(Clearwisdom.net) The Daffodil Festival, a grand event in Washington State, was held from March to May 2005. Parades were held concurrently in the four towns of Puyallup Valley - Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner and Orting on April 16. One hundred and seventy-eight groups participated in the parade. The Falun Gong procession was warmly received by parade spectators and won the Board of Directors' Award.
  The Falun Gong procession |   The beautiful float |   The fifth exercise of Falun Gong, Strengthening Divine Power |
  Celestial Maiden dance |   A boy is fascinated with the lion dance |   Exercise demonstration |
The Falun Gong procession embodied the best of traditional Chinese culture, including the peaceful Falun Gong exercise demonstration, the mighty lion dance, a waist-drum troupe, the beautiful dance of celestial maidens and traditional Chinese music. The spectators were touched by the beauty of the Chinese culture and rewarded the Falun Gong practitioners with waves of warm applause and cheers.
  Waist drum troupe |   Little practitioners of Minghui School |   The award received from the Board of Directors |
It was the third time that Falun Gong practitioners participated in the Daffodil Festival Parade, but it was the first year they ever entered such a large, elegant float, which they had spent one and a half months to design and decorate. Big and small lotus flowers, an exercise demonstration and women in beautiful Tang Dynasty fairy dance costumes carried the spectators to a wonderland. The lion dance and waist-drum troupe thrilled adults and children alike.
Falun Gong practitioners traveled in the pouring rain from different towns of Washington, Oregon and Vancouver to Puyallup Valley. They sincerely hoped to introduce Falun Gong to more people. Indeed, they brought the Buddha light to the entire Puyallup Valley!