayor Hoff told practitioners that he saw their waist drum team in a parade in New York City and really liked it. That was why he sent a letter inviting them to participate in this year’s parade. He enjoyed watching their procession and called it a fusion of Eastern and Western cultures. He praised all three of the groups that came: the Waist Drum Band, the Lotus Boat, and the exercise demonstration group, and said they were outstanding.
He said, “The practitioners showcased their tradition, and brought us their dances, Waist Drums, and Lotus Boat. The event is a fusion of traditions and cultures.” He added that he plans to invite the practitioners next year.
Cliff Moore (right)
Cliff Moore, Economic and Community Development Coordinator of Keansburg, praised practitioners for bringing life to the parade, and said their performances were dazzling. He thanked practitioners for showing Chinese traditions to the people of Keansburg. He believed that traditions are important for individuals and countries, and thus the celebration of traditions are necessary.
Delivers a Good Message
Many parade attendees said they liked practitioners’ entry and the principles of Falun Dafa’s teachings “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.” Many people signed the petition to protest the ongoing persecution of Falun Dafa in China and demand the Chinese Communist regime end the persecution immediately.
Harley Booket signed the petition and said that she really liked the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. She said that she supported the practitioners’ efforts to tell people about the persecution. She thanked practitioners for coming to Keansburg.
Cammon Buono liked the practitioners’ customs and said that it was cool. He wished to understand more about Falun Dafa and signed the petition. He said, “Practitioners deliver a good message.”
Promote Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance
Ms. Li Fenfen, a member of the waist drum team, said they have participated in seven parades in three states in March alone. They performed in two parades in one day. During the parade in Keansburg over 9,900 people signed the petition.
Another team member Ms. Yan Fulan said, “People are excited to see us in the parades, they cheered and waved at us when we walked by them. I was impressed to see two police officers salute us as we all walked past them.”
Parade-goers listen as practitioners tell them about the persecution of Falun Dafa in China.
The practitioners were glad to see a person shout, “We love you!” as soon as he saw the banner that says “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.” The practitioners said that the principles are universal values and they wanted to share their Chinese traditions.
It was Ms. Huang Qionghui’s first time participating in the parade. She was happy to celebrate the holiday with the local residents and, “To bring them Falun Dafa as well as Chinese culture.”
Background: What is Falun Dafa?
Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and learned the five gentle exercises, have experienced uplifted health and well-being.
Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP's atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, issued an order to ban the practice.
Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 22 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. More have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.
There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply the organ transplant industry.
Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.
All content published on this website is copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
