Global Times: Addition to UNESCO Heritage List shows growing popularity of Spring Festival

BEIJING, Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Traditional Chinese customs drew more attention from the world after the UNESCO inscribed the Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on Wednesday.

With the growing popularity of Spring Festival worldwide and its recognition by UNESCO, experts believe that more Chinese traditional folk customs will gain worldwide popularity in the future, as many of them, including Spring Festival, carry the Chinese philosophy of harmony and pursuit of wellbeing, a common aspiration of people around the world. 

At a press briefing on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Lin Jian expressed congratulations over Spring Festival's UNESCO intangible heritage inscription.

Lin stated that the Spring Festival is the oldest and the most important traditional festival in the Chinese culture. "The festival is always a time for family reunion and ringing in the new year. We have many Spring Festival traditions such as writing the character Fu which means good fortune, hanging Spring Festival couplets, making dumplings and watching dragon dance and lion dance performance, which I believe many of you are familiar with."

The Spring Festival embodies peace, amity and harmony which are values cherished by the Chinese nation and civilization, which makes it a festival that is meaningful for China and can be enjoyed by the world, Lin said.

"In about six weeks, we will celebrate the Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake. We welcome all journalists here and friends from all over the world to come and experience the rich and wonderful Spring Festival culture. We very much hope that the festival's cultural message will contribute to a world of less conflicts, harmony among civilizations, and amity between peoples of the world. Hope the Spring Festival will be a moment of joyfulness shared by all," Lin said.

According to an on-site report from China Central Television, representatives from countries around the world expressed their heartfelt congratulations on Spring Festival's UNESCO recognition during the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, taking place in Paraguay.

Dozens of representatives from dozens countries stood up and approached the Chinese delegation to shake hands and offer their congratulations. Some representatives could even fluently say "Happy Spring Festival" in Chinese. Chinese sides' return gesture was also full of "New Year spirit" - red envelopes containing blessing cards, symbolizing the joy of successfully inscribing the Spring Festival as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage and sharing it with more people, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

On Twitter, netizens from different countries swarmed into UNESCO's post on X, expressing their excitement and congratulations over the Spring Festival's inscription as a world intangible heritage, in both English and Chinese.

As the oldest and most important traditional holiday in Chinese culture, the Spring Festival is reaching out to the world.

According to spokesperson Lin Jian, Spring Festival is a public holiday in almost 20 countries and celebrated in various ways by about one-fifth of humanity. Furthermore, the 78th UN General Assembly decided to list the Lunar New Year as a UN floating holiday.

Xiao Fang, head of the Department of Anthropology and Folklore Studies at Beijing Normal University, believed that the inscription of Spring Festival demonstrates the world's recognition and respect for traditional culture. 

It is a jubilant time for Chinese people, and China is also generous in sharing its excellent traditional culture with people around the world, Xiao said.

According to the expert, the popularity of Spring Festival around the world comes from its strong lifestyle appeal. Whenever local people encounter the Chinese community in their country, they can feel a charming atmosphere.

Nowadays, during Spring Festival, people continue the tradition of hanging up red lanterns, setting off fireworks and fixing red scrolls with rhyming phrases on their doors to ward off evil spirits and attract good luck. Paper-cuts, the dragon dance, Temple Fair and lantern festival events, are also related activities forming the happiest of days in a year.

The Spring Festival's UNESCO inscription will also make it possible for more Chinese traditional folk customs to gain worldwide popularity and recognition, Xiao added.

Common values and pursuit

With the addition of Spring Festival, China now has 44 cultural elements or practices recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

China's vice minister of Culture and Tourism, Rao Quan, who led the Chinese delegation at the UNESCO session on Wednesday, said the inclusion of the Spring Festival on the UNESCO list will help promote the universal values of peace and harmony and highlight the important role of intangible cultural heritage in sustainable development, according to Xinhua.

Chinese experts believe that the Spring Festival is not only a cultural and historical bond connecting the collective memories and emotions of Chinese people at home and abroad, but also contains the common values and pursuits that belong to all mankind, including harmony and unity between human beings and nature, as well as the expectations for a better life.

The global influence of Spring Festival is expanding year by year, and its cultural influence will become even greater as a UNESCO recognized intangible heritage, which emphasizes the humanity behind it, Xiao said.

According to the expert, the greatest philosophy carried by the Spring Festival is the concept of peace and harmony of the Chinese civilization, and the pursuit of wellbeing and fostering cross-cultural understanding during a jubilant festive atmosphere.

"Such values are significant in the current chaotic world plagued by multiple conflicts," Xiao added.

Veteran folk custom expert Li Hanqiu told the Global Times on Thursday that the festival embodies hope as people welcome Spring.

The Spring Festival aligns with the value of ecology, and tells human beings to coexist with nature in a harmonious way, he remarked.

Spring Festival is a time for bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new - a new way of life, new exploration, new achievements and new ideals, which are the common aspirations of all mankind, Li said.

SOURCE Global Times