A Global Gala

Each year, Lin Haiyan, president of the Chinatown Foundation in Mauritius, dedicates significant time and effort to organising the Spring Festival celebrations. During the Spring Festival season in February 2024, the Mauritius National Multi-Sport Complex was adorned with large red lanterns and Chinese knots, creating a vibrant setting for the festivities. The event featured captivating performances, including lion and dragon dances, parades showcasing traditional Chinese women’s clothing, or qipao, singing, and tai chi demonstrations, providing the perfect atmosphere to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

During the event, Mauritian and Chinese singers performed a newly composed song, Chinatown fête le Nouvel An (Chinatown Celebrates the New Year), which included lyrics in English (Mauritius’ official language), as well as French and Creole, which are widely spoken on the island. The song inspired an impromptu audience dance, adding to the festive spirit. Lin expressed hope that the multilingual lyrics would allow Mauritians of diverse backgrounds to experience the joy of the Spring Festival through music.

As a fourth-generation Mauritian of Chinese descent, Lin was delighted with the official recognition of Spring Festival as a public holiday after Mauritius gained independence in 1968. Preparations for the 2024 event began in September 2023, with collaboration from local and Chinese organisations. Contributions from south China’s Guangdong Province, including equipment for dragon dances and performances by troupes from the province, and Shanghai Municipality, enriched the celebrations.

Lin’s foundation has organised numerous events in recent years to promote Chinese culture, drawing a diverse audience. By 2023, over 20 activities had been held to celebrate the Spring Festival, including fairs, dinners, and opera performances. For 2024, the programme expanded further to include a broader audience. 

“Through these rich and colourful activities, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of Chinese culture among Mauritians and create joyful moments,” Lin told Yangcheng Evening News.

Celebrations in Africa

The Spring Festival is celebrated in several African countries, in addition to Mauritius.

In Benin, the Chinese New Year Fair was inaugurated in February 2024 at the Esplanade des Amazones in Cotonou, the country’s economic capital. The fair showcased the rich Chinese culture through stands featuring Chinese cuisine, martial arts demonstrations, paper-cutting, calligraphy, drawing, and traditional Chinese medicine.

At the event’s opening ceremony, then Chinese Ambassador to Benin Peng Jingtao emphasised the festival’s international appeal. “Spring Festival is a time of joy and sharing, with cultural activities bringing people together,” he said. Carole Borna from Benin’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts noted that the event offered the Beninese public a valuable opportunity to appreciate and engage with Chinese culture.

In Nigeria, streets came alive with red lanterns and the vibrant energy of the Spring Festival in 2024. Queen Modestus, a Nigerian doctoral student at Zhengzhou University in China, shared her experience of receiving Chinese New Year greetings from her family back home. In an interview with Dahe.cn, she highlighted the festival’s cultural significance, stating that it represents the vitality, faith, and positive spirit of the Chinese people. 

“It’s a universal festival that transcends ethnic boundaries and fosters a sense of unity and shared purpose,” she remarked.

Broadening reach

The Spring Festival has become a global event of cultural significance. In December 2023, the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations officially included Chinese New Year on the organisation’s list of floating holidays, marking its growing international recognition.

Festivities worldwide feature traditional dragon and lion dances, Chinese New Year-themed artwork, dumpling-making sessions, and lively fairs. These immersive activities offer people of various nationalities and cultural backgrounds the opportunity to experience the rich Chinese culture while fostering warm, shared moments. The Spring Festival serves as a bridge, promoting cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between civilisations.

In Besançon, located in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of France, a cultural evening in early 2024 brought together Chinese and French artists to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Held at the Kursaal, the event was organised by the Amicale des Chinois de l’Est de la France and the Association Franc-Comtoise des Amitiés Franco-Chinoises. Around 20 performances were held, including lion and dragon dances, acrobatics, and choir performances. Éric Alauzet, chairman of the France-China Friendship Group at the French National Assembly, highlighted the importance of such events in fostering friendship and mutual understanding between the two nations.

To mark the occasion in 2024, iconic sites around the world were illuminated in red and gold, which symbolise happiness and prosperity in Chinese culture. In London, the London Eye Ferris wheel shone with celebratory colours. In St. Petersburg, the Trinity Bridge was bathed in “Chinese red,” evoking a peaceful and majestic image. In Tokyo, the Tokyo Tower was lit up to send blessings for the Year of the Dragon. In New York, a huge banner featuring Chinese dragon motifs was unfurled in Times Square.

Lin Jian, spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted that some rough estimates suggest that nearly 20 countries have designated the Spring Festival as a legal holiday, and approximately one-fifth of the global population celebrates the Lunar New Year in various ways. He emphasised that the festival reflects universal values such as peace, friendship, and harmony, core tenets of Chinese culture. While deeply rooted in China’s traditions, the Spring Festival offers the world a chance to unite and embrace these shared ideals, Lin said.