PureInsight | November 11, 2017
[PureInsight.org] On July 7, the Calgary Stampede in Canada kicked off with a grand parade. The 2017 parade took place at the city’s center, spanning 4.5 kilometers and composed of 113 groups displaying Western culture. There were 12 bands, 37 floats, 750 decorated horses, and 4000 performers. There were various kinds of floats, colorful bands, beautiful song and dance, passionate cowboys, dancing fairies, majestic soldiers, tanks and cavalry, and 350,000 viewers along the way shouting “Ya-hoo!” and enjoying Western culture with passion and a free and easy spirit.
Falun Dafa’s marching team consisted of the magnificent Heavenly Orchestra, beautiful fairies, exquisite Falun Dafa floats, and the festive waist drummers. This year’s massive Heavenly Orchestra was much larger than in previous years with over one hundred members from Canada and the United States performing. They left a deep impression on the audience, from which applause and praises could be heard.
On July 8, the Heavenly Orchestra was invited by the Cowboy Festival Organizing Committee to perform at the Marlborough Mall breakfast event. The Heavenly Orchestra entered the performance venue, their drums crisp and rhythmic. The host explained to the thousands of audience members that the Heavenly Orchestra is comprised of Falun Dafa practitioners who believe in “truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance,” with ages ranging from ten to sixty-six years old. They are Canada’s largest Chinese band.
The Heavenly Orchestra performed several pieces. Spirit-shaking drum sounds, loud and clear trumpet sounds, flute sounds, and cheerful notes resounded throughout the square into the sky. The audience said the Heavenly Orchestra’s performance was moving.
The Calgary Stampede (referred to as the city cowboy festival) has the reputation of being The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth and is Calgary’s annual summer carnival. During the ten days of activities from July 7 to July 16, over one million people are expected to visit the various exhibitions in the cowboy park, participate in recreational activities, taste food from around the world, and watch the athletic cowboy competition, which is the most competitive event in the world. Every year the Cowboy Festival begins with a grand parade with over one hundred groups from all over the world, including dozens of bands and hundreds of floats and horses to exhibit their styles. The festival begins on the first Friday of July at 9 am. The organizing committee selects different people each year to be parade marshal, reflecting the citizens’ different concerns and people. Among those selected include politicians, athletes, actors, and others.
The Cowboy Festival is held on the first Friday of July each year. During the ten-day festival, the world’s top professional cowboys gather to participate in the 500,000 Canadian Grand Prix contest. The most special aspect is that during this period, all shops, hotels, restaurants, and streets of Calgary are decorated Western style. There are also various denim goods, country music, and food and beverages. Everyone wears white ear caps, jeans, and fashionable boots to celebrate the cowboy festival.
During the ten-day Cowboy Festival, 1.2 million people visited and enjoyed the exotic wilderness and bold denim style. The program includes professional cowboy athletics, the world famous carriage competition, the breathtaking evening grandstand performances, and so on.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/node/238239
