(Clearwisdom.net) On Saturday December 3, 2005, Falun Gong practitioners from New Zealand were invited to take part in the Palmerston North Christmas Parade. The practitioners decorated a float as a "Falun Dafa Boat." The spectators said the boat was very beautiful.
On the day of the parade, it was sunny and windy. The wind puffed out the sail of the "Fa Boat"; four golden characters on the sail glittered in the sunshine. Four practitioners sat on the boat in the lotus position and waved to the spectators.
In front of the "Fa Boat", a banner reading, "Falun Dafa is good" and a flag team took the lead. Four women practitioners dressed like celestial maidens gracefully danced to music. Behind the boat, a waist drum team performed. Wherever the Falun Gong procession went, people took photos, cheered and applauded. Many children ran into the procession to take a photo with the "celestial maidens."
The local practitioners had made about 600 paper lotus flowers with a bookmark introducing Falun Dafa. Before the parade started, nearly half of the flowers were given out.
Palmerston North is a city with a population of about 80,000, but its Christmas parade is one of the largest in New Zealand. It was estimated that over 20,000 spectators watch the parade every year.