A montage showcasing traditional Chinese folk customs was aired during the 2026 Spring Festival Gala on Monday evening. The segment, titled "Horse Year Market", heralded the arrival of the Year of the Horse, which begins on Tuesday.
The sequence recreated the atmosphere of a holiday market commonly seen across China during the Spring Festival season.
Artisans shaped molten sugar into animal figures, a craft practiced for generations. Vendors prepared tanghulu -- skewered hawthorn berries coated in hardened syrup -- a popular festive snack.
Red paper-cuttings featuring horse motifs were displayed alongside lantern installations. Clay horse figurines were molded by hand, while families hung red lanterns to welcome the new year.
The segment ended with viewers from various countries extending greetings in Chinese and wishing audiences "good luck in the Year of the Horse," underscoring the gala's broad international viewership.
First broadcast in 1983, the annual Spring Festival Gala has become a hallmark of Chinese New Year celebrations in China. Recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's most-watched annual television program, it attracts more than 1billion viewers each year.
Folk traditions featured in "Horse Year Market" gala segment
A talented choir consisting of villagers and farmers from one of China's agricultural heartlands took to the stage at the main venue of the China Media Group (CMG)'s Spring Festival Gala in Beijing on Monday evening.
The farmers from the rural Dazhanchang Town of Zhongwei City in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, teamed up with Chinese pop music duo Phoenix Legend, to deliver an uplifting song about sharing in the joy of a fruitful harvest.
The colorful segment took viewers on a journey to experience a bountiful autumn harvest with baskets brimming with grain, golden rice stalks and fiery red chilies -- one of the region's signature culinary ingredients.
The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional holiday for the Chinese people, and watching the Spring Festival Gala, also known as "Chunwan," on is a cherished part of the celebrations in hundreds of millions of Chinese homes.
Since first broadcast in 1983, the gala has been a cherished part of Chinese people's celebration of the Spring Festival. The gala recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-watched annual television program on the planet.
The Spring Festival itself was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024.
The 2026 Spring Festival falls on Tuesday this year, ushering in the Year of the Horse.
Rural farmers choir delivers uplifting song of bountiful harvest at Spring Festival Gala
