(Minghui.org) The Oktoberfest Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in Waterloo, Canada on October 13, 2014. The Toronto Divine Land Marching Band, which has participated in the festivities every year since the band's formation in 2006, was once again applauded by local residents and tourists. The band's members are practitioners of Falun Gong.
The Toronto Divine Land Marching Band attends Oktoberfest Thanksgiving Day Parade on October 13, 2014
Waterloo resident Cathy and her family members danced joyfully with the music. “This band is the best. I love them, from the lineup to the music, everything!” Cathy thanked the band for bringing happiness for the upcoming holiday season.
Cathy praises the performance of the Divine Land Marching Band
More than 150 groups joined the annual Oktoberfest parade. Located about 70 miles west of Toronto, the Kitchener-Waterloo region has a large number residents of German origin, making the day a Bavarian-style celebration. The beer, dancing, music, and parade attract nearly one million people each year. The parade, broadcast live by CTV, garnered approximately 200,000 attendees, making it one of the largest in North America.
Onlookers wave to the Divine Land Marching Band and thank practitioners for participating in the parade
“Amazing Energy”
Rock, an on-site coordinator of the event, was impressed by the performance. “The band members have amazing energy. They have been walking and playing music throughout the two-hour long parade,” he said. He said he had been following the band through the parade route. “The performance is awesome, and I hope they will come again next year.”
Becky and her husband, who drove all the way from Boston to watch this parade, both praised the performance. “The band's performance is outstanding,” Becky remarked. She said she liked traditional Chinese culture a lot and asked for a pamphlet about Falun Gong.
Milene, a Waterloo resident, said the band was very eye-catching. “My children also like it a lot. Please tell the band members that we thank them for coming here every year.”
New Chinese Immigrants Impressed by Falun Gong's Popularity
Ms. Lu, who immigrated with her son to Canada this May, said she was moved by the performance. “I didn't know there are so many Falun Gong practitioners in Canada,” she said.
When asked if she knew about the persecution of Falun Gong and would like to withdraw her membership in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), she said proudly, “Of course. When I traveled to South Korea for vacation, you practitioners already helped both my son and me with this.” She thanked the practitioners for their efforts and took a pamphlet.
Mr. Lin, a visiting scholar from Taiwan who arrived in Waterloo two months earlier, recorded a video of the band's performance. “Falun Gong can be seen everywhere in Taiwan. I didn't think I would see it in North America, too.” He said he knew Falun Gong was well received in all countries except for China, where it is severely persecuted. Looking at the marching band, he told the Minghui reporter, “It's really spectacular. I'm very happy to see them. They're the pride of Chinese people!”
Another visiting scholar, Mr. Wang from Shenzhen, China, was watching the parade with his colleagues. “This is superb! We just came here, and we're so lucky to see this,” he exclaimed. He gave a thumbs-up to the band members and encouraged, “Keep it up. Thank you!”
Impressed by the band's music and bright colors, Mr. Su, a student who had just arrived in Canada to pursue a degree, went to the front of the band to take pictures. He said, “I need to include the banner of 'Falun Dafa' in my picture because it looks so nice.” He took a pamphlet and said he would learn more about Falun Gong online.
Mr. Fan and his wife had been in Canada for a year. “We really like to see this here and feel bad for what had happened in China.” His eyes watered when recalling some horrific stories of the persecution he had heard. With a pamphlet in hand, he said, “I will go to the website and learn more, I promise.”
Long-Time Chinese Immigrant: I Will Try Learning Falun Gong
Ms. Kuang and her husband, both from Guangzhou, China, had lived in Canada for over ten years. “It's fascinating to see this marching band every year. Very energizing!” She said she knew that some practitioners do Falun Gong exercises in a park near her home and that “I will join them when I get a chance.”
A woman in the audience, Ms. Luo, moved from Beijing to Canada five years earlier. She applauded the band and said, “I'm always excited to see this band's performance. It gave me a special feeling.” Waving a pamphlet in her hand, she thanked practitioners for their hard work and said, “I will study this more for sure.”
Mr. Du watched the performance with his family and praised the band, “The music is great, and it touches my heart.” He said he had been watching Shen Yun performances every year. When a practitioner handed him a flyer, he smiled, “I read the Epoch Times newspaper every day and I know what's going on. Falun Gong is very good.” He said that he would learn the exercises one day.
