Spring Festival's global appeal grows

People watch performance at Qingjiangpu temple fair during Chinese Lunar New Year holiday in Huai'an city, East China's Jiangsu province, Jan. 30, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

The celebration of Spring Festival worldwide in recent years shows that the traditional Chinese festival has increasingly become a global celebration.

Not least because Chinese people's celebration of the Lunar New Year has brought tangible "Spring Festival dividends" to the rest of the world. According to estimates, more than 6 million Chinese spent their holiday overseas during this year's Spring Festival, bringing huge tourism revenues to their popular destinations.

The celebration of the annual Spring Festival by nearly 10 million Chinese who have emigrated has also helped the traditional Chinese holiday be increasingly recognized and accepted by local people. Statistics show that since China opened its doors to the outside world in 1978, 9.5 million Chinese have emigrated, and compared with previous waves of Chinese migrants, the new generation of Chinese emigrants has more purchasing power and more means to popularize traditional Chinese culture. Under their influence, Spring Festival has increasingly become a global festival enjoyed by more and more non-Chinese people. For example, New York City passed an ordinance last year listing Spring Festival as a vacation for primary and middle school students. The festival is now a public holiday in more than 10 countries.

The evolution of Spring Festival into a global holiday is also inseparable from its unique cultural charm and connotations. Compared with Western culture, Chinese culture, of which Spring Festival constitutes an important part, stresses social cohesion and family reunions. Reunion with family members during major festivals such as Spring Festival is a must for people no matter how far apart they work or live. Such a deep-rooted philosophy best explains the annual travel rush at Spring Festival.