Cities worldwide have hosted light shows, temple fairs and festive events to welcome the Year of the Horse, adding festive vibe for locals during the traditional holiday for the Chinese people.
On the evening of February 15, multiple cultural landmarks in Saint Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, were illuminated in red to mark the Chinese New Year.
Chinese and Russian guests and local residents attended the lighting ceremony.
The Peter and Paul Fortress was lit up with Zigong lanterns from southwest China's Sichuan Province. Other iconic landmarks, including the Winter Palace Bridge and the Lakhta Center, also known as Europe's tallest skyscraper, were decorated in "China Red" too.
"The most important thing is that every year we celebrate the Spring Festival with new ideas. This year, we are grateful for the participation of China's Sichuan Province, which presented us with these exquisite lanterns. They symbolize friendship, peace and prosperity," said Evgeny Grigoriev, deputy mayor and chairman, St. Petersburg's Committee for Foreign Relations.
Spring Festival celebration activity was also held in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city on Feb 14.
Cultural experience booths were set up at the airport in the city, where travelers posed for photos in front of festive decorations, sampled traditional delicacies and tried their hand at Chinese calligraphy.
On the same day, more than 10,000 local residents in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, celebrated the Spring Festival together. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and several other government officials attended the opening ceremony.
"Just Happy New Year! It's going to be a wonderful Year of the Horse and I want to say to everybody Happy New Year; enjoy the time with family and friends and celebrate it well," said Luxon.
In San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, a temple fair themed with traditional culture kicked off on Feb 14, attracting more than 50,000 visitors this year.
Across the Pacific in Canada, festive cheer has also been in the air.
At the Calgary International Airport in Alberta Province on Feb 13, lanterns and traditional "Fu" characters adorned the terminal, allowing travelers to experience the spirit of the Chinese New Year upon arrival.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the sister-province relationship between Alberta and northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
The city of Calgary invited a delegation and ice sculptors from Heilongjiang to participate in the local winter festival, where they created intricate ice sculptures that attracted numerous residents and tourists.
"I'm wishing everybody peace, prosperity, health, luck over the coming year and let's keep this forward momentum. (switch to Chinese) Good luck in the Year of the Horse!" said Jeromy Farkas, mayor of Calgary.
Colorful celebrations held across globe to mark Chinese New Year
