(Minghui.org) Welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd, a Falun Dafa practitioner went on stage to accept two awards, Best Cultural Display and Best Overall, from the host of the Beenleigh & District Cane Festival Parade on May 31, 2014.

This was the second time Falun Dafa practitioners were invited by the parade organizer, the Rotary Club of Beenleigh, to participate in the community's annual event.

“We hope to bring the people of Beenleigh this high-level practice, and share the goodness of Falun Dafa with them,” said John Dowie, the practitioner who accepted the awards on behalf of the Falun Dafa group.

Falun Dafa practitioners in Queensland join the Beenleigh & District Cane Festival Parade on May 31, 2014.

Local residents of Beenleigh come to the Falun Dafa table to learn more about the practice.

Falun Dafa practitioner receives awards on stage.

The Falun Dafa entry wins two awards at the parade.

Spectators: “Beautiful!”

As the only entry that presented traditional Chinese culture, the elaborate Falun Dafa procession stood out. With the enchanting sound of booming drums, the golden dragon began its graceful dance.

Practitioners in the procession donned authentic costumes from various Chinese dynasties. “So beautiful!” “Like angels from heaven!” commented delighted crowd members.

The grand finale of the procession, a spirited performance by the Waist Drum Team, won enthusiastic applause from the spectators.

Falun Dafa Practitioner: “I'm So Proud”

Anna, a practitioner who came to Australia from China recently, was more than pleased to take part in this event. In China, she had been sent to a forced labor camp and tortured for her belief in Falun Dafa. The stark contrast between the suppression she faced in China and the warm welcome of Falun Dafa in a free country was deeply moving, she said.

“When the rain hit my face during the parade, I thought I was crying. In China, such an event is impossible. I was only able to read about Falun Dafa's events on the Internet. Now, I'm experiencing it. I am so happy.”

“I cannot tell you how proud I feel right now,” she continued. “I hope the persecution in China will end soon so that my fellow practitioners in China can also promote the great benefits of Falun Dafa with their heads held high!”

Local People Show Support

A Falun Dafa practitioner demonstrates the exercises

After the parade, the practitioners demonstrated the exercises at their booth and told visitors about the ongoing persecution of Falun Dafa in China. Many of the local residents were shocked by the brutality of the persecution.

Many signed the petition to protest the Chinese regime's brutal suppression of Falun Dafa practitioners and to condemn the regime's deplorable crime of organ harvesting from living Falun Dafa practitioners.