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
Iran's capital Tehran was subjected to large-scale airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Friday night while two U.S. warplanes were downed over Iran and the Gulf, Iranian forces said.
At around 21:00, an aircraft was seen flying over northeastern Tehran, and subsequently, Iran's air defense system was activated.
More than two hours later, Iran was hit by another air attack, leading to major explosions. It came after the Iranian military announced that its air defense system had successfully shot down a U.S. A-10 fighter jet, marking the second U.S. warplane hit by Iranian fire that day. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday night threatened to hit Iran "extremely hard over the next two to three weeks," a timeline he has recently set for ending the monthlong war.
Iran has rejected a U.S. proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire delivered to Iran through a "friendly" country, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Friday.
The report added that Iran's response to the offer was not given in writing, but through the continuation of attacks in the battlefield.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East.
Tehran hit by large-scale US-Israeli air attacks
