Spring Festival, China's traditional Lunar New Year celebration, now part of the world's intangible cultural heritage

The Spring Festival (春节 Chūnjié), also known as the Chinese New Year, celebrates the start of the Chinese year according to the traditional luni-solar calendar and officially ends 14 days later with the Lantern Festival. It is a real pillar of identity.

With its emblematic practices - house cleaning, red parallel sentences, family meals, gifts in red envelopes, dragon and lion dances, prayers and lantern admiration - it embodies a rich heritage handed down through the ages.

This festival, which today extends far beyond China's borders, echoes universal values of sharing and continuity. On Wednesday December 4, 2024,UNESCO therefore inscribed the Spring Festival on the "Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity", the 44th Chinese heritage element to be recognized by the international institution.

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This recognition, enacted at the 19ᵉ session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Paraguay, enshrines the universal importance of this age-old festival, a symbol of family ties and social harmony.

The next Spring Festival begins on January 29, 2025, and celebrates theYear of the Wooden Snake, heralding longevity and wealth. For Parisians, this date will be the perfect opportunity to discover or rediscover this vibrant tradition, with events being prepared by the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris.

Let yourself be enchanted by the magic of the Fête du Printemps!