On 7 February 2021, celebrations of the Chinese (Lunar) New Year or Spring Festival were held at the SCO Secretariat with support from the Quick Chinese International Culture Promotion. The event was attended by Secretariat officials and their families.
SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov congratulated the audience on the Spring Festival and noted that 2021 is the year of the White Metal Ox, a strong, hard-working and assertive animal.
Vladimir Norov mentioned the challenges and threats humankind faced in 2020, saying that the SCO had not suspended operation even at the acute phase of the pandemic but played a vital coordination role in strengthening the member states' collaborative efforts against the coronavirus infection.
"I wholeheartedly hope that 2021 will be a year of new achievements, the implementation of important plans, stability and prosperity for the people of China and all SCO countries," the SCO Secretary-General concluded his remarks.
The programme of the event included a review of traditional Chinese arts and folklore, including the art of Beijing opera, and the internal Chinese exercise systems Tai Chi Chuan and Tai Chi Fan (Tai Ji Shan or Flying Fan).
Visitors were invited to try their hand at Chinese calligraphy and pumpkin carving, flying Chinese kites and the Chinese art of paper cutting.
Chinese New Year (Lunar Year or Spring Festival) is the main and the longest festival in China. It is celebrated on the second new moon after the winter solstice on 21 December, or between 21 January and 20 February according to the Gregorian calendar.
The Miaohui temple gatherings or temple fairs were first held in China more than 2000 years ago. They begin on the Chinese New Year and last until the end of the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month in the lunisolar Chinese calendar.