On May 12, 2002, over three hundred Falun Gong practitioners and people of all walks attended the celebration of World Falun Dafa Day in Flushing, New York.
In the morning, hundreds of practitioners from New York City and nearby states gathered to Chinatown in Flushing. At 10:30 a.m., the celebration parade started and passed Main Street, Roosevelt Street, and Union Avenue under a light spring rain. Practitioners held colourful banners reading, "Falun Dafa is good" and balloons in hand. Some practitioners dressed in yellow exercise suits, and many female practitioners dressed in traditional Chinese costumes. The spectators were moved by the happy environment of the celebration and politely asked for more information from the practitioners.
After the parade, practitioners held a press conference and a large-scale celebration party at Bowne Stadium.
The press conference started at 12:30 p.m. during the rain. First, eight practitioners used eight different languages to address the opening speech to show that Falun Dafa has transcended different cultures and country borders. Second, practitioners read a statement entitled "The Journey of Falun Dafa" for the 10th Anniversary of the Public Introduction of Falun Dafa provided by Falun Dafa Information Center. The editorial mentioned, "Over the past ten years, Falun Gong has experienced an unprecedented solemnity, stirring, and greatness. The Falun Gong practitioners who have walked through severe tribulations will continue the endeavours of pursuing Truthfulness Compassion Forbearance, the principles to protect the human beings, until they reach a bright future."
Senator of New York State Toby Ann Stavisky issued a certificate for "World Falun Dafa Day". New York City Councilman Mr. Allan W. Jennings issued a proclamation for Falun Dafa.
At the celebration party, practitioners performed many programs all written and directed by practitioners. These programs included a "Lion Dance", "Traditional Dance", "Drum", "Flute and Cello Trio", "Poem Reading with Music", "Solo", "Tang Dynasty Costumes Dance Performance" and others. The performance lasted over three hours. After several weeks of preparation, these programs reached quite high standards. Because the performing practitioners used their hearts to express their own experiences, the programs aroused strong responses in the audiences' hearts.
To clear the interference from the old forces, practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts many times to clear the evil. As the result, the rain suddenly stopped before the performances.
The following day there was a "Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge" celebration parade beginning from downtown Brooklyn Borough Hall to Manhattan City Hall. The Brooklyn Bridge is the symbol of New York City. This event was the peak of the series of celebrations of "World Falun Dafa Day".
Both English and Chinese Media including World Journal, Singtao Daily, Ming Daily and The Epochtimes, reported and interviewed today's event.
