Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, especially folk activities, have added to festive vibes in many parts of China, while boosting local tourism.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar, is a festival in honor of the moon and harvest, as well as an occasion for family and friend reunions to eat mooncakes and appreciate the moon. The festival will fall on Sept 17 this year, bringing a three-day holiday from Sunday to Tuesday.
A traditional rock-dragging event was held at Shajiang Village in Xiapu County of Ningde City, east China's Fujian Province, to welcome the festival. Teams of villagers dragged rocks on street with cheers of spectators.
The event, with a history of over 400 years, is a intangible cultural heritage in Ningde to remember Qi Jiguang, a Chinese hero who led his soldiers and local people to drag rocks on streets on the Mid-Autumn Festival night in 1562 to scare away Japanese pirates.
The Hukou Waterfall in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, wowing tourists with a spectacular golden scenery, witnessed a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration on Sunday.
A huge mooncake-shaped decoration, with a diameter of seven meters, was put beside the waterfall, where tourists could get mooncakes to eat while enjoying wonderful performance.
People at Houwan Village in Nanchang County of east China's Jiangxi Province made local lotus leaf base mooncakes together. They stuffed the mooncakes with various ingredients, fried them into yellow ones, and eat the mooncakes while holding them on lotus leaf bases.
"Our mooncakes are stuffed with many ingredients, including nuts and preserved citrus. We wrapped them with puff pastry, shape them round and fry them into yellow ones. They taste fragrant, crispy and sweet. The lotus leaf base means harmony and reunion," said Wan Deren, president of the Houwan Village council.
In Jinzhou City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, dazzling lights have lit up the Ancient Pagoda Park at night to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, where a fair is captivating tourists with Chinese chic. People can also enjoy themselves at a night market near the park.
Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations add to festivity, boost tourism across China
Various activities were held worldwide to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, which falls on Jan 29 this year.
Recently, the Chinese Consulate General in Niigata of Japan, in collaboration with the Gansu Provincial Song and Dance Theater, delivered a spectacular visual feast for the overseas Chinese and Japanese audiences in Sendai.
The performance, featuring the elements of Dunhuang culture and the history and culture of the Tang Dynasty, attracted about 2,000 spectators. Many Japanese people praised the colorful Chinese culture and expressed their hope to go to China to see with their own eyes and understand Chinese culture and traditional Chinese festivals such as the Spring Festival.
"It's the first time I've seen such a performance. It's so gorgeous. I'm really touched. This Spring Festival event is also an opportunity for Japan and China to further develop friendly relations. If there is any chance for a performance like this in the future, I would like to come and watch it. I also really want to travel to China now," said a Japanese audience member.
"Happy to know that cultural heritage like the Spring Festival was included on the Representative List of Human Intangible Cultural Heritage, I think it's great to be able to celebrate such a festival in Japan. I really hope everyone can take a look and learn about the Spring Festival," said another audience member.
"We want to invite performers from Gansu Provincial Song and Dance Theater to present Dunhuang-themed music and dance which is full of Silk Road cultural elements. This will allow local people to see the mutual learning between Chinese and Japanese civilizations," said Cui Weilei, Consul-General of China in Niigata.
Budapest's Chinatown was alive with energy on Saturday as the streets were filled with music, dance, and the aroma of traditional Chinese delicacies during a two-day Spring Festival celebration.
The "Happy Chinese New Year" Temple Fair brought together numerous visitors and performers to usher in the upcoming Year of the Snake. They enjoyed the magnificent dragon and lion dances, ethnic performances, sugar-figure blowing, calligraphy demonstrations, and the unique experience of wearing traditional attire Hanfu.
"We come here because we have a deep appreciation for Chinese culture and Chinese traditions, and a special interest in Chinese music. I think the most important part of Chinese culture is Chinese food because the best way to bring people from all over the world together is to sit around a table and eat together," said a resident in Budapest.
Colorful celebrations and Spring Festival receptions were also held at many Chinese embassies and consulates around the world.
By showcasing Spring Festival customs and intangible cultural heritage, these events allowed local communities to experience the festive vibes of the Spring Festival up close.
In Dubai, over 1,000 performers and artists from around the world came together to blend traditional Chinese culture with modern art through a rich variety of performances, drawing a large number of audience. The airing of the Spring Festival Gala promotional video by China Media Group also became a highlight of the evening.
A reception was held Wednesday evening in Cairo by the Chinese embassy in Egypt to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival.
Around 600 attendees including Zhang Tao, charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy, Ahmed Shaheen, Egyptian assistant foreign minister for Asia-Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand affairs, representatives of the Egyptian government and people from all walks of life were gathered.
"On the occasion of the coming of the Spring Festival, I would like to send my sincerest wishes to dear Chinese friends," said Shaheen in a speech.
Celebrations ring in Chinese New Year worldwide