SPRING FESTIVAL FOR ALL

Traditional Lunar New Year celebrations held worldwide

The Year of the Dragon, according to the traditional Chinese calendar, begins on Feb 10, 2024.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, cultural events and items auspiciously themed in line with the fifth of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs adorn celebrations worldwide.

China looks forward to celebrating the new year with the world and hopes all civilizations will live in harmony and prosper together, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said in December.

Spokeswoman Mao Ning made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on the fact that the 78th UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution by consensus to list the Lunar New Year as a UN floating holiday.

“Some rough estimates suggest that the festival is a public holiday in almost 20 countries and is celebrated in various ways by about one-fifth of humanity,” Mao said.

Traditional celebration activities are organized in nearly 200 countries and regions. The festival has become a global cultural event, bringing joy to people around the world, she added.

Mao said that the Lunar New Year symbolizes joy, harmony and peace, and its Chinese name “Spring Festival” conveys the greetings and warmth of the spring season, and the festival embodies the core values of harmony, love and peace in Chinese culture.

“We look forward to celebrating the Spring Festival with the world and hope all civilizations will live in harmony, prosper together and engage in exchanges and mutual learning, and that people of all countries will enjoy better mutual understanding and friendship and work together to build a community with a shared future for humankind,” Mao said.

CHONG VOON CHUNG / XINHUA Traditional dragon dance performers showcase their moves to crowds of spectators at a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 16 as part of Lunar New Year celebrations.

PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY dance performer during a new year parade in Los Angeles on Jan 27. Right: A child holding a lion toy interacts with a Chinese lion

ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP Left: Lunar New Year decorations are displayed at a street stall in Chinatown in Singapore on Jan 26.

MOHAMMAD ABU GHOSH / XINHUA From top: A teacher from the Confucius Institute at Philadelphia University in Jordan holds up a piece of Chinese paper cutting at a Spring Festival cultural event in Amman, Jordan, on Jan 16.

ZHAO DINGZHE / XINHUA From top: Children pose with the Chinese character “fu”, which means “good fortune”, during a cultural event at the University of Luxembourg on Jan 28.

MOHD FIRDAUS / GETTY IMAGES Children hold on to Chinese dragon decorations at a temple near Kuala Lumpur on Jan 26.

IRINA MOTINA / XINHUA A man views Chinese dragon-themed items at the State Museum of the History of Religion in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Jan 19.