(Clearwisdom.net) Kramatorsk is a city in the northeast of Ukraine and has a population of about 200,000. Though not so big, it is the first city in Ukraine where people practiced Falun Dafa. The practice has been very popular in the city, and several local government agencies have declared their support towards Falun Dafa.
On September 24, 2006, the city once again held its annual City Festival. Every year, the Department of Cultural Development is responsible for inviting several arts organizations, schools and cultural associations to perform, in order to enrich the festival. However, it is not so easy to be invited by the Cultural Department, as the application must be approved by the department beforehand. This year, prior to the festival, a person in charge of this matter came across a Falun Gong practitioner. He took the initiative to specifically invite Falun Dafa practitioners to participate, saying, "We enjoy your programs very much. Why don't you submit your application as soon as possible? I look forward to seeing you during the festival."
During the festival, many activities were held in a park in the downtown area. Throughout the activities, practitioners displayed banners worded, "Falun Dafa" in Chinese, and, "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance" in Russian. In addition, there were poster boards introducing Falun Dafa's wide spread across the world, the Chinese Communist regime's persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners and the Chinese regime's harvesting of organs from living people. Two tables were set up next to the display boards. One was for those who wished to sign the petition calling for an end to the persecution, and the other was exclusively for children to learn how to make folded paper lotus flowers.
During the celebration, a manager of the municipal museum, who came to watch the program, approached Falun Gong practitioners to express his appreciation and praised them for a wonderful job. He said, "You are different from other groups and your programs are very unique."
The practitioners demonstrated the five sets of Falun Gong exercises along with the music, which attracted many people to come over to watch. During the exercise demonstration, practitioners explained the facts about Falun Dafa. After learning the facts, many people signed the petition to condemn the Chinese Communist regime's atrocities. Among them, a middle-aged man told the practitioners that he has practiced yoga for many years, and was able to see scenes in other dimensions. He said, "When passing your booth, I got a special feeling. Your energy field is very strong, and I am really drawn by it."
There were many children participating in the City Festival activities. They happily learned to make folded paper lotus flowers. The practitioners told them that the characteristic of lotus flowers is that they grow out of mud yet remain pure and unpolluted by the mud, and that this characteristic is symbolic of the cultivators' noble spirit. These innocent children were indeed very lovely. They were humming, "Falun Dafa," and "Zhen, Shan, Ren" ("Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance), while making the paper lotus flowers. As the activity was coming to an end, a little boy came over and wanted to learn how to fold paper lotus flowers. With his mother's company, he made a paper lotus flower. After finishing it, he held up the lotus flower with satisfaction and spoke out: "Mommy! Mommy! The lotus flower is giving off a fragrance." Children's hearts are indeed as pure as lotus flowers.
