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Record 900,000 Fireworks to Light up Saudi Skies on National Day

Preparations are underway for Saudi Arabia's commemoration of its National Day. (SPA)
Preparations are underway for Saudi Arabia's commemoration of its National Day. (SPA)
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Record 900,000 Fireworks to Light up Saudi Skies on National Day

Preparations are underway for Saudi Arabia's commemoration of its National Day. (SPA)
Preparations are underway for Saudi Arabia's commemoration of its National Day. (SPA)

Preparations are underway in Saudi Arabia to commemorate the Kingdom’s 88th National Day on Sunday.

A record 900,000 fireworks will be fired on the occasion, one of many events that will be taking place on that day.

The 18-minute fireworks show will light up the sky in 20 regions and cities. Their launch will be accompanied by the playing of national songs.

In addition, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SFCPD) and General Authority for Entertainment (GEA) will launch the world's two largest Saudi flags.

Three hundred drones will fly over Riyadh and Jeddah in the shape of the Saudi flag.

The flags, with a length of 400 meters and width of 350 meters, will be registered in the Guinness Book of Records.

Throughout the week, various Saudi monuments and buildings were lit in the Kingdom’s green color to mark the occasion. Similar scenes were witnessed in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Posters of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, have been hoisted throughout the Kingdom.

In Dubai, Burj Khalifa will commemorate Saudi National Day with a LED display, while a show to mark the occasion is also be prepared at the nearby Dubai Fountain.

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Coffee and Snake - Taipei Pet Shop Aims to Break Down Prejudice Against the Animal 

A snake can be seen at Pythonism, a pet store, that offers customers an opportunity to enjoy the company of snakes while sipping coffee, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year, which will usher in the Year of the Snake, in Taipei, Taiwan January 23, 2025. (Reuters)
A snake can be seen at Pythonism, a pet store, that offers customers an opportunity to enjoy the company of snakes while sipping coffee, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year, which will usher in the Year of the Snake, in Taipei, Taiwan January 23, 2025. (Reuters)
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Coffee and Snake - Taipei Pet Shop Aims to Break Down Prejudice Against the Animal 

A snake can be seen at Pythonism, a pet store, that offers customers an opportunity to enjoy the company of snakes while sipping coffee, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year, which will usher in the Year of the Snake, in Taipei, Taiwan January 23, 2025. (Reuters)
A snake can be seen at Pythonism, a pet store, that offers customers an opportunity to enjoy the company of snakes while sipping coffee, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year, which will usher in the Year of the Snake, in Taipei, Taiwan January 23, 2025. (Reuters)

As the Year of the Snake approaches, a pet store in Taipei is offering adventurous customers an opportunity to enjoy the company of snakes while sipping coffee, hoping to break down some of the prejudice against the animal.

Taiwan has been plastered with images of the reptile ahead of the start of the Lunar New Year, which starts on Wednesday and whose zodiac animal this year is the snake.

The snake has a mixed reputation in traditional Taiwanese and Chinese culture as a symbol of either good or bad.

Some of Taiwan's indigenous peoples venerate snakes as guardian spirits, and while the island is home to species potentially deadly to humans, including vipers and cobras, deaths are rare given the wide availability of anti-venom.

Luo Chih-yu, 42, the owner of the Taipei pet shop Pythonism which opened in 2017, is offering potential snake owners the chance to interact with snakes over a cup of coffee.

"I provide a space for people to try and experience, finding out whether they like them without any prejudice," he said.

Liu Ting-chih took his daughter to the shop, who looked curiously at the animals in their cages.

"Through this activity she can learn how to take care of small animals and cherish them," Liu said.

Sub-tropical and mountainous Taiwan is home to some 60 native snake species.