(Minghui.org) May 13, 2024 marked the 32nd anniversary of Falun Dafa’s public introduction by Master Li Hongzhi. Since 2000, practitioners around the world have been celebrating May 13 as World Falun Dafa Day.
This year, the month long celebration of the 25th World Falun Dafa Day started with the publication of the article “That Unforgettable May 13” on April 20 on the Chinese Minghui website. Since then, thousands of greetings from practitioners in over 100 countries, articles submissions, poems, music compositions and paintings have been published. These practitioners expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Master Li for teaching Falun Dafa to the world and bringing blessings to the world’s people.
One practitioner said, “As a Falun Dafa practitioner, my gratitude to Master is boundless. Master saved us, eliminated our karma, renewed our lives and gave us the best we could have. I’m always moved to tears when I read the touching greetings to Master.”
Since the persecution of Falun Dafa started in 1999, Minghui.org has become the most important platform for practitioners in China, the majority of the practitioners, to communicate with each other, despite the tight internet censorship by the communist regime.
In addition to World Falun Dafa Day, the practitioners also send greetings on New Year, Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival every year. Some practitioners even managed to send their greetings to Minghui when they were wrongfully incarcerated for their faith in China.
Some of their family members and supporters of Dafa also send greetings to Master Li. Although they don’t practice Falun Dafa themselves, they identify with the principles and have benefited from Dafa by reciting the auspicious phrases “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is good.”
Outside of China, where Falun Dafa is freely practiced by people of all nationalities, Falun Dafa and Master Li have received hundreds of proclamations, which celebrated Dafa’s positive contribution to the communities, cultural diversity, and improvement of the practitioners’ mental well-being.
Due to the overwhelming number of submissions this year, which started to come into Minghui editors’ inbox in March, the celebration of World Falun Dafa Day on Minghui will continue until the end of May. It has become a “Falun Dafa Month” celebrated by people around the globe.
One practitioner wrote, “The greetings themselves are powerful testaments to the beauty of Dafa and the determination of practitioners in upholding their faith. I heard from a person whose job was to persecute Falun Dafa practitioners that they were required to read Minghui.org every day. Although they were looking for reasons to persecute us, some of them have truly understood the facts through the articles and greetings. To these people, the fact that more and more people each year are sending greetings to Master is a powerful revelation that the persecution is a complete failure. They said that no leaders in the communist regime is respected by so many people as Master Li is.”
In the special period of history when the persecution is going on in China, Minghui.org has played a very unique role in bringing practitioners together, who persevere to uphold their faith. Every article, greeting and any other forms of participation bear witness to the magnificent virtue and grace of Falun Dafa.
Stay tuned to the upcoming content for the celebration. Below is a brief recap of content published and events held by practitioners around the world in the past month.
A banner with the words “Falun Dafa Is Good” flew over the Hudson River in New York City on May 13, 2024.
Several thousand Falun Dafa practitioners held a grand parade to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day in Manhattan, New York on May 10, 2024.
Falun Dafa practitioners in the San Francisco Bay Area held a parade and other activities on May 11, 2024.
Practitioners in the United Kingdom held a grand parade in central London on May 11, 2024.
National Flag Raised in the U.S. Capitol to Recognize Falun Dafa and Its Founder
On May 13, 2024, the American flag was raised over the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who sponsored the event, wrote that the flag was raised in special recognition of Mr. Li for “introducing Falun Dafa to the world and teaching the Core Principles of Falun Dafa – Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.”
“Your legacy will continue to touch and instill confidence in our future generations of leaders around the world.” he continued.
A United States flag flies at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 13, 2024.
Certificate from Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick
Proclamations from Elected Officials Worldwide
In the U.S., public officials, including members of Congress, governors, state legislators and county-level officials, issued proclamations to celebrate Falun Dafa’s contributions to the community.
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin from Maryland issued a Certificate of Special Recognition, “in honor of Master Li Hongzhi introducing Falun Dafa and its principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance.”
Certificate of Special Recognition from Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Caucus, and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader and Leader of the House Democratic Caucus, both of New York, sent a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition and a letter, respectively, to honor World Falun Dafa Day.
On the state level, the New York State Senate, the House of Delegates of Maryland, and both Missouri State Senate and House of Representatives passed resolutions to commend Falun Dafa.
Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Representative Elise Stefanik
Elected officials in Pennsylvania sent letters and proclamations to extend their congratulation on the 25th World Falun Dafa Day and the 32nd anniversary of Falun Dafa’s public introduction.
Around the world, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, and elected officials from Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Argentina, and other countries also sent congratulatory letters and proclamations to Mr. Li.
The Office of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wrote, “The freedom to practice, change or share one’s faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy. The Government believes that societies which aim to guarantee freedom of religion or belief are more stable, prosperous and more resilient against violent extremism.”
As of May 20, over ten cities in Canada held flag-raising ceremonies to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of Falun Dafa’s public introduction and the 25th World Falun Dafa Day. Various members of the Parliament, mayors, and regional councilors attended the events. They proclaimed “Falun Dafa Day” or “Falun Dafa Month” in their cities.
Mayor Walter Schummer in the Township of Brock said, “More than 80 countries celebrate Falun Dafa Day and promote the values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Falun Dafa practitioners bring traditional Chinese culture and values into their practice and meditation, helping many people improve their moral and physical health, contributing to a healthier and more harmonious society. Thank you for including the Township of Brock in your celebrations. We are honored to raise the Falun Dafa Day flag and celebrate May 13th as Falun Dafa Day in Brock.”
Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander (first on left) raised a flag on May 3, 2024.
A flag-raising ceremony was held in front of the Cornwall City Hall on May 13, 2024.
Greetings Extend Practitioners’ Gratitude and Happy Birthday Wishes to Master Li
Since Falun Dafa was introduced to the public 32 years ago, this ancient spiritual and meditation discipline has spread around the world and attracted practitioners from all walks of life. In China, despite the brutal persecution, the practitioners still uphold their faith and live by the principles, bringing positive and fresh streams in a society plagued with corruption and moral degeneration.
As usual, on this World Falun Dafa Day, practitioners in China continued to send their sincere greetings to celebrate Dafa’s public introduction and wish Master Li a Happy Birthday. They expressed their deep gratitude to Master and vowed to be more diligent in their cultivation and help more people know how wonderful Falun Dafa is.
Selected artworks for the celebration.
In the article submissions commemorating World Falun Dafa Day, the practitioners told many touching stories about how Dafa turned them into better people and how they and their family members have benefited from Dafa’s blessings.
In the article “Clearing the Snow in My Town for 20 Years,” the practitioner said, “We practitioners have persisted in clearing the snow for more than 20 years, and word spread among the locals. Those who were misled by the CCP’s propaganda gradually realized that Falun Dafa practitioners are good people, and they now support Dafa and respect practitioners. Now, everyone in our town says, ‘Falun Dafa is good!’”
The author of “A Fiercely Competitive Businessman Becomes a Good Person” wrote, “Falun Dafa has changed me fundamentally, remolded my mind, my nature, and my life. Without Dafa, I would not be the same me. Thank you Master for your compassion and salvation!”
There was a story about how an underworld “Big Brother” took up Dafa while serving a 16-year term. He said, “The old me looked fierce. Now I looked healthy, kind, and good tempered. My friends and family even said I became more handsome. They witnessed Dafa’s mighty power. Some of them withdrew from the Chinese Communist Party, and some started to practice Falun Dafa.”
The well-wishers also include many supporters of Falun Dafa. A mother in Changchun City, Jilin Province wrote, “Years ago, my son was attending a wilderness training and his eye was hit by bullet casing fragment during target practice. The doctor wasn’t confident that he could save his eye. After my husband’s colleague heard about the incident, he urged my son to recite ‘Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is good.’ My son took his advice and recited the phrases. Blessed by Dafa, his surgery went very well. He wasn’t only protected in this incident. But just days before the tragic explosions in Tianjin in 2015, he decided to come home for a visit and his apartment in Tianjin was next to the explosion site!”
Select greetings from practitioners and supporters in China.
Celebration Around the Globe
In the past few weeks, practitioners around the world hosted various celebration events, which will continue throughout May. Below are the highlights.
Several thousand Falun Dafa practitioners held a grand parade to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day in Manhattan, New York on May 10, 2024.
Practitioners in Toronto, Canada held a day-long event at Nathan Phillips Square on May 11, 2024 to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day.
Practitioners in Melbourne, Australia held a grand parade and rally on May 11, 2024.
Practitioners in the Czech Republic performed exercise demonstrations at Wenceslas Square in Prague on May 12, 2024.
Falun Dafa practitioners wished Master Li a happy birthday during a celebration on Santa Monica Beach in Los Angeles on May 12, 2024.
Group exercises in front of Customs House in Sydney, Australia as part of the celebrations on May 6, 2024.
Celebrations on Karlsplatz Stachus in Munich, Germany on May 11, 2024.
Practitioners in Taipei, Taiwan wished Master Li happy birthday during the grand gathering at the 228 Peace Memorial Park on May 11, 2024 to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day.
On May 12, 2024, Falun Gong practitioners in Japan held a parade in downtown Tokyo.
Greetings by practitioners in Incheon, South Korea
More Select Greetings from Practitioners in China and Around the World
We hope that more people will gain wisdom in cultivation in Dafa and receive blessings of health and a beautiful future!
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