Cherry Blossom Festival 2018 Promotes ‘Vege Plan A ’
In conjunction with International Vegetarian Day on 25th November, a big variety of vegetarian food was sold on 2018 Cherry Blossom Festival, which lasted for 2 days. The aim of organising vegetarian food stalls is to educate the public on the benefits of being a vegetarian as well as supporting ‘Vege Plan A’.
The endorsement of ‘Vege Plan A’ is not due to religious beliefs or health issues solely. It also considers a bigger perspective in terms of sustainability. The letter ‘A’ brings two meaning, namely Ace and Action. Firstly, being a vegetarian would help to slow down global warming, which is also the best solution to ace world food price crisis. On top of that, ‘Vege Plan A’ could be interpreted as an action to fight for zero hunger and support sustainability by preventing the killing of poultry and conserving the environment. Numerous endorsements for ‘Vege Plan A’ were received from the visitors during the Festival, where they have committed to be a vegetarian for a nominated period of time. Other than that, ‘Laba Congee’, which is also known as the Buddha’s Enlightenment Congee, was available in one of the vegetarian food stalls.
In addition, the Cherry Blossom Festival was perfect for families with children. For instance, over 150 babies took part in the Baby Blessing Ceremony in the main shrine, where they received blessings from Abbess Manshin for good health and wisdom. Over 32 young children were divided into three categories and participated in Cherry Blossom Festival Drawing and Colouring Contest. One of the presenter of awards, NZ Police Inspector Kevin Deng encouraged the widespread of 3 Goodness and 4 Givings (3G4G), since it is in line with the police’s aim to create a safe community.
A myriad of activities was held during the Cherry Blossom Festival, which including Art Salon; a special performance by Harper, Lana Breed; a special stall set up by NZ police to demonstrate safety precautions to the public and recruit new police officers and a fundraising stall set up by BLIA Young Adult Division to raise funds by selling auspicious wind chimes.