Ring out the old with happy laughters, ring in the new with twinkling lights. During the Chinese New Year holiday, people are celebrating the beginning of a new year with various activities in an air of festivity.

Sugar painting and sugar figure blowing in temple fairs, dazzling decorations and red lanterns along the streets……all of these are catching the attention of Chinese kids and remain as indelible memories of their childhood. Now some of the traditional Chinese new year celebrations also gain popularity outside the country. While some are taken with surprise and curiosity, some bring about warmth and happiness.

The Chinese New year not only warms people’s heart in the cold winter, but also enlightens the children’s lives with much fun.

1. As the Chinese New Year approaches, children are having various celebrations for the new year, such as hanging lanterns. The cute faces are radiant with joy.

2. In the temple fair, kids are excitedly waiting to taste the traditional sugar figure.

3. During the Chinese New Year, the village market is permeated with festivity. A little girl in red dress are carefully selecting her favorite new-year decorations.

4. In the new-year fair, a grandparent and grandchild are taking a group photo amid the jubilant crowd.

5. With Chinese New Year round the corner, people are putting on a myriad of new-year decorations, among which the large red lantern with the character of fu (or happiness) is the most iconic.

6. In Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, a kid is tasting the sugar painting in the temple fair themed with folk culture on Hunan Road.

7. Temple fairs are a common way for Chinese people to celebrate festivals, especially for the Spring Festival. The numerous red lanterns add to the festivity of the temple fair.

8. With the help of the master, the kid derives much fun from blowing sugar figure by himself.

9. The festive lanterns in the Great Tang Mall in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, attract a flock of visitors. The kid wearing decorative hats are bewildered by the variety of lanterns.

10. In the lantern-packed square, the young mother carrying a lantern murmured to her baby about the arrival of a new year.

11. In Weishan Lake, Shandong Province, grandfathers and grandchildren who returned from the New Year’s Fair walked past the lake carrying red lanterns. The fiery red reflected in water suggests their inner joy.

12. During Chinese New Year, every household will paste Chinese characters on their windows to express their best wishes for the future year.

13. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, outdoor activities are restricted. People prefer to celebrate the festival at home. They paste paper-cuttings on windows, watch videos, and spend the holiday at their cozy home.

14. A family celebrates the Spring Festival with fireworks in Yanggu County, Liaocheng City, Shandong Province.

15. Two children are arranging the red rice balls to prepare for the grand feast with much festivity.

16. During the Spring Festival, the whole family gather together to make dumplings in a warm and joyous atmosphere.

17. Two children living in the tulou wrote Spring Festival couplets with brushes to learn about the Hakka couplet culture in a festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival in their hometown.

18. The Cultural Station of Torch Development Zone, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province organized calligraphy lovers to write Spring Festival couplets and send blessing characters to the citizens.

19. As the Spring Festival approaches, primary school students write their best wishes in Spring Festival couplets.

20. In Raoping County, Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, Buma Dance is a unique folk dance to celebrate festivals. The spinning and jumping cloth-horses embody people’s pursuit of a happy life and the hope of success.

21. The 3rd cultural festival of “Beautiful China·& Happy Spring Festival 2019 ” was held in Budapest Millennium Park, Hungary. At the event, a Hungarian child drew a cute little pig.

22. During the “Happy Chinese New Year” parade in Lisbon, Portugal, the traditional Chinese custom of “playing drums” was introduced to the Portuguese people.

23. Children in Courbevois, France, took a group photo with the pulling lion to celebrate the Spring Festival.

The Spring Festival is the grandest traditional fete of the Chinese people, and an important holiday for family reunion and pleasure sharing. Dragon dance, a lively and jubilant traditional custom, is among the most occasional activities during the Spring Festival.

Dragon dance is commonly known as playing dragon lanterns. Dragon dancers jump up with various moves of spring, twist, wave and shake with colorful silk balls and in various forms of golden dragon, fiery dragon, dragon lantern, dragon boat, etc.; flexible moves and splendid colors best highlight the festival atmosphere.

Dragon dance is also an important show event among the Spring Festival activities throughout the world. Dragon parades at home and abroad, in different looks and expression forms, all demonstrate the hilarious festival atmosphere and bring joy to people all around the world.

1. A fiery dragon dance performance is held in Puzhai Town, Fengshun County, Guangdong. When the fiery dragon dancers are dancing led by a colorful silk ball, there are full of dazzling sparks, amplifying the joyous festival.

2. In Gexianshan Village, Pengzhou, Sichuan, the villagers are performing dragon dance to celebrate the Spring Festival.

3. A grand dragon dance performance is held on the Lantern Festival on lunar 15th January in Qingyang County, Chizhou, Anhui.

4. Traditional dragon and lion dances are performed by a Sichuan provincial troupe at the ancient town of Langzhong to celebrate the Spring Festival.

5. People are performing a unique dragon dance in water in the Pan Village Lantern Festival in Shuikou Town, Kaiping, Guangdong.

6. A dragon dance performance with flexible walks and glittering looks brightens up Sanlin OId Street, Pudong, Shanghai.

7. During the Spring Festival, people pour into the street to appreciate the bustling atmosphere of dragon dances.

8. People are striking red hot irons to produce sparks and performing dragon dance to celebrate the Spring Festival at the ancient town of Taierzhuang, Zaozhuang, Shandong.

9. Binyang Firecracker Dragon Festival is an annual festival event held in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and the photo shows the scene when “firecracker dragons” are giving New Year’s greetings to households.

10. In Shaodong, Hunan, a dragon dance team with 108 young performers is performing in the township park to celebrate the Spring Festival.

11. In the dragon dance event held in Jiangmen, Guangdong, roars of drums and fireworks are following, offering strong atmosphere of the Spring Festival.

12. In ancient town of Langzhong, Sichuan, under the Zhongtian Tower and along rows of old houses, a golden dragon dance performance is held to celebrate the Spring Festival.

13. In the celebration of the Lantern Festival in Jiyuan, Henan, colored dragons in good and dignified spirits bring festival joy to people.

14. In the Pan Village Lantern Festival held in Shuikou Town, Kaiping, Guangdong, with colored flags sufficient to cover the sun,endless sounds of firecrackers, and festival lanterns and artistic umbrellas, dragon and lion dances are being performed from dawn till dusk.

15. In the festival celebration held in Shangrao County, Jiangxi, the villagers are lifting the bench dragon around the streets to welcome the advent of the Lantern Festival.

16. A Spring Festival lantern parade is held in Golden Pebble Beach, Dalian, Liaoning. Giant dragon festival lanterns and dragon dance performances enhance each other. People appreciate festival lanterns and traditional customs, and are immersed in the the bustling and joyous atmosphere of the Spring Festival.

17. In Qicaimengyuan Park, Tongliang District, Chongqing, dragon dance performances are held to celebrate the Spring Festival. Dragon boats are in pairs and dragon dance teams perform together, bringing exquisite visual feasts to citizens.

18. In the ancient county of Zhaiying, Guizhou, people weave dragon heads and keels with bamboo splits, and lighten the dragon spills to celebrate the Spring Festival.

19. In Lishui County, Foshan, Guangdong, water dragon dance performances are held to celebrate the Chinese New Year before and after the Spring Festival. Dragon boats in water symbolize that people will be with vigorous spirit and everything will go well in the new year.

20. In the activity of sedan chair lifting during the Lantern Festival in Yueyang, Hunan, the dragon-shaped colored lantern boats with red lanterns add happy atmosphere to the joyous festival.

21. The dragon dance in celebrating Chinese New Year brings joy to people in Chinatown, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

22. Chingay Parade is a main event to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival in Singapore, and also one of the largest parades in Asia. The Flying Golden Dragon show, one of the parade’s highlights, draws a large crowd.

23. A group of African students show off their skills at the Spring Festival Dragon Dance Contest in Wuhan, Hubei.