Annual festival a fun way to highlight cultural similarity

THIS YEAR'S Mexican September festival carries a special theme - two great cultures symbolically united - highlighting the close ties and cultural similarities between Mexico and China.

Mexico's Consul-General, Mario Leal, said it was intriguing to uncover the similarities between Mexico and China, which both were birthplaces of ancient civilisations.

He said the two countries were culturally and symbolically closer than they appeared to be.

To highlight the point, the consulate of Mexico has come up with a new symbol for the annual arts and food festival celebrating the country's independence.

A big S stands for September, with one end of the sign being a Chinese dragon and the other the serpent-shaped Aztec god Quetzalcoatl - the god of knowledge and the priesthood in Mexico. The Chinese dragon represents good fortune and a sign of intense power.

Mr Leal said the dragon and serpent's features looked alike, symbolising the cultural similarities between Mexico and China.