(Minghui.org) The 111th Calgary Stampede Parade stepped off on July 7, 2023 at 9:00 a.m., marking the start of a ten-day outdoor show unique to the Western part of Canada. Falun Dafa practitioners’ Tian Guo Marching Band, a beautiful float, exercise demonstration, and waist drum team caught people’s attention. All along the parade route spectators on both sides of the road greeted them with cheers.
The Calgary Stampede, known as the “greatest outdoor show on earth” is held every year in early July and lasts for ten days. The opening day parade is considered one of the largest and best in North America. Over 100 groups, 4,000 people, and 200 horses are featured in the parade. This year, more than 300,000 spectators lined the parade route. As the COVID pandemic has eased and the borders of many countries have reopened, tourists from around the world flocked to Calgary to attend the 2023 show. The scale of this year’s parade has returned to the size it was before the pandemic and even surpassed it.
The Tian Guo Marching Band and Falun Dafa float and waist drum team were a highlight of this year’s parade. Spectators along the parade route cheered, clapped and gave them the thumbs up. Several people mimicked practitioners as they did the exercise movements. Many young Chinese in the audience recorded the Falun Dafa contingent and cheered them on.
Falun Dafa practitioners participated in the 111th Calgary Stampede Parade on July 7, 2023, with the Tian Guo Marching Band, a float, and waist drum team. They enjoyed an enthusiastic reception along the length of the parade route.
I Loved Them, They Were Wonderful!
This is the 10th year that the Tian Guo Marching Band has participated in the Calgary Stampede Parade. This year, the band consisted of 120 members from different parts of the U.S and Canada. Dressed in traditional Chinese court orchestra costumes with the Chinese character for “music” on the front and back, wearing either blue or white court hats and tall black boots, the band members struck a serene posture.
“I loved them, they were wonderful!” said Deb Gauld, who lives in Calgary. “They were orderly, and the music is exquisite—it was fantastic!”
Donna from Victoria shared her thoughts. “Superb!” she said. “The coordination was good, music was beautiful. I loved the band.”
Behind the band were three groups of Dafa practitioners – the exercise team demonstrating the Falun Dafa exercises, a beautiful float, and a waist drum team. The float – a giant, golden boat with hand-painted blue skies, white clouds, and pink lotus flowers – carried three banners emblazoned with the words “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.” Celestial maidens sat inside the lotus flowers. Behind the float was the waist drum team, dressed in yellow outfits, playing traditional Chinese waist drums.
A practitioner on the float introduced Falun Dafa, a mind and body cultivation practice: “In traditional Chinese culture, the Fa boat is symbolic of guiding one towards higher spiritual attainment and the lotus flower symbolizes the Buddha’s world. It represents good tidings. The design of the boat was inspired by traditional Chinese culture and conveys the message of guiding one towards kindness and a righteous path. This is just what today’s society needs.”
Falun Dafa Promotes Traditional Chinese Culture
Mr. Du from China was pleased to see Falun Gong practitioners’ presence in the parade promoting Chinese culture. He said, “I think values such as sincerity and kindness are good for anyone in the world.”
Wojetk Zientara, who is self employed and lives in Calgary, admired the practitioners’ performance in the parade. “I loved them!” he said. “They were full of passion. I loved their costumes and the smiles on their faces. They showcased the unique aspect of China’s culture.”
He said his impression of the float was “emotional,” and of the waist drum team, “Their rhythm was unique; it is completely different from other groups. They gave people the impression of solemnity and confidence.”
Watching the Exercises Made Me Feel at Peace
Ms. Vhawan Yadav, who lives in Calgary, praised the waist drum team’s performance. “The waist drum beat was calming,” she said. Ms. Yadav said that she also enjoyed watching the exercise team: “They did not say a word. They just demonstrated the exercises quietly. Watching them made me feel at peace. It was great.”
Ms. Yadav added that in the current turbulent world, Falun Dafa practitioners’ presence at the Calgary Parade “made people feel relaxed and peaceful.”
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