China successfully applied for World Heritage status for traditional festivals - Spring Festival

On December 4, 2024, at the 19th Ordinary Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO held in Asuncion, Paraguay, China's application for "Spring Festival - Chinese Social Practice of Celebrating the Traditional New Year" passed the review and was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO. This indicates that the Spring Festival, as the most important traditional festival in China, has been recognized and respected by the international community and has become an important part of global cultural diversity. The successful application of the Spring Festival for World Heritage is not only an affirmation of Chinese culture, but also an enhancement of the cultural identity and cultural confidence of the Chinese people around the world.

The Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival of the Chinese nation. The New Year celebrations are centered around praying for a good year, and are carried out in the form of getting rid of the old and bringing in the new, worshipping gods and ancestors, exorcising evil spirits and warding off disasters, and praying for a good harvest. The content is rich and colorful, lively and festive, with a strong flavor of the New Year, and embodies the traditional cultural essence of Chinese civilization. Traditional New Year customs are mostly ritual activities, such as buying New Year's goods, sweeping the house, pasting Spring Festival couplets, reunion dinners, staying up late, receiving New Year's money, paying New Year's greetings, dragon and lion dances, worshipping gods and ancestors, setting off fireworks, visiting temple fairs, and enjoying lanterns. These customs and activities are important elements of the festival and carry the colorful cultural connotations of the festival.