🍃2024 October Newsletter🍃

Article 1: Asian Games

Earlier this month, the 19th Asian Games were held in Hangzhou, China, reaching its conclusion on Oct. 8. This event, recognized as the second-largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games, takes place every four years, bringing together athletes from across Asia. As a brief overview of its history, the Asian Games originated from conversations between the People’s Republic of China, the Philippines and India, which began at the London 1948 Summer Olympics. In hopes of displaying the spirit of unity and level of achievement in Asian sports, these countries proposed the idea of restoring the previously abandoned Far Eastern Championship Games. The Asian Games Federation was then inaugurated the following year in New Delhi where the first Asian Games were held in 1951. After being postponed in 2022, this year’s Asian Games marked China’s third time hosting the event, following Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010.

Around 12,000 athletes from 45 countries gathered in Hangzhou to compete in the 40 featured sports, including 61 disciplines and 481 events. This year’s event included many notable highlights, making it an “unprecedented success.” During the Games, China showcased its technological prowess from the very start, commencing the opening ceremony with a digital torchbearer igniting the cauldron. Following the digital theme of this year’s Asian Games, esports made its debut as an official medal sport with seven events, including League of Legends, Arena of Valor, Dota and Street Fighter V. In the esports category, the People’s Republic of China secured the most gold medals, winning four out of the seven events. South Korea closely followed, earning two gold medals in League of Legends and Street Fighter V. In addition to the featured sports, several athletes made headlines this year. One was Rikako Ikee, a Japanese swimmer who made history as the first female to claim the title of Most Valuable Player at the Asian Games in 2018. Ikee’s participation this year came after a hard-fought battle against leukemia, of which she was diagnosed in 2019. She took home a bronze medal, igniting the emotions of her fans, fellow swimmers and herself. In the final medal standings, the People’s Republic of China claimed the top spot with an impressive total of 383 medals — 201 gold, 111 silver and 71 bronze. Japan followed in second place with 52 gold medals while South Korea secured third place with 42 golds. However, what’s most notable is India's remarkable runner-up position, with an unprecedented total of 107 medals. The nation's athletes were welcomed back with celebrations and appreciation from both the public and prominent figures, including India's prime minister.

Overall, the 2023 Asian Games ended with a grand list of successes and highlights. Hangzhou is now kicking off the 2023 Asian Para Games with an osmanthus-themed Opening Ceremony, giving a space for paralympic athletes to compete and showcase their talents. This event will last until Saturday, Oct. 28 with around 3,100 athletes from 44 countries competing in a total of 22 sports. The 2026 Asian Games will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Article 2: How Halloween is Celebrated (TW: Mentions of death)

Halloween is a widely known holiday that many people celebrate. It is known that in the U.S., this holiday is celebrated by dressing up as our favorite characters or going trick-or-treating. But how do other cultures celebrate Halloween?

Latin-American cultures celebrate Halloween in more spiritual ways than the U.S. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), is widely celebrated in Mexico where it is believed that families can be reunited with the souls of their loved ones. Annually celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2, families leave their relatives’ favorite foods and offerings to their Ofrendas; decorate their gravesites with candles and marigolds; sing, dance, and put on makeup and costumes. Similarly, Guatemala has a celebration celebrated on Nov. 1, Festival de Barriletes Gigantes, where they honor the dead by populating the sky with colorful kites. The kites are handmade and are believed to act as a bridge between the living and the dead.

Halloween is also celebrated differently in Asia. The Hungry Ghost Festival is the most popular Halloween-like festival in Asia, celebrated in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. It is celebrated on the seventh month on the Lunar Calendar for 14 days (typically July or Aug. on the Gregorian calendar). During this time, the living honor the dead by burning incense and offerings as well as preparing food. Notably, Hong Kong is known to stage traditional Chinese operas to entertain the dead, while Singapore holds performances known as “Getai” to bring spirits joy.

In the Philippines, Pangangaluluwa is a Filipino practice which honors the souls that have passed. On Oct. 31, children dress up to look like ghosts and knock on doors to sing and ask for prayers. This is also a time for families to gather together to remember their loved ones while sharing food and telling stories.

Halloween is no stranger to South Korea, having its popularity take off in 2011. Although in Korea, trick-or-treating is not prevalent, costume parties are a big part of Halloween in South Korea. If you roam around the streets of Itaewon, you’ll likely see bars full of people in elaborate costumes enjoying a drink. As one can imagine, it’s very difficult to walk the streets of Itaewon as its small geographical area doesn’t allow for much room. This issue became especially prevalent in 2022 during the first Halloween celebration since the pandemic, where nearly 160 people were crushed to death in the narrow alleyways of Itaewon. This tragedy became known as the Itaewon Incident; since then, a memorial has been set up to pay respects and mourn the deaths of those whose lives were taken by this unfortunate tragedy. This Halloween year, South Korea has decided to subdue Halloween celebrations as a sign of respect for the victims. Many restaurants, department stores, bars, and amusement-parks avoided having Halloween-themed events and very few people wore costumes.

In the past 10 years, Japan has seen a rise in social acceptance for Halloween. With this increased popularity, it has become more common to see young Japanese people dress up in costumes outside of the cosplay scene. Japan also has the Obon Festival, which is often compared to Halloween in the West. It is different, yet similar in some ways as both honor departed spirits and ancestors; however, Obon focuses more on commemorating and honoring ancestors. Furthermore, each region celebrates it a bit differently, though it generally consists of families visiting graves and making food offerings at tables/altars.

Article 3: A Brief Timeline Behind the War: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (TW: Mentions of death)

A beginning to the story:

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict dates back to the late 19th century. After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, Britain took control of the area now known as Palestine. At the time, a Jewish minority, an Arab majority and other smaller ethnic groups inhabited the land.

1896: Publication of "The Jewish State"

Theodor Herzl published a pamphlet called "The Jewish State."

The pamphlet discussed the creation of a nation to protect Jews from antisemitism. Herzl proposed Palestine as its potential location. He called it "our ever-memorable historic home."

1917: Release of the Balfour Declaration

The Balfour Declaration was issued by Arthur James Balfour, the UK Foreign Secretary, during World War I. The declaration promised to aid in the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine. The declaration diverted from prior plans for Ottoman-controlled lands and included a clause aimed at protecting the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.

1920: Britain is Granted Oversight of Palestine

After the end of the war, the international community gave the UK the task of establishing a "national home" in Palestine for Jewish people.

During this time, many Jews viewed Palestine as their ancestral home, but current Palestinians disagreed and opposed the move.

1948: Creation of Israel

After inconsistent talks, Jewish leaders declared the creation of the Israeli state, intending it to be a haven for Jews fleeing persecution and a national homeland for Jews. UK forces withdrew from Israel.

1947-1949: The Nakba

As tensions increased between the communities, war began to unfold and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced out of their homes. This war was referred to as the "Catastrophe" or "Nakaba."

Around the time the war ended, Israel took control of most of the territory, which continues to the present day.

2006: Hamas and the Elections

In 2006, Hamas won the majority of seats in the Palestinian Authority's parliamentary elections. This led to violence between Hamas and Fatah, and Hamas took armed control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. The U.S. and the European Union did not recognize Hamas' electoral victory, and Israel responded by tightening border restrictions and imposing a blockade on Gaza. The wars continued throughout the following decades.

2014: Escalating Military Tensions Between Hamas and Israel

Fueled by the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers and the “revenge” killing of a Palestinian teenager, tensions rose between Hamas and Israel, leading to the biggest eruption of violence since a three-week war in Dec. 2008. Around 2,000 people died in the conflict from both sides.

As conflicts and disagreements continue to arise within the communities, we witness what seems to be a never ending war, even though peaceful solutions have been brought forward by other nations such as the U.S. The Abraham Accords and ‘Peace to Prosperity’

What diplomatic issues contributed to the current conflict?

There exist a number of issues both sides cannot agree on, which include:

What should happen to Palestinian refugees

Whether Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank should stay or be removed

Whether the two sides should share Jerusalem

Perhaps most divisive of all, whether to create a Palestinian state .

Present Day:

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas conducted a ground invasion on Israel, killing at least 260 individuals and taking over 200 people hostage. The next day, Israel formally declared war on Hamas. Following this attack, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement which displayed strong support for Israel. The United States also announced its intention to send additional shipments of arms and position its Mediterranean Sea warships closer to Israel. In light of past conflicts between Israel and Palestinian extremist groups, international organizations have expressed concern for the safety of civilians in the affected territories along with those held hostage by the military in Gaza.