(Minghui.org) The Falun Gong entry won the Best Costumes Award in the Australia Day parade in Adelaide on January 26, 2014. Australia Day is a national public holiday and marks the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of British ships to Australia in 1788.
Plum blossoms were the theme for this year's float. Plum blossoms bloom in the bitter cold of winter and are a metaphor for Falun Gong practitioners’ courageous and steadfast spirit in the face of a most evil persecution they are subject to in today's China.
Practitioners demonstrate the Falun Dafa exercises on the float.
The handmade plum blossoms were very attractive. Many onlookers took photos and applauded in support as the Falun Gong entry passed by.
One local resident said, “I watch out for your float every year. It's so beautiful! I still remember last year you decorated your float with a lot of lotus flowers.”
Two young Chinese men said, “We want to practice Falun Gong, too!”
A young Chinese couple proudly told their child, “This is our authentic Chinese culture. This is Chinese! This is Falun Dafa!”
A local resident told a practitioner that his wife was from China and had only lived in Australia for a year. They wanted to have their picture taken with Falun Dafa practitioners.
Mr. Li from China said he realized that the restless crowd around him suddenly quieted down as the Falun Dafa entry passed by. He went on to comment about the peaceful expressions on the practitioners' faces. “Their smiles were like plum blossoms blooming in front of me. Their eyes shone with wisdom and kindness.” Mr. Li also said that the Falun Dafa entry had a very positive vibe to it.
