This footage shows New Year's fireworks in Taiwan, not Diwali celebrations
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on November 29, 2021 at 09:38
- 3 min read
- By Anuradha PRASAD, AFP India
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The video was shared here on Twitter on November 6, 2021.
The post's Hindi-language caption translates as: "This building is in Taipei, Taiwan, with 101 floors, lit during Diwali."
Diwali or Deepawali -- also known as the Festival of Lights -- is a major annual Hindu festival celebrated between October and November. It was celebrated on November 4 this year.
People worship the goddess of wealth Laxmi and illuminate their homes and businesses with lamps, lanterns, and fairy lights.
Fireworks -- particularly firecrackers -- have also become ubiquitous. However, Delhi and many neighbouring cities have banned or restricted their use due to air pollution, as AFP reported here.
The same video -- cut to different lengths -- was shared alongside a similar claim here and here on Facebook; and here and here on Twitter.
However, a keyword search on Facebook found similar footage as part of a video posted on the official page of Taipei 101 on December 31, 2020.
A fireworks display is held at the building every year on New Year's Eve.
The Chinese-language description of the video reads: "(High-definition live music version) Share with friends. Let the world see the pride of Taiwan. Let's walk through 2020 together."
The eight-minute-long video shows images of the fireworks shot from different angles.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the one-minute one-second mark of the video in the false posts (L) and the two-minute mark of the official video (R):
The video in the false posts shows the same text lit up on the building as in the official video.
Below is a comparison of the text seen in the viral video (L) with the text shown in the official video (R):
The first quote reads: "Shout aloud!" in Chinese. The second reads "Press the record button on your phone" and the final one says: "It's time to say goodbye."
The official video also shows the words "2021" and "Happy New Year" in Chinese at the two-minute three-second and two-minute six-second marks respectively.
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