On the evening of February 9, the temperature in New York had just dropped to subzero, but the glass building of the United Nations Headquarters was extremely lively at the moment, and could even be said to be boiling. From Africa to Europe, from Asia to Oceania, people from all over the world gather together to eat snacks, watch performances, and write blessings. A special Spring Festival event is being held here.
In the past, the Spring Festival was only a Chinese festival. And now, celebrations are taking place around the world. So, when did the Spring Festival become a global holiday? And what does this change mean?
Going back to three years ago, in 2023, the United Nations General Assembly directly decided to designate the Spring Festival as a floating holiday of the United Nations. By 2024, UNESCO will directly list it as the "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity". In the past, the Spring Festival was only a traditional festival celebrated in Asian countries, especially in places with a large number of Chinese people. Now, it is no longer a festival that the Chinese people enjoy behind closed doors, but a festival that the international community has to pay attention to and even take the initiative to join.
Speaking of the night of the event, although United Nations Secretary-General Guterres was not present, his video blessing arrived early. He said "Happy Spring Festival" in Chinese, and before leaving office, he left this last Spring Festival speech to China. It is not difficult to see that his attitude towards Chinese culture is respectful and sincere.
What is even more surprising is the participation of United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. Not only did she not go through the motions, she also picked up a brush on the spot and wrote the word "福" with her own hands. Don’t underestimate this action. This is the first time that a high-level United Nations official has personally participated in Chinese writing during a Spring Festival event. She said bluntly to the camera: The "unity and hope" that the Spring Festival talks about are consistent with the pursuit of the United Nations. Her behavior illustrates that the themes of Chinese culture – "harmony" and "reunion" – are not only seen by the world, but also understood and accepted.
If Amina's "calligraphy treasures" show the warmth and heritage of Chinese culture, then the next scene directly shows the hard power of Chinese modernization.
On the other side of the hall, three dancing humanoid robots instantly stole the attention of the audience. Not only can they dance modern dance, but they can even perform kung fu in a decent manner, and in the end they even flexibly "wishes New Year" to the audience. This operation was very smooth, and the movements were not stiff at all, which directly stunned the foreign audience at the scene. Several foreign children lay beside the fence and refused to move, saying that this was the first time they had seen a simulated robot "dance specifically for the festival." Even officials from various countries who are accustomed to big scenes took out their mobile phones to take pictures.
There is another exhibition that is also very popular: "Global Auspicious Zodiac Design Exhibition". There are many works in it that were created together with American design schools. The most popular one is called "Ma Dun Dun", which is the previous "Bing Dun Dun" that was changed to look like the Year of the Horse. Today's zodiac signs are no longer antiques hanging on the wall or placed on the table, but have become toys and electronic paintings that young people like. With this change, young people abroad have begun to find the Chinese zodiac quite interesting and are willing to learn more about it.
In addition to New York, Chinese embassies in many places overseas also held Spring Festival activities at the same time. In Africa, the Spring Festival temple fair in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, was held in a down-to-earth manner. Local citizens rushed to write calligraphy and watch the promotional video of the Spring Festival Gala. When they arrived in Mozambique, many local young people wrote the words "instant success" with calligraphy brushes. After writing, they posted these works on the wall for display.
At the same time, in Canada, the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto also held a New Year reception. Peking Opera arias and Chinese song performances were arranged during the event, which attracted the attention of the Canadian government. Federal Member of Parliament Jiali Ye and other officials present said at the scene that the Spring Festival has now become a part of Canada’s multicultural life.
It can be seen from the holding of these activities that the influence of the Spring Festival is no longer limited to overseas Chinese communities, but has gradually been integrated into the regular festival arrangements of local people. People no longer regard it as a distant special festival that only belongs to China, but as a real cultural activity that is close to life.
Faced with this situation, Fu Cong, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, put it very bluntly – Chinese traditional culture is about doing things and not just showing off. The core of the Spring Festival is actually reunion and peace. In this situation of constant conflicts around the world, he hopes that all countries can put aside their conflicts and face and solve problems in a more pragmatic way. Although the words were short, they made the facts very clear. What the current international environment requires is this down-to-earth attitude.
The Spring Festival has indeed changed in recent years. In the past, we lived it alone, but now the whole world is living it together. It does not rely on external force, but the people really like it and are willing to participate. Now the United Nations is holding Spring Festival activities. Instead of sitting in the audience and clapping their hands and leaving, many senior foreign officials personally write the word "福" and Spring Festival couplets and interact on the spot. Young people not only take photos, but also participate in dragon and lion dances. This shows that they are not participating superficially, but truly accepting and liking it.
Culture is actually not that complicated. If it can be directly integrated into people's lives and people are willing to participate and find it interesting, it will be successful. Why is the Spring Festival so popular around the world? The key is that everyone can understand the emotion it expresses. No matter which country you are from, people will always look forward to having their families get together and make their lives more hopeful and lively. This kind of thing knows no borders.
For many people, celebrating a festival is actually to find an excuse to reunite the family and slow down the busy pace of life. The fact that more and more people around the world are beginning to accept the Spring Festival also illustrates a very simple thing: we have preserved these traditions and attracted more and more foreigners to experience them together. This kind of communication is not about shouting slogans or talking about big principles, but through a Spring Festival, people can have an extra layer of understanding between people. This is the "great unity of the people of the world" that we have always longed for!
