Racing into the Year of the Horse, celebrations spread across UAE

At the close of 2024, UNESCO added Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of traditional New Year, to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Spring Festival is becoming a global celebration, says Chinese Consul General in Dubai Ou Boqian, adding that "Spring Festival today is far more than a public holiday in China but a cultural bridge connecting people of different backgrounds."

During the event held in its main building hall at the American University of Sharjah, international students tried on traditional Chinese and Sharjah attire and engaged in hands-on arts and crafts.

The university's chancellor, Tod Laursen, emphasizes the importance of such exchanges. These experiences enrich education by allowing students to learn from one another and enjoy the festivities together, he says.

The festive spirit also flowed through Dubai's waterways over the last weekend of January with the 2026 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Challenge. More than 1,000 professional athletes and enthusiasts paddled in vibrantly decorated dragon boats, sharing the excitement of the Chinese New Year with the city's cosmopolitan residents.

Gianluca Salvicchi, an Italian participant on a multinational team representing Chinese financial institutions in the UAE, says the experience reminded him of similar events in Italy.

"Dragon boating tests strength, focus, and teamwork," he says. "Our team, made up of members from China, Italy and Pakistan, trained just a few times a week. It was challenging, but exhilarating."