Chinese Spring Festival was added to the Representative List of the Intangible cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2024.

On December 4th, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed the Spring Festival, a traditional Chinese New Year celebration embodying social practices of the Chinese people, onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

This recognition brings the total number of Chinese entries on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage lists to 44, making China the leading country worldwide in this regard.

The Spring Festival is China's most profound and culturally rich traditional holiday, with the largest participation and far-reaching influence. For thousands of years, it has been a carrier of familial affection, national identity, and values of harmony—between humans and nature, as well as among people. It plays a pivotal role in fostering family unity, social cohesion, and economic growth.

With its growing international presence, the Spring Festival has become a widely accepted and cherished symbol of Chinese culture around the world. Its inclusion in UNESCO's Representative List signifies a milestone in promoting cultural recognition among Chinese communities globally, advancing the Global Civilization Initiative, and contributing to building a shared future for humanity.

Spring Festival is China's biggest extravaganza and a day for family reunion. Being around family members at the turn of the year is a vital ritual for the Chinese people.

The first day of the first lunar month is Spring Festival, the beginning of a new year for china.Spring Festival is China's biggest extravaganza and a day for family reunion.Being around family members at the turn of the year is a vital ritual for the Chinese people.

Many of those living away from their hometowns return home during Spring Festival,which gives rise to what's called "the largest annual human migration in the world”,also known as the "Spring Festival travel rush".

The Spring Festival celebration is a continuous process,starting from the 23rd or 24th of the 12th lunar month.People often worship the Kitchen God,clean their houses,do their shopping,and put up Spring Festival couplets (blessing words posted on door frames),until New Year's Eve on the lunar calendar.

These customs can be traced back to a Chinese legend.It is said that in ancient times, there was a monster named Nian,who would come out and harm the world by the end of each lunar year.People then took measures to send the monster away,such as putting up red couplets as Nian detested the color red, and setting off fireworks and firecrackers at their doors to scare it away.

In addition to staying up late on New Year's Eve,having a New Year's Eve dinner and watching the Spring Festival Gala are two important customs of Spring Festival.

New Year's Eve dinner are manifested in different ways in different parts of china.Those in South China must have a dish of fish,because "fish" in chinese sounds similar to the character for "prosperity",symbolizing an abundant and comfortable life. Those in North china often eat dumplings,which symbolize "reunion" and "fortune".

The Spring Festival Gala is a variety TV program broadcast annually to celebrate the lunar New Year.The gala attracts the largest audience of any entertainment show in the world ,and runs for more than four hours, making it the longest TV show in the world.lt is often hailed as a cultural feast for Chinese people on New Year's Eve.

There is also a custom of giving and receiving red envelopes, or hongbao. Traditionally, adults placed money into red envelopes,and gave them to the children to wish them peace and good luck in the coming year.Nowadays, with the popularization of mobile payment in China,it is a trend to send red envelopes digitally.The internet can deliver New Year's wishes to each and every loved one,even if they are thousandsof miles away.

Chinese Spring Festival was added to the Representative List of the Intangible cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2024.

Watch this video to find out more about the most important festival for the Chinese people.