As the Spring Festival approaches, celebrations have been taking place across the globe in recent days to celebrate the grand festival and ring in the upcoming Year of the Horse.

A cultural event showcasing Chinese New Year traditions at the ASEAN Secretariat headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia was the first such event hosted at the ASEAN headquarters.

Diplomatic envoys from ASEAN member states along with senior officials from the ASEAN Secretariat gathered to enjoy traditional Chinese theater, dancing, and instrumental performances.

On Tuesday, another exhibition showing Spring Festival culture opened in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia with representatives from the African Union Commission and United Nations agencies attending the opening ceremony.

This year has been designated as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, and this exhibition used the Spring Festival to help build cultural bridges between Africa and China.

A Chinese New Year parade also took place recently on the Champs-Elysees in Paris where traditional dragon and lion dances, Yingge dance, or "dance to the hero's song," and Yangko, a traditional folk dance renowned for its sweeping steps and twirling handkerchiefs, drew crowds of international tourists who exchanged new year greetings in various languages, spreading festive wishes.

In Peru's capital Lima an event to mark Peru-China Fraternity Day and celebrate the Spring Festival featured dragon and lion dances, along with Chinese folk culture displays.

"It is possible to form bonds even in cultural practices that seem distant, but which are based on the search for friendship, truth, and above all, happiness. May this be a year of happiness for both peoples. Warm greetings to the entire Chinese community in Peru and to all of China," said Alfredo Martin Luna Briceno, minister of Culture of Peru.