Virginia, USA: Falun Gong Practitioners Introduce Falun Gong at the Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net) On September 25, 2004, the Eighth Annual Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival was held in Lee Park in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. The annual traditional festival attracted several thousand visitors. Local Falun Gong practitioners also participated in the event and demonstrated Falun Gong exercises several times on the band stage.

Introducing Falun Gong to visitors at the Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival

A woman comes to the booth to take Falun Gong introductory materials

In front of the Falun Gong practitioners' booth

Exercise demonstration, while another practitioner introduces the exercise to the spectators

Exercise demonstration

Many people who attended the festival are vegetarians and they know something about cultivation practice. Most of them were willing to accept the Falun Gong informational materials. Some people took the initiative to ask for materials from practitioners. Upon seeing posters at the booth depicting the torture suffered by practitioners in China, many people came over to ask for detailed information. One woman said, "Over the past few years, I read many reports regarding the persecution of Falun Gong. Is Falun Gong still suppressed in China?" Before she left, she sincerely wished practitioners good luck. At noon, a Chinese family and their western friend also came to our booth. They not only accepted the truth-clarifying VCD and other materials, but they took the initiative to sign the petition in support of Falun Gong. When they were leaving, the westerner said in Chinese to practitioners, "Thank you!"

Prior to the event, a practitioner from Israel who resides in Yogaville, south of Charlottesville attended a vegetarian festival in Richmond and obtained the information about the Charlottesville vegetarian festival. Another practitioner then applied to attend this event. During the festival, the event staff provided many conveniences for practitioners. They even allowed practitioners to demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises during the 15-minute intermissions between music performances. Thus, whenever a band finished its performance, a western practitioner walked onto the stage, and, using the microphone to talk to the audience, introduced Falun Dafa and the persecution practitioners are experiencing in China. Several other practitioners then demonstrated the exercises in front of the stage.