Xinhua Headlines: Spring Festival -- a Chinese tradition with growing global appeal

* At the close of 2024, UNESCO added the Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of traditional new year, to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

* Spring Festival's core customs -- celebrating family reunions, wishing for good fortune and creating traditional crafts -- captivate cultural enthusiasts worldwide with its unique approach to welcoming the new year.

* The Chinese New Year and its rich cultural heritage are also being shared in exciting new ways.

* Beneath its traditional customs, the Chinese New Year carries a universal resonance of hope, family unity and aspirations for a better life -- values that underpin its global appeal.

BEIJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Set against a vibrant orange backdrop, a bold green snake rises proudly on a commemorative stamp issued by La Poste Group, France's postal service, earlier this month to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. 2025 marks the 21st consecutive year France has celebrated the Spring Festival with zodiac-themed stamps.

At the close of 2024, UNESCO added the Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of traditional new year, to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A year earlier, the 78th UN General Assembly recognized the Chinese New Year as an official UN holiday, underscoring the festival's growing global presence.

Spring Festival customs are now celebrated in nearly 200 countries and regions, with almost 20 nations designating it as an official public holiday. Each year, around one-fifth of the global population takes part in this cherished tradition.

CUSTOMS WITH GLOBAL APPEAL

Spring Festival's core customs -- celebrating family reunions, wishing for good fortune and creating traditional crafts -- captivate cultural enthusiasts worldwide with its unique approach to welcoming the new year.

In the Hungarian capital of Budapest, the streets of Chinatown bustled with a two-day Spring Festival celebration. Visitors took part in dumpling-making, calligraphy workshops and lantern crafting. This vibrant celebration mirrors a global trend where Spring Festival traditions are increasingly embraced across diverse cultures.

"It's amazing to see the performances and learn about traditions that are so different yet so universal," said Kata Szabo, a local resident who attended the event with her young daughter.

To Giacomo Bechini, a 29-year-old web designer from Florence, Italy, this year's Spring Festival is more than a holiday: It is an opportunity to connect with his wife's Chinese heritage and immerse himself in the festival's traditions.

His fascination with the Chinese Lunar Calendar, a lunisolar dating system, has deepened his appreciation even further. "It's incredible how the Spring Festival is tied to a different calendar. I've been learning about its symbolic meanings and how the festivities last for days," Bechini said.

For Tichaona Zimuto, a 34-year-old professional acrobat from Zimbabwe, Spring Festival traditions have evolved from a simple interest into a meaningful practice. About two weeks ago, Zimuto and his group, Blackstar Acrobatics, captivated a local audience in Harare with a rhythmic lion dance performance during a Spring Festival celebration.

The lion dance, which originated in ancient China, blends dance, music and martial arts, with performers mimicking a lion's movements in elaborate costumes. This traditional art has grown on Zimuto over the past year.

"When I was wearing the lion dance costume, I just felt excited. I just felt great, something special. I just felt like a lion, a real lion," he said.

The Chinese New Year and its rich cultural heritage are also being shared in exciting new ways. Disney California Adventure Park recently launched its 2025 Lunar New Year celebrations, offering a lively blend of Asian cultural performances. Legendary Chinese warrior Mulan and her quick-witted dragon sidekick, Mushu, led the Lunar New Year procession, celebrating family, friendship and the hope for a prosperous year ahead.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia recently hosted a one-of-a-kind Spring Festival Market at the Cultural Palace in Riyadh, which buzzed with energy during its two-day run. The Chinese e-sports zone was a standout attraction, featuring popular titles such as "Black Myth: Wukong" and "Honor of Kings."

Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, president of the Saudi National E-Sports Association, said e-sports are a powerful way to connect young people around the globe.

"We can create games about Saudi culture and bring them to China and the world," he said.

VALUES OF UNIVERSAL RESONANCE

Beneath its traditional customs, the Chinese New Year carries a universal resonance of hope, family unity and aspirations for a better life -- values that underpin its global appeal.

People believe that celebrating the Chinese New Year will bring them good luck, good fortune and happiness in the new year, said Heoun Thary, a 32-year-old Cambodian housewife.

She was referring to the recent Lunar New Year festivities in Phnom Penh, which drew hundreds of revelers. Thary noted that the event not only introduced Cambodians to Chinese traditions but also strengthened the bond between the two nations.

In Tanorn village, 60 km south of Phnom Penh, Cambodian villagers participating in a China-aided poverty alleviation project also embraced the spirit of the Spring Festival. The celebration featured red lanterns and couplets.

"People believe that celebrating the Chinese New Year can help increase their luck, promoting their business to make more money," said Khlok Chamroeun, a 62-year-old deputy chief of the village.

In New Zealand, a Year of the Snake concert put together Eastern and Western musical traditions. Musicians from China's Yijing Chamber Ensemble of the Central Conservatory of Music and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra performed in Christchurch, blending the pipa, erhu and bamboo flute with classical symphonies. "Music knows no boundaries. The unique qualities of Eastern and Western music can truly resonate with each other," said Chinese Consul General He Ying.

This vision of harmony came alive at the United Nations in New York on Friday night. At a Lunar New Year celebration, Miguel Angel Moratinos, UN under-secretary-general and high representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, delivered Lunar New Year wishes in Chinese, "Chunjie Kuaile (Happy Spring Festival)," in the lobby of the main building at the UN Headquarters.

"The Lunar New Year marked the beginning of the Year of the Snake, which is associated with characteristics like wisdom, caution and strategy, and signifies transformation and growth," he said.

"With the numerous challenges the world is facing, the spirit embodied by the Lunar New Year offers us a beacon of hope and positivity," Moratinos said. 

(Video reporters: Yang Zhe, Wang Lei, Mao Pengfei, Wang Jiawei, Cheng Yiheng, Zul, Jonathan Tham, Hua Hongli, Nurdin Pallangyo, Shu Chang, San Wai Aung, Zhang Dongqiang; video editors: Hong Yan, Roger Lott, Wei Yin, Wang Han) ■