United Kingdom: Activities during the Edinburgh Easter Festival Celebrations

On Sunday the 11th of April, Scotland’s capital city of Edinburgh held a day of Easter celebrations. The highlight of the day was a large parade which included a lively and exciting performance by UK Falun Gong practitioners (for more details see ). To accompany and complement the parade there were also several smaller performances on two outdoor stages, as well as a variety of stalls.

Falun Gong practitioners staged several performances as part of the festival. On an open-air stage with the beautiful background of Edinburgh Castle, the day’s festivities began with the first performance of the UK “Coming For You” Choir. (for more details see ) Practitioners’ beautiful rendition of the song “Coming For You” touched the heart of audience members.

After the Choir performance a UK practitioner performed a solo flute adaptation of the song “De Du”. This was followed by a performance of the Lotus Flower Dance. These musical and dance performances displayed the beauty and wonder of Falun Dafa. Audience members were happy to receive a leaflet and learn more. The noble and elegant performances contrasted sharply with the persecution happening in China that is exposed on the leaflets.

The final performance by practitioners on this outside stage was a demonstration of the five sets of Falun Gong exercises. This was accompanied by a practitioner explaining more about the principles and practice of Falun Gong and the tremendous physical and mental benefits that people who practise Falun Gong all over the world have received. The beautiful Edinburgh Castle was a fitting background for the graceful exercise performance. Practitioners had spent much of the previous day practising the exercises together to ensure that their movements were correct and in time with the Falun Gong music. This made the performance even more harmonious and attractive.

After these stage performances, practitioners changed their costumes and rushed to the start of the Easter parade. As soon as the parade finished they again rushed back to change their costumes for a second performance of the UK “Coming For You” Choir. The practitioners felt that this hard work was all worth it as many people showed their appreciation for Falun Dafa in this Easter celebration and learned the truth about the persecution in China.

Whilst the other activities were taking place, some practitioners looked after a Falun Dafa Information Stall. Many people who saw the performances and parade or read the leaflet came to the stall to find out more. Some wanted information on the nearest practice site where they can learn the Falun Gong exercises for free. Others wanted more information on the persecution. After witnessing the beauty and warmth of Falun Dafa in so many different performances, people could not help but feel surprise and dismay that this peaceful practice is suffering brutal persecution in China. After the performances some practitioners handed out leaflets whilst others came back to the information stall to demonstrate the exercises. Many people came to take photos of the Dafa exercises and will remember the time they learned about Falun Gong as an exciting part of their Easter celebrations.