Ireland: Raising Awareness about Falun Gong and Depicting the Charm of Traditional Chinese Culture During a St. Patrick’s Day Parade

On March 17th, 2007, invitated by organisers of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in County Laois, Falun Gong practitioners participated in the parade. Their depiction of the beauty of Falun Gong and the charm of traditional Chinese culture won Best Culture Award.

At 3:30pm in the afternoon, the parade set out from Portlaoise’s Centrepoint. Nearly one thousand people from fifty-four groups took part in the parade, including traditional Irish music bands, a Hungarian dance group, large floats, hydrogen balloon floats, antique vehicles, motorbikes, etc. Falun Gong was the only group mainly consisting of Chinese people.

Three practitioners in traditional Chinese costumes led the group with three round flowery plaques in their hands, bearing the words “Truthfulness” “Compassion” and “Forbearance”. Next, two practitioners held up a large banner. The four golden characters of “Falun Dafa” sparkled in the wind, letting people know about Falun Gong.

The main performance began with traditional Chinese waist-drums. A large float followed the drummers. Knowing the shamrock as the symbol of Ireland and the tradition of wearing green and shamrocks on this National Day, practitioners decorated the top and sides of the float in green and with shamrocks. Huge lotus flowers in pink and various other colours transformed the float into a fairyland. Pink petals of lotus flowers swayed elegantly in the breeze.

Amongst the flowers, practitioners demonstrated the five Falun Gong exercises The float was followed by lavishly dressed fairy maidens performing a lotus dance to a specialy composed pieced of music entitled “Falun Dafa is Good”, which depicted the holiness and purity of lotus flowers and the beauty of Falun Gong. Next, fan-dancers performed a Chinese traditional fan dance in special green costumes. The parade ended with Chinese and English banners reading “Falun Dafa Is Good” and “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance”.

Even though it was cold and drizzly, the Irish, who are used to rainy days, managed without umbrellas. Nearly ten thousand people turned up to watch the parade. Behind the barricades spectators lined the streets to welcome the parade shoulder to shoulder. Seeing Falun Gong performers from far away, people started waving, photo snapping, clapping non-stop, and shouting, “Falun Dafa! Marvellous! Wonderful! Gorgeous!”

When the parade passed the VIP stand, the President of the organising committee, city councillor Jack Nolan announced aloud, “Here comes Falun Gong from China.” Warm applause swept across the audience stand. At the end of the parade, Falun Gong’s float was surrounded by people asking for leaflets.

A member of the organising committee praised, “You were fabulous! Stunning!” She said to a lotus flower dancer, “How did you dance in such a thin dress in cold weather like this? I could see that the lad who did sitting meditation on the float must have been terribly cold. But he calmly kept on with the demonstration. Well done.”

When the parade was over, councillor Nolan announced eight awards for the parade. Falun Gong won the Best Culture award. The award ceremony was to be held on the following Friday.

Every March 17th is the famous St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. The bank holiday is to commemorate Saint Patrick, who brought Christianity into Ireland. For nearly thirty years during the fifth century AD, St. Patrick traveled throughout Ireland to spread the gospel of Jesus while establishing almost all surviving Catholic churches and monasteries. Legend had it that he performed miracles to drive all the snakes from Ireland.