Celebrate World Falun Dafa Day with NTD on May 13. The annual grand parade will bring a lot of color, dragons, lion dancers, and a message of hope and celebration in New York City. Don’t miss our special coverage at 10:30 a.m. ET.

This May 13 marks the 34th anniversary of Falun Dafa being introduced to the public. It also marks the 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 bases its moral teachings on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. The practice quickly gained widespread appeal for its moral teachings and health benefits.

China’s then-communist Party leader Jiang Zemin launched a persecution of the practice in 1999, fearing its popularity would jeopardize the regime’s rule.

Despite that, the practice has flourished, spreading to more than 110 countries around the world.