(Minghui.org) Kalamazoo hosts a variety of popular events every year, the most festive being the Kalamazoo Holiday Parade. The 62nd Kalamazoo Holiday Parade kicked off on November 23, 2024. This event is a sign that the local community is officially welcoming the holiday season, and draws enthusiastic participation from the entire community. This year’s parade drew 20,000 to 30,000 local residents and tourists, including 99 community parade groups and 10 high school marching bands. The holiday-themed signs, giant balloons, floats, and costumes were dazzling.
Kalamazoo is located between Detroit, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois, with convenient transportation. As an important cultural and educational center, the city is known for its unique artistic atmosphere, diverse festivals, and rich educational resources.
This is the second time that the Michigan Falun Dafa Association has participated in the parade. After participating for the first time in 2023, the local TV station Wood TV8 introduced practitioners’ formation on the program. Mlive, a news portal covering Michigan’s nine newspapers, published a photo of Falun Dafa practitioners on November 23, 2024, in its coverage of the parade.
After participating in the Kalamazoo Festival Parade for the first time in 2023, the Falun Dafa formation was featured on a local TV station program (Screenshot courtesy Wood TV8 Radio Network).
Mlive in Michigan published a photo of the Falun Dafa Association’s parade entry on November 23, 2024 (Screenshot courtesy Mlive).
Practitioners participated in the 62nd Kalamazoo Holiday Parade on November 23, 2024.
People accepted fliers about Falun Dafa.
The nearly two-hour parade was lined with people, and the festive atmosphere was strong. Practitioners performed Tang drums, and displayed vertical flags with “Falun Dafa” and “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance” written on them. Practitioners wore festive Christmas hats and winter clothing with the characters “Falun Dafa” printed on them, and frequently waved and interacted with the enthusiastic audience on both sides of the street. Some practitioners also handed out Falun Dafa leaflets.
People waved to the practitioners.
Before the parade began, a resident who was participating in the parade asked the practitioners what the words on their coats meant. A practitioner explained that they were the Chinese characters “Falun Dafa,” and explained that Dafa is a spiritual and physical practice that guides people to follow Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. She was very interested and said she would tell her family that she met Falun Dafa practitioners.
During the parade, a woman said, “I like this parade. I like Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance because I think it brings hope and a good message to the public.” Another couple was happy to see practitioners. The wife said, “It’s so beautiful. Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, all of these are beautiful. We all need more of them.”
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