Beijing/London: From China's famed Shaolin Temple to Britain's iconic St. Paul's Cathedral, Yoga enthusiasts rolled out their mats on Friday to mark the 5th International Yoga Day.
June 21, the northern hemisphere's longest day, is celebrated as the one worldwide after the UN General Assembly adopted in 2014 a proposal moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Events celebrating the ancient discipline were organized in more than 120 countries at around 500 locations with hundreds of thousands of people participating, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The events began with a video message of Prime Minister Modi underscoring the importance of Yoga in connecting the entire world.Many iconic locations witnessed the celebrations, including the Opera House in Sydney, Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Washington Monument in Washington, the Cathedral of Brasilia, the Dead Sea and the base of Mount Everest.
Yoga has become immensely popular in China in the past few decades and is emerging as a major fitness discipline which is specially promoted by the Chinese Ministry of Sports.
In a first of its kind celebration, the iconic UN General Assembly hall reverberated with chants of 'Om', 'Shanti' as UN officials and diplomats joined hundreds of others to commemorate the day.Even Pakistan government put out a tweet saying that yoga provides both instant gratification and lasting transformation.
