NEW YORK—Thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners marched across Manhattan in a parade on May 9, celebrating 33 years since the spiritual practice was introduced to the public, now known as World Falun Dafa Day.
Starting in a rain that ranged from a drizzle to a downpour on the east side of the city at the gateway to the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, on 47th Street, the parade route ran through midtown, ending just before the Chinese Consulate on 42nd Street by the Hudson River.
Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a spiritual practice guided by the principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance, and incorporates five meditative exercises. It became immensely popular after it was introduced to the public in China in 1992, and by the decade’s end, official estimates put the number of Chinese practicing Falun Gong at 70 million to 100 million….