by Misbah Saba Malik

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- At a time when gatherings and reunions across the world are restricted by the COVID-19 scare, the people of China are expected to keep the tradition of meeting and greeting each other by celebrating the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival together.

The difference this year is that the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations are being streamed online to give a chance to the Chinese nationals and the admirers of Chinese culture across the world to have a glimpse of the festival and share the joy with one of the most ancient civilizations of the world.

Mahnoor Fatima, one of the many viewers of the online celebrations in Pakistan, was impressed by China's idea of sharing the festivity with the world at a time of the pandemic when people cannot get together physically for celebrations.

"We are living in a time when we are not able to see each other, and the whole world is looking for entertainment opportunities at home rather than being mixing up with people outside. The virtual festival has given people a chance to have a deeper look into Chinese culture from the comfort of their homes," Fatima said.

She said that the distinctive feature of the Chinese festivals is that they have been celebrated for centuries, and the Chinese people keep their traditions alive by celebrating cultural festivals, adding that the virtual celebrations are also giving an opportunity for people like herself who was not born or did not grow up in China, to witness how Chinese revive their ancient past in the modern world through cultural celebrations.

The online celebrations "Mid-Autumn Festival: A Moonmoment to Remember", organized by the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, kicked off on Monday and will continue till Oct. 5.

Though Pakistan and many countries around the world do not have a festival in autumn, things which the world shares with the Chinese are the love for their families, longing for peace, harmony and fondness of reunion, which are the keys of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Adnan Hameed, program and media officer of the China Cultural Center in Pakistan, told Xinhua.

Hameed said that they celebrate the festival every year in Pakistan, and the locals throng to the event to see the Chinese way of celebration and share the happiness. Though this year, the festival's celebrations in Pakistan will be different because of the pandemic, the excitement runs high among the people about the festival.

"People of Pakistan take so much interest in Chinese culture due to its historic significance and its similarities with Pakistani traditions, and people to people contact through initiatives of economic cooperation between governments and public of the both countries has further strengthened this bond," he said, adding that the online gala is a "treat" for the lovers of the Chinese culture in Pakistan.

Talking to Xinhua about the richness of the Chinese music and dance after watching the "Variety Show: The Oriental Beauty in Blossom" which is a part of the online celebrations, Fatima said that she was greatly impressed by the theme of the moon, and the way various ideas of returning to nature, love of nature, and feeling of being in love were handled by the performers.

"Celebration of togetherness and reunion at the festival is very soothing, and I feel like that we in Pakistan also care about these feelings deeply. The dance of the artists, the background music, and the intensity of emotions in the whole performance kept me glued to my computer's screen. It was very enticing to see the grand ideas of love and nature and reunion being performed in the Chinese kind of way," she said.

Many countries of the world including Pakistan do not celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, but the idea of admiring peace, harmony, reunion and prosperity is common and the people across the world endorse and encourage these ideas. The online streaming of the celebrations of the Chinese festival is another opportunity to connect people living in different parts of the world, by virtual celebrations of the emotions which the whole mankind shares. Enditem

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