On May 13, an airplane towing a huge banner with the words “Falun Dafa Is Good” in English and Chinese flew over the Hudson River for hours.
May 13 is World Falun Dafa Day, which was first designated on May 13, 2000, to celebrate the Falun Dafa spiritual discipline and its positive impact on the health and spirit of millions around the world.
May 13 this year marks the 32nd anniversary of Falun Dafa being introduced to the public in 1992, and it is also the 73rd birthday of Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of the spiritual practice.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional self-improvement discipline that includes meditation exercises and is based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. The practice quickly gained widespread appeal for its moral teachings and health benefits, spreading to over 110 countries around the world.
Fearing that its popularity would jeopardize the Chinese regime’s authoritarian rule, in July 1999, then-regime leader Jiang Zemin launched a nationwide persecution campaign. Millions of practitioners have suffered from arrest, imprisonment, and torture, and have even become victims of forced organ harvesting. As a result, countless practitioners were forced to leave their homes, jobs, or schools.
This year, Falun Gong practitioners around the world held parades and performances to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day and bring to light the suppression of human rights under the Chinese regime.
