Chinese cultural event held in Berlin ahead of Lantern Festival

China

Chinese cultural event held in Berlin ahead of Lantern Festival

2025-02-11 17:19 Last Updated At：21:07

A festive event celebrating the upcoming Lantern Festival was held at the China Cultural Center in the German capital of Berlin on Saturday, offering more than 400 guests an immersive experience of Chinese customs and culture.

The cultural event showcased some selected programs of the 2025 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala, featuring captivating traditional Chinese music, folk dance and Peking Opera performances.

During the event, visitors also took part in a lantern riddle quiz and tried writing traditional Chinese calligraphy and making dumplings and small sweet glutinous rice balls -- two traditional snacks that are eaten during the Lantern Festival.

"I got a correct answer to a lantern riddle and won a beautiful desk ornament, with a sign reading 'Four Seasons of Happiness' in Chinese. I was deeply touched by this sentence. It displays the harmonious coexistence between human and nature. I can feel that the long-standing Chinese civilization is now showing new vitality and gaining more and more attention in Europe," said Tobias Baumann, a visitor.

"The cultural experience is impressive and deepens our understanding of Chinese culture. The cultural performances are also wonderful, especially the Peking Opera and the performances of different folk instruments. It is great to experience Chinese culture in Germany. We also ate the dumplings and the small sweet glutinous rice balls that we made ourselves, which are very delicious," said Andre Maass, a visitor.

"I didn't know much about the Lantern Festival before. Today is the first time I really got to know this festival in depth. It is really fun to make traditional Chinese food by myself," said another visitor.

The Lantern Festival, observed on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, falls on February 12 this year. It marks the conclusion of the Spring Festival celebrations.

Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.

In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.

Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.

Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.

He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.

He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.