United Kingdom: Divine Land Marching Band at 2007 Edinburgh Festival Cavalcade

On the 5th of August 2007 the annual Edinburgh Festival Cavalcade was staged once again in the UK. The Falun Gong group, which was formed by UK Falun Gong practitioners and the European Divine Land Marching Band, gained warm applause from the crowds all the way. This is the sixth time UK Falun Gong practitioners have taken part in this parade.

Over eighty groups joined this year's parade. According to the official report, about 50,000 people came to watch the parade in the rain. The Falun Gong group was led by two big banners in both Chinese and English: “Falun Dafa” and “Truth, Compassion, Forbearance”, immediately followed by the European Divine Land Marching Band which consists of over 110 members. Every note they played was beating right upon the people’s hearts and purifying their spirits.

Falun Gong group in the Edinburgh Parade

The European Celestial Marching Band

Following the European Divine Land Marching Band was a float, which was decorated by the Falun symbol, the Chinese characters of “Truth, Compassion, Forbearance” and many different colours of lotus flowers. There were five Chinese and Western practitioners on the float; they were demonstrating the five sets of slow and peaceful exercises. Behind the float was the fan dance troupe consisting of twenty female practitioners. At the very end of the group was the banners team. They were holding big banners revealing that Falun Gong is practised in over seventy countries and millions of people benefit both mind and body by practising Falun Dafa. They also had Falun Gong flags in many different colours.

Chinese and western practitioners were demonstrating the slow and peaceful Falun Gong exercises

The fan dance troupe

Different colours of Falun Gong flags in the parade

The powerful performance by the European Divine Land Marching Band and the delightful fan dancers, together with the rest of the parade members who all had happy faces and high spirits, presented the vitality of Falun Gong practitioners and showed people their inner happiness. Along the parade route, the people’s reactions were really warm; they clapped one after another. Some people would wave to practitioners whilst others would cheer to express their happiness to see the performance and give their support.