On Dec. 4, UNESCO added the Spring Festival to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. With this milestone, China now has 44 items on the list, ranking first globally. This success also resolves disputes with Korea and Vietnam over the festival's origins.
Celebrated by about one-fifth of the world's population, Chinese New Year is a time for joy and tradition, not just in China, but across the globe.
In North Korea, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore, people exchange oranges for good fortune. Even Japan's Okinawa Island continues traditional Chinese New Year celebrations. San Francisco's Chinese New Year parade is one of the largest in the world, and Vancouver's Chinatown parade is a major highlight in Canada.
In HK, expatriates embrace the festivities by wearing traditional Chinese clothing and saying "Kung Hei Fat Choy", as they distribute red envelopes.
