Weddings
In China, the Qixi Festival, which serves as the country’s equivalent of Valentine’s Day, has long been regarded as a propitious occasion for couples to register their weddings.
This annual celebration, observed on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese lunar calendar, commemorates the romantic love story of the star-crossed lovers, Zhinu and Niulang, from Chinese mythology.
Chinese avoid weddings culture.
In an attempt to create a romantic spectacle on this special day, a marriage registration office in Mianyang opted to live-stream marriage registration ceremonies during this year’s festival, which falls on August 22.
However, an unexpected hiccup arose – very few couples showed up to formalize their marriages, much to the chagrin of the online audience tuning in to the live stream.
Ultimately, the live stream had to be interrupted.
Instead of witnessing a bustling marriage registration hall, the virtual audience was treated to picturesque views of Mianyang city.
Subsequently, local city authorities refuted reports suggesting that there had been an extreme scarcity of registered marriages on this auspicious day.
Unfortunately, by then, the damage had already been done.
This peculiar situation in Mianyang’s vacant marriage registration hall became a trending topic on China’s social media platforms and came to symbolize the nation’s declining marriage rates.
Official statistics confirm that marriage rates in China have experienced a sharp decline, notwithstanding government initiatives to encourage couples to wed and the enduring traditional expectations surrounding marriage in Chinese society.
Saudi Foreign Minister raises Kashmir issue at OIC
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, emphasized the significance of the Kashmir issue as a pressing challenge to regional stability.
He cautioned that leaving this matter unresolved could contribute to regional instability.
Speaking at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Kashmir during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Prince Faisal reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to supporting Muslims in preserving their Islamic identity and dignity.
