(Minghui.org) Practitioners were invited to participate in the 120th National Day (St. Patrick’s Day) Parade in Galway, Ireland on March 17, 2024. Considered the festival capital of Ireland, Galway was named the European Capital of Culture in 2020.
The parade attracts thousands of people every year. The Falun Dafa procession was warmly praised and the practitioners’ dragon dance was featured on RTE, Ireland’s national TV station.
Despite a light drizzle, forty thousand spectators lined the parade route, which started at Eyre Square in front of the Galway Cathedral. Composed of 3,000 performers in 68 groups, the largest in its history, the parade started at 11:30 a.m. just as the rain stopped.
Led by a large banner reading “Falun Dafa,” practitioners demonstrated the exercises. Three young practitioners dressed in traditional Chinese costumes waved at spectators from a beautifully decorated float. They were greeted with waves of applause. Some spectators called out, “Hooray, Falun Gong!”
The practitioners’ dragon dance brought a happy surprise to the parade this year. People cheered and clapped as the golden dragon energetically danced along the parade route. RTE used the dragon dance as their featured image for the parade.
The parade host introduced the practitioners, “Falun Gong follows the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The exercises are practiced by people in over 100 countries around the world. Falun Gong has been welcomed in Ireland in the past 23 years.”
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