The April weather in Northern Marianas, an island in the south Pacific, is hot. And the blossoms of flame trees seemed to add more heat to the island. The 28th Flame Tree Arts Festival, Micronesia's largest annual arts and cultural celebration, was held April 23rd-26th, 2009, in Saipan, the capital city of the island. As in previous years, the Falun Dafa Association of Saipan participated in the festival with the Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance International Art Exhibition, a Falun Gong exercise demonstration, and many other performances.
The three-day-long festival featured visual, performing, and culinary arts of numerous cultures, including the indigenous Chamorro and Carolinians of the Northern Mariana Islands, and cultures of Micronesia, the Asia-Pacific region, and beyond. It attracted thousands of local residents and tourists.
The Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance International Art Exhibition featured many paintings by practitioner artists. Many visitors studied each painting closely. Some thought the paintings were very lifelike and wanted to touch them. In front of a painting showing the Chinese Communist Party persecuting Falun Gong practitioners, many people appeared shocked and shook their heads and sighed. The practitioners told the visitors the true stories behind the paintings. Many people signed their names and wrote righteous comments on the petition form calling for an end to the persecution.
On Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, practitioners demonstrated the five sets of Falun Gong exercises on the stage and performed dances choreographed by practitioners. The performances were so beautiful that the organisers added a slot for the Falun Dafa Association to perform at 8:00 p.m. prime time on both days. The visitors experienced the beauty of Falun Dafa at the art festival.
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