(Clearwisdom.net) On Saturday March 11, 2006, a grand parade was held in Morristown to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. Falun Gong practitioners were invited to participate and their procession was the only Chinese group in the parade.
The practitioners' procession consisted of celestial maidens, a waist drum team and a Falun Gong exercise demonstration team. This was the first time for Falun Gong to participate in the parade, and they were warmly welcomed by spectators.
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Practitioners' celestial maidens and waist drum team
This year, 115 groups participated in the St. Patrick's Day parade, including over 20 bands. As one the largest parades in New Jersey, the parade attracts about 50,000 spectators. This year it was sunny on parade day. The host organization estimated that approximately 70,000 people watched the parade. Mr. Jon Corzine, Governor of New Jersey and Mr. Donald Cresitello, Supervisor of Morristown participated in the parade.
  Practitioners conduct exercise demonstration in the procession |
St. Patrick's Day is dedicated to the Irish missionary Saint Patrick and originated in Ireland at the end of the third century. In the USA, it was first celebrated in 1737. In New Jersey, St. Patrick's Day parades are held in many towns and cities in mid-March. The parade in Morristown was first held in 1979 jointly by the Irish American Association of Northwest Jersey, the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick, and the Trustees of the Saint Patrick's Day Parade.
