As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, vibrant celebrations are taking place around the globe, allowing people from various countries to experience and appreciate the charm of Chinese culture.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, observed on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, is a treasured time for family reunions. This year, it falls on Tuesday. The festival is typically celebrated with family gatherings, moon viewing, and the enjoyment of mooncakes, a traditional pastry associated with the occasion.
In Brazil's biggest city Sao Paulo, the Mid-Autumn Festival carnival infused the city with festive energy on Saturday. The Wuju Opera Troupe from east China's Jinhua City performed traditional dragon dances and the "Golden Monkey Welcomes Spring" show.
At a dedicated Chinese cultural corridor, local residents had the chance to immerse in traditional Chinese arts, such as calligraphy, paper cutting, and ink painting.
On Sunday, a special Mid-Autumn Gala themed "Night of the Waterfalls," was held in Foz do Iguacu, the Brazilian side of the Iguazu Falls. Chinese expatriates and local residents experienced the intricacies of Chinese culture and traditions.
In Hungary, two Mid-Autumn Festival activities - the "Mooncake Workshop" and the "Mid-Autumn Garden Party" were held at the Chinese Cultural Center in the capital city of Budapest on Saturday.
The Mooncake Workshop gave locals the opportunity to learn the art of making traditional flower mooncakes and snow-skin mooncakes. At the same time, the Mid-Autumn Garden Party featured a variety of interactive Chinese cultural activities, offering guests a deeper understanding of Chinese festival customs.
"I feel that there's always new things to learn about China. It has such a vast history and culture, all sorts of things, and also like geographically there are a lot of different ethnicities with all the different customs. So it's very fascinating to me," said Anna, one of the locals.
Meanwhile, countries such as Jordan and Myanmar hosted a variety of Mid-Autumn Festival activities, including exhibitions of intangible cultural heritage, poetry recitations, and artistic performances.
People across globe hold colorful activities to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a non-binding resolution on Wednesday demanding an end to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory within the next 12 months by an overwhelming margin.
The resolution was adopted with 124 votes in favor, 14 against and 43 abstentions, during the UNGA's 10th emergency special session considering Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The resolution demanding that Israel comply with all its legal obligations under international law, including advisory opinions by the International Court of Justice, was introduced by the State of Palestine on Tuesday and was co-sponsored by more than two dozen nations.
By the newly adopted resolution, the UNGA "demands that Israel brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which constitutes a wrongful act of a continuing character entailing its international responsibility and do so no later than 12 months from the adoption of the present resolution."
The UNGA also demands that Israel comply without delay with all its legal obligations under international law, including as stipulated by the International Court of Justice.
In remarks before the vote, Mohamed Issa Abushahab, the permanent representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, said the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza must be addressed through unimpeded access to those in need, a ceasefire deal and the full implementation of all related Security Council resolutions.
A credible peace process must be relaunched to work towards a two-State solution to diffuse this conflict, he said, expressing support for the State of Palestine's full statehood and UN membership. "The time has come to end the suffering," he noted.
Introducing the draft resolution on Tuesday, Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, called for the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He said the Palestinian people have been steadfast in the pursuit of their inalienable rights, just like all other citizens worldwide who seek self-determination.
"The Palestinians want to live, not survive -- they want to be safe in their homes, they want their children to go to school without fear. They want to be free in reality as they are in spirit," said Mansour.
UNGA calls for end to Israeli occupation in Palestine within a year
