(Minghui.org) Local Falun Gong practitioners participated in the New Year's Eve parade sponsored by the Yanping District government in Taipei, Taiwan.

The theme of the parade was “restoring traditional morality,” which resonates well with Falun Gong practitioners' beliefs and also their mission when participating in community events.

Falun Gong practitioners perform in the parade.

Led by the Tang-style drum team and gold banners, practitioners demonstrated the meditative Falun Gong exercises. Dressed as “celestial maidens,” practitioners performed traditional Chinese dance and passed out handmade paper lotus flowers to the spectators. Then came the traditional Chinese waist drum team and a giant banner that read “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” the core principles of Falun Gong.

Head of Yanping District: “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance benefits society”

Mr. Lin Tingpang, the head of the district, highly praised the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

“The morality in modern society has declined, which, I believe, is the root of all kinds of chaos and diseases. The goal of this event is to help restore the traditional moral standard,” he said.

“Practicing Falun Gong and following the principles of 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance' is a great way to nourish the compassionate component of human nature. It benefits society. This is why we invited Falun Gong practitioners to take part in this parade,” he added.

New Year's Gift: A Symbol of Purity

Many in the audience loved the paper lotus flowers, which were hand-made by practitioners.

In Chinese culture, the lotus is a symbol of purity, for the flowers blossom in muddy waters without being stained.

Ms. Shi supports “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”

Ms. Shi and two of her friends happily accepted the lotus flowers, commenting, “They are so beautiful!”

At the end of the parade, six Thai tourists approached practitioners and asked if they still had flowers left.

“We are so lucky,” two of them said while showing the flowers to their friends. They bowed and thanked the practitioners.

Demonstrating Falun Gong Exercises

After performing for two hours in the parade, practitioners played the drums for the evening events at Opera Park. They also demonstrated the exercises on stage. Dozens of spectators had a chance to try out the practice. One gentleman said, “Although it was just a few minutes, I can feel the energy flow through my body.”

Demonstrating the exercises

Mr. Lin Tingpang joins practitioners on stage.

At the end of the night, district head Mr. Lin Tingpang went on stage and took a photo with practitioners. He shouted to the audience: “Happy New Year! 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance' is great!”