(Minghui.org) Saipan held a Liberation Day parade on July 4, 2024, and 55 organizations and groups participated, including the YoungGunz Motorcycle Club, the U.S. Marine Corps Blaz Camp, crew members from the USS Rafael Peralta, the Saipan Awordori Team, the Northern Mariana Islands Martial Arts Academy, car clubs, and various local ethnic community groups. Some danced and sang, and other groups featured decorated floats.
The three-day Saipan Liberation Day Festival commemorates the island’s liberation from foreign occupation in 1944. The annual Liberation Day parade typically takes place on July 4, and there are events throughout the night.
Falun Dafa practitioners from Saipan were invited to participate in this year’s parade. They also invited a waist drum team from Taiwan. The parade began at 10 a.m., and the practitioners’ group included a banner team, a waist drum team, and a beautifully decorated float. The banner team carried Chinese and English banners that read “Falun Dafa is good” and “The world needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” spreading the message of Falun Dafa.
Practitioners from Saipan and the waist drum team from Taiwan participated in the Liberation Day parade celebration in Saipan.
The waist drum team performed “Falun Dafa is good” and other music. Some spectators danced to the music, while others cheered and took photos.
The float, which was shaped like a boat, was eye-catching. Pink lotus flower petals decorated the base, symbolizing purity and beauty. Three small flags with the words “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” fluttered atop the sails. Young practitioners dressed as fairies handed out information about Falun Dafa and small lotus flowers to spectators.
As they passed the main stage, practitioners presented informational booklets and lotus flowers to officials, representatives of the U.S. armed forces and other groups. The waist drum team performed in front of the main stage, and the audience took photos. The host warmly introduced Falun Dafa and thanked practitioners for their wonderful performance.
The waist drum team performs in front of the main stage.
That evening, the chairman of the Saipan city government event organizers invited some practitioners to dinner, expressing gratitude to the Taiwanese practitioners for traveling a long way to celebrate Saipan’s Liberation Day. Practitioners presented the chairman with the main text of Falun Dafa, Zhuan Falun, beautiful lotus flowers, informational materials, and a Taiwanese specialty, pineapple cakes, and took a group photo.
The host introduced practitioners as follows, “Falun Dafa has been practiced in Saipan for 27 years and is widely welcomed. It was introduced in China in 1992 and is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions, benefiting millions of people physically and mentally. The practice is taught for free and suitable for all ages. Let’s remember: the world needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”
Practitioners were invited to perform the waist drums on stage.
The waist drum team then performed. The audience watched attentively, applauding and cheering after each piece. The host once again said loudly, “Falun Dafa is good. Thank you to the practitioners from Taiwan and Saipan.”