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5 February 2025 Issue 329 - Happy Lunar New Year
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| Interstellar breakthrough to celebrate Lunar New Year |
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Ambassador of the People's Republic of China WU Peng raising a toast to the New Year (photo: TDS) |
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By Anisha Pemjee and Kirtan Bhana
As the planets of our solar system align and people around the world welcome the Lunar New Year, Taikonauts aboard the Chinese space station Tiangong have successfully conducted photosynthesis experiments in orbit, and producing life sustaining oxygen. The gas is also a key component of rocket fuel which will present new possibilities for interstellar travel.
In China the changing of the seasons is a time to celebrate Spring Festival, the most important tradition of the Chinese calendar. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has listed the tradition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity acknowledging the significance of the event in promoting the values of inclusion, family, community. peace and harmony.
(Watch on Diplomatic Society's YouTube channel)
In South Africa, the Embassy of China in Pretoria and the Consulate in Johannesburg hosted spectacular celebrations to welcome the Lunar Year of the Wood Snake according to the astrological Chinese calendar. In his welcome address Ambassador WU Peng reflected on the auspicious occasion which was graced with high profile guests from South Africa and the Chinese community. 2025 will be a year for versatility, adapting to the advent of the golden age in the relationship between the two countries. It is a time for high quality development and harnessing the momentum of a rapidly changing world.
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| A Soul Connection – India and South Africa |
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Pictured at the celebration of India's Republic Day in Johannesburg hosted by the Indian Consul General are (l-r) Mahesh Kumar, Consul General of India in Johannesburg, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, Premier of Limpopo, Prabhat Kumar, High Commissioner of India to South Africa, Tasneem Motara, Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements and Winifred Morakane Mosupyoe, Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (photo supplied) |
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Mahesh Kumar, Consul General of India in Johannesburg welcomed dignitaries and guests to the celebration of India's Republic Day acknowledging the incredible strides his country has made since ousting the imperialist British Empire. India’s development and progress has boosted its international relations and diplomatic presence said the Consul General. India’s average growth is projected at 6.8% over the next few years and is considered the fastest growing economy among the large economies of the world. Indians are certainly less poor, having lifted over 250 million people out of abject poverty. The shift in economic policy towards a ‘self-reliant India’ has refocused industry and has enhanced manufacturing, attracting investment through promoting ‘Make in India’. India has received recognition for its IT prowess, business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit. Its long running space program has been acknowledged for its success and contributions. The country’s pace of development is rapidly moving it away from the periphery and challenging the perceptions often associated with the Global South. |
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| Singapore turns 60 in the Year of the Snake |
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Pictured (l-r) Jennifer Cheng Mantaha, Dr Naledi Pandor and High Commissioner Zainal Arif Mantaha with the Lions and God of Fortune (photo: TDS) |
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Inviting happiness and good fortune with sparks of light from exploding fireworks set alight by Zainal Arif Mantaha, High Commissioner of Singapore and Dr Naledi Pandor, Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, ushered in the Lunar New Year, the Year of the Snake, at the High Commission of Singapore in Pretoria, South Africa on 29 January.
The banging of the drums and the clanging cymbals heralded the awakening of the lions and to ward off evil spirits. Dotting the Lions’ eyes is symbolic to empower them to offer protection and bring good luck and good health to all present. The traditional, rhythmic movement of the Lion Dance culminated in the eating of and spitting out of leafy greens to the audience, thereby blessing them with wealth and
prosperity.
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Cultural festivals take centre stage in Tet tourism push
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Various activities are being held in Ho Chi Minh City to welcome the Lunar New Year. (Photo: Vietnamnet) |
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Vietnam is set to welcome a surge of domestic and international tourists during the 2025 Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday as destinations nationwide are preparing to showcase their distinctive cultural festivals and traditional celebrations.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the country hosts nearly 8,000 festivals annually, demonstrating the rich cultural identities and historical heritage of its ethnic groups. Aside from their cultural and spiritual significance, many festivals also involve various tourism offerings, helping improve livelihoods and incomes for local people |
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New records, shifting trends: China embraces world's largest annual human migration
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Passengers have their tickets checked before boarding trains at the Chengdu East Railway Station in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Jan. 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Xi) |
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This year's Spring Festival travel rush is poised to set new records for travel numbers, marked by several notable changes, according to China's transport authorities.
The world's busiest travel season, driven by the Chinese ritual of family reunions, kicked off on Jan. 14 this year. China is anticipating a record-breaking 9 billion inter-regional trips during this year's Spring Festival travel rush, with significant shifts, noted Wang Xiuchun, an official with the Ministry of Transport, who joined the latest episode of the China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency.
Participants in the 40-day travel season not only include those traveling for family visits, but also a growing number of leisure tourists, Wang said. Additionally, the rise of self drive trips and the expansion of travel modes have changed the transportation mix, Wang added. |
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South African film 'The Last Ranger' nominated for Academy Award
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“The Last Ranger” is a South African film nominated in the category of Best Live Action Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards to be held in March 2025. (photo: Instagram: Kindred Films) |
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South African Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has received news of the Academy Award nomination for the South African film The Last Ranger with great pride and a sense of expectation.
Directed by Cindy Lee, the film has been nominated in the category of Best Live Action Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards, to be held in March 2025.
This remarkable isiXhosa film, inspired by true events in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, tells the compelling story of Thandi, a rhino that miraculously survived a poaching attack at the Kariega Game Reserve, and the courageous woman who fought to protect these iconic animals against all odds. |
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