(Clearwisdom.net) As the year 2007 comes to a close, communities throughout Canada are holding Christmas parades to celebrate the arrival of the festive Christmas season. The Divine Land Marching Band, composed entirely of Falun Dafa practitioners, was invited to participate in many of this year's events and was warmly welcomed in all locations. Parade organizers expressed their wish to have the Divine Land Marching Band perform again next year.
Etobicoke Lakeshore Santa Claus Parade
The 17th Annual Etobicoke Lakeshore Santa Claus Parade was held on December 1, 2007, starting at 10:00 a.m. The parade was hailed as the fourth best parade in Toronto this year. There were nine marching bands and 15 floats in this year's procession. The media said that more than 70,000 people watched the parade.
The Canadian Divine Land Marching Band was invited for the second time to take part in the Etobicoke Christmas Parade. The temperature that day was minus 10, but nonetheless a large number of spectators lined the streets to watch the parade. The Divine Land Marching Band was warmly received. John Scheffer, one of the persons in charge of the parade, said that the music of the Divine Land Marching Band was inspiring and unique. He invited the Divine Land Marching Band to perform in next year's Christmas parade, scheduled to take place on December 6, 2008.
The Greater Napanee Parade of Lights
Greater Napanee is a town in eastern Ontario, Canada, approximately 40 kilometers (25 mi.) west of Kingston. The 11th Annual Napanee Parade of Lights was held at 8:00 p.m. on December 1. The procession was composed of over a hundred floats decorated with colorful lights, and several marching bands. Local residents braved the cold weather to take to the streets to watch the parade. The Divine Land Marching Band was invited to take part in this event for the first time, and was warmly received by the spectators.
Weston Christmas Parade
On November 25, the Divine Land Marching Band and the Lion Dance Troupe were invited to take part in the Annual Christmas Parade held in Weston, western Toronto.
A woman who has lived in Weston for 49 years said that most of the town comes out to celebrate the arrival of Christmas, and this was the 26th year for her to take part in the Christmas parade. She was amazed at the majestic Divine Land Marching Band, most of whose members are Chinese. She now expects the Divine Land Marching Band to come to Weston again next year.
Parade coordinator Damian Weston said that one of the board members saw the wonderful performance of the Divine Land Marching Band at this year's Octoberfest, and recommended them to him. He invited the band to take part in this year's parade. During the parade, he heard a lot of praise for the Divine Land Marching Band, and he plans to invite them back to participate next year.
Police officer Jim Lambe said that activities welcoming the Christmas season are an indispensable part of the community. The police were very happy to take part in the parade. He said that the Divine Land Marching Band from the Chinese community should not only participate in the Christmas celebrations, but should also participate in other activities, including the Community Day activity in June every year.
