On 25th January, the 2025 Year of the Snake Chinese New Year Festival & Market Day kicked off with a bang, adding a warm Chinese New Year flavor to Auckland’s relaxing summer days. Daren Life Society Inc. brought care from Daren to the visitors of the market.
Daren Life’s exhibition area was set up with a red tent spanning three stalls, with the words “Daren Life” in Chinese and English printed on the gazebos, which attracted attention from afar, and the volunteers were ready to greet the visitors with smiles. The Daren Life stalls did not sell products or services, and services such as cotton candy and writing spring couplets were labeled “FREE”, which attracted visitors to stop and observe curiously, and talk with the volunteers. Daren life in the ordinary life to give humanity the noble soul. A life for the people is the real human life. Daren volunteers put this into practice, the beautiful appearance is like a spring breeze.
Sitting in the face painting area, a Vietnamese girl, three years actively participate in the Daren public welfare activities, this time she heard of the addition of the face painting to the stalls, and actively enrolled to participate. Several volunteers, including her, each skilled, although there were so many children lined up in a long queue, they patiently insisted on painting for the children till the very end. The marshmallow machine volunteers smiling to every visitor in need; a family of volunteers, being busy back and forth, the enthusiasm and sweetness around, and said about the feelings: “My mood today is particularly great, the market is also getting more and more lively, please let me know when there is more of this kind of activity in the future.” Calligraphy area was filled with visitors seeking spring scrolls, and while other stalls in the market were closing, our calligrapher volunteers were still pouring out ink.
Some of the visitors had participated in Daren’s public service activities in the past and were happy to see our stall, coming over to say hello and talk about their families and life settlements. Some visitors who had contacted the Daren Life stall in the daily market felt that they had met old acquaintances as soon as they saw Daren’s words, and they talked to the volunteers cordially. When they heard that all the volunteers gathered here because they identified with Daren, they added their contact information and applied to be Daren volunteers in the future.
This year, there was also a conversation area in the exhibition area for people who were tired of walking to rest their feet. A young foreigner saw the Chinese word “Chatting” on the display stand on the table and stopped to practice the Chinese he was learning. Volunteers introduced the purpose and activities of Daren Life Society Inc. and took out the English and Chinese versions of the book “Da Ren” to introduce the meaning of “Daren”. The young man listened attentively and agreed with the concept of Daren, and became very interested in participating in future activities.
While the Chinese New Year Festival & Market Day ended with a bang, Daren Life Society Inc.’s activities for the new year have just begun. We look forward to more and more people hearing the good news about Daren and joining in the practice of Daren Life.
Daren Life Society Inc.
26 January 2025
