(Minghui.org) Practitioners participated in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Houston on Saturday, March 15, 2025. They introduced Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) and the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.
St. Patrick’s Day, which originated in the fifth century, commemorates the saint who introduced Catholicism to Ireland. It is a holiday widely celebrated throughout North America, and this was was Houston’s 64th St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
The Falun Dafa contingent was the only Asian group in the parade, which officially began at noon. Practitioners in golden outfits demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises on their float, while others in green shirts carried banners with information about Falun Dafa. The waist drummers were also dressed in green.
Falun Dafa practitioners in Houston’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 15
People Welcome Falun Dafa
Spectators and the other groups in the parade welcomed practitioners. Mr. Indio is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), one of the other groups in the parade. He served in the military in Korea, Afghanistan, and other places for years.
When he was given a leaflet about Falun Dafa, Mr. Indio, who can speak Chinese, said, “I know Falun Gong.” He said that he had heard about Falun Gong when he was stationed in Korea. When practitioners told him about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong, he said, “I heard about the forced organ harvesting a few weeks ago. The CCP is atheist and a dictatorship. That is why it persecutes the Falun Gong group, because they believe in the divine.”
When he saw pictures of practitioners’ rallies and parades in the flyer, Mr. Indio asked in surprise, “Is this in Washington, DC?” When a practitioner told him it was, he expressed his admiration for practitioners’ adherence to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and said it was a good thing that they could express their demand to end the persecution in China in the US capital.
Mr. Indio
Falun Gong Practitioners Will Return to China
Viridiana from Mexico was visiting Houston when she stopped to watch the parade. Practitioners presented her with a green origami lotus flower, which she gladly accepted and hung on her arm.
Viridiana from Mexico
Viridiana, who is a teacher, said she would read the flyer carefully when she returned home. “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are very good. Especially in the current chaotic world, Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance can make people healthy physically and mentally and keep them calm.”
When she learned that the CCP has persecuted Falun Gong for 25 years, leading to countless broken families, and that practitioners overseas cannot return to China, she said, “One day, Falun Gong practitioners will return to China!”
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