European cities join in the celebrations

The London Eye glittered in gold and red. A giant rabbit was installed at Trafalgar Square. Dancers put on dragon and lion costumes, waiting for the drumbeat.

People gathered in lantern-laced Chinatowns across the country.

Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, had come to the United Kingdom.

On Jan 22, tens of thousands of people, in the center of London, celebrated the first day of Lunar New Year. People were able to celebrate again after strict COVID-19 quarantine measures were lifted.

Based on the 12 rotating animals in the Chinese zodiac, 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit, and as the fortunetellers say those who are born in the Year of the Rabbit tend to be vigilant, witty, quick-minded and ingenious.

At 10 am, people dressed in rabbit costumes led a grand parade of around 50 formations, including festive floats and dragon dance troupes, as they made their way from Charing Cross to the north of the city before turning west onto Shaftesbury Avenue and ending in front of the gate of London Chinatown.

Enthusiastic Londoners — Asians and non-Asians alike — lined up along the 1 kilometer route, cheering and wishing one another xin nian kuai le ("happy new year" in Mandarin) as the parade passed.

Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, says on social media: "London would not be the great city it is without the contribution of its East Asian and Southeast Asian communities.

"From my family to yours, I wish everyone celebrating, both in London and around the world, a happy Lunar New Year and a prosperous Year of the Rabbit."

Many people brought their children. One mother says: "I actually came with mom when I was really small, and I remember it very clearly. So I thought my little one would like to see it, too."

Other activities like couplet-writing, handicrafts, traditional Chinese clothes and photo-taking booths had been set up around Chinatown.

Another mother with two children says:"We came down just to help the children see all the different celebrations that take place all around the world, and let them know about different cultural calendars. It's really an excuse to celebrate."

The celebration culminated at the center stage in Trafalgar Square at noon where a flying lion dance gripped everyone's attention as two dancers, holding one lion costume, jumped up and down on 3-meter-high poles.

A congratulatory letter by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was read out at the event: "I am delighted to wish the members of the London Chinatown Chinese Association, and the wider community, a very happy Lunar New Year and a prosperous and peaceful Year of the Rabbit.

"Rabbits are kind, patient, skillful and earnest in everything they do — qualities that I am sure you will agree we should all strive for," he says.

Yang Xiaoguang, charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in the United Kingdom, gave a speech during the event, noting that the Spring Festival celebration in London's Trafalgar Square has become one of the most important Chinese New Year celebrations outside Asia.

"Spring Festival is a traditional holiday in China where families get together and the whole country celebrates," says Yang.

"It is also a time for the Chinese to share happiness with the world."

A wide range of cultural events celebrating Chinese New Year were held elsewhere in the UK and across Europe.

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery hosted family-friendly events on Jan 28 and 29, with a rich program of interactive attractions, including kung fu demonstrations, traditional lion dances, craft activities and an exhibition of traditional folk paintings from North China's Hebei province.

In the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, the festival is gaining popularity. This year the celebration program included a castle light show, cultural workshops and other performances that lasted until Friday.

Besides arts and food, music is another bridge that brings people together during festive times.

In Birmingham, celebrated pianist Xiao Di hosted her 10th annual Didi & Friends Chinese New Year Concert, which expounded the spirit of Sino-British friendship via the form of music. This time she performed with dancer Zhou Hangyu on Thursday.

Two online concerts were hosted by the China-UK International Music Festival on Friday and Saturday — the former combining visual elements into a multimedia concert, named Nonclassical Journey, and the latter celebrating traditional Chinese music by the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

In Paris, local Chinese communities organized a parade at the Place de la Republique on Jan 22, and another big parade was held in the city's 13th arrondissement, where the Chinatown is located, on Jan 28.

Many Parisians, locals and tourists, attended the festival, as it was also the first celebration after the parade was canceled in the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fan Hong, director of the National Image Research Center at Tsinghua University in Beijing, says Chinese New Year promotes cross-cultural communication as many cities around the world have adopted it as part of local holidays, and more people enjoy the celebration of Spring Festival.

"Chinese New Year has become an important 'bridge' that connects different peoples across the world with local Chinese, and bonds the Chinese diaspora with the Chinese cultural identity," she says.