UK embracing Year of the Snake celebrations

A rich variety of Spring Festival celebrations await people in the United Kingdom wanting to mark the start of the Year of the Snake.

Spring Festival events have been well-received in many places across the country and have attracted increasingly large numbers of British people wanting to experience Chinese culture, said Zhao Fei, minister from China's embassy in the UK, who spoke at a launch ceremony at the embassy's cultural sector on Thursday.

UNESCO listed Spring Festival, which is the Chinese people's celebration of the Chinese New Year, on its intangible cultural heritage register in December 2024, which makes this year's Spring Festival extra special, Zhao added.

Chinese New Year falls on Jan 29 this year and, in the UK capital, the London Eye will glitter in red on Jan 28 to usher in the start of the Year of the Snake. A lion dance will also be performed in the square next to the landmark as part of an event co-hosted by the London Chinatown Chinese Association, or LCCA, and London Eye.