Spring Festival falls on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar. It is China's most important traditional holiday, symbolizing the Chinese people's hopes for a better life, strong ties to family and country, and the values of harmony between humans and nature.

Spring Festival celebrations are known as guonian, meaning crossing the year. During the festival, people wear new clothes, make offerings to heaven, earth and ancestors, and extend greetings to elders, relatives, friends and neighbours. In the days preceding the festival, people clean their homes, stock provisions and prepare food. On New Year’s Eve, families dine together and stay up late to welcome the new year — food is an indispensable part of the Spring Festival customs.

Spring Festival food customs vary from place to place in China, but the spirit underlying the diverse food of the New Year is the same: a sincere wish for peace and happiness for family members and friends.

Spring Festival celebrations have evolved from history to the future over the years. From peach wood charms to couplets, from red envelopes (hongbao) to electronic e-hongbao, from in-person greetings to online New Year celebrations, the traditional customs have kept pace with the times in the new spring atmosphere of “a new beginning with everything renewed”, and they continue to thrive with vibrant life. From visiting temple fairs, performing traditional folk dances, enjoying lantern festivals, to walking through flower markets... The entertainment activities during the Spring Festival always leave people with unforgettable, joyful memories.

Spring Festival plays an important role in maintaining and strengthening the emotional bonds between individuals, families, and the nation, while also promoting core values at the heart of Chinese civilization, such as peace, concord, and harmony. It stands as a powerful reminder of humanity's shared values, including family harmony, social inclusiveness, and the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature, contributing greatly to the continuity of Chinese civilization.

On February 4, 1927, a reporter for Samoa Times wrote on the celebration of Spring Festival by the Chinese workers: “The explosion of 13500 crackers and 287 bangers ushered the first day of the Chinese New Year in Apia...” Nowadays, Spring Festival has become a statutory holiday in nearly 20 countries around the world, and its folk activities are held in about 200 countries and regions.

The year 2025 marks the first Spring Festival since the Chinese New Year was added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list. On Dec. 4, 2024, Spring Festival, the social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year, was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO during the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The inclusion of the Spring Festival on the UNESCO list will help promote universal values of peace and harmony and highlight the important role of intangible cultural heritage in sustainable development. It is also believed that the inclusion of this ancient heritage will actively promote dialogue and mutual respect among cultures, contributing more Chinese elements to the diversity of world cultures.

The inclusion of the Spring Festival on the UNESCO list also represents a practical step in China's commitment to implementing the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

The forthcoming Spring Festival falls on January 29, 2025. By the Chinese lunar calendar, 2025 is the Year of the Snake.

Happy Spring Festival to you!