As the flavor of the Year of the Horse grows stronger in China, the festive atmosphere of the Chinese Spring Festival is also rising around the world, and a global gathering is unfolding.

On February 8th local time, the 2026 Spanish "Happy Spring Festival" concert and "Chinese Flavor" reception were held at the National Concert Hall in Madrid.

As an important brand event for cultural exchange between China and the West, "Happy Spring Festival" has been held in Spain for 15 consecutive years. The 2026 "Happy Spring Festival" series of activities in Spain vividly showcases the rich connotations of cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and the West, further enhancing the golden signboard of "Happy Spring Festival".

Spanish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Economy, Yolanda Diaz, stated in her speech that cultural diversity "endows us with enormous collective wealth", and Spain and China should work together to promote mutual respect, exchange and learning among different civilizations. Esther Hill, Deputy Speaker of the Spanish House of Representatives, also stated that Spain and China have continuously consolidated their comprehensive strategic partnership by formulating and implementing an action plan covering the period from 2025 to 2028, and the results of cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, investment, tourism, and cultural exchanges are gradually emerging.

Chinese Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism Gao Zheng stated that dialogue among civilizations is an important component of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the West. In recent years, China has continued to facilitate personnel exchanges. By 2025, the number of Spanish citizens visiting China will exceed 210,000, and the number of Chinese citizens visiting the West will exceed 800,000, both reaching historical highs.

At the event, Chinese and Western guests lit up the "Lucky Horse" lanterns together, tasted Chinese and Western specialty cuisine, and participated in intangible cultural heritage experiences such as tea art and flower arrangement. The Shanghai National Orchestra, Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, and Madrid Philharmonic Orchestra collaborated to perform classic songs such as "Spring Festival Overture," "Peony Pavilion: Dreams," "Landscape," "Treading on the Waves," and "Luis Alonso's Wedding," presenting a colorful concert that blends Chinese and Western music styles and artistic characteristics.

On that day, the exhibition "Ancient China in Culture and Creativity" opened at the Madrid Chinese Cultural Center, showcasing 21 sets of cultural relics replicas and 565 sets of cultural and creative masterpieces from 19 cultural and museum institutions, including the National Museum of China. The exhibition is specially planned to show the customs of the Chinese Spring Festival and the culture of the zodiac. The exhibition will continue until March 15th.

The reporter learned that from January 21 to March 21, a series of Spring Festival cultural activities with the theme of music, food, folk customs, exhibition and social cooperation have been launched in Spain, presenting a three-dimensional and vivid Chinese Spring Festival for the local people.

The "Happy Spring Festival" craze surging in Spain is just a corner of the global popularity of the 2026 "Happy Spring Festival" event.

Shift your focus from Europe to North America. The reporter learned from the Chinese Embassy in Cuba that the "Happy Spring Festival" event in 2026 will bring new innovations. In addition to the reserved projects of previous years, two special events will be held to bring a refreshing Chinese New Year experience to the local people.

On February 4th local time, the 2026 Spring Festival reception and the opening ceremony of the "Galloping Wind - Horses in the Eyes of Cuban Artists" themed exhibition were held in the lobby of the National Theatre of Cuba. At the same time as 9 sets of sculptural art works by three contemporary Cuban artists, Arel, Martinez, and Perez, made their debut, two artists were "painting horses in the Year of the Horse" on site. Painter Luis presented the lead painted work "The Mighty Beauty of a Steed" completed on the spot to the Chinese Embassy in Cuba. The exhibition will continue until March 5th.

At the opening ceremony, representatives from ancient Chinese and overseas Chinese communities, Cuban martial arts schools, and Cuban students from the Confucius Institute at Havana University performed children's dances such as "Fish Lantern Fun," Tai Chi Fan, Chinese ethnic dances, and choir performances of "Blue and White Porcelain." The Cuban National Choir's renditions of ancient famous songs like "Jasmine Flower" and "Love You in the Best Way" were met with cheers.

The music of the Silk Road resounds more and more across the ocean, and the elegant charm of the flying sky blooms in Cuba. On January 27th, the "Happy Spring Festival · Prosperous Music" concert was held in Havana. The performance was held within the framework of the 41st Cuba International Jazz Festival, jointly completed by Dunhuang Ancient Orchestra and Cuban musicians. Through the wonderful ensemble of instruments such as pipa, dutar, violin, flute, harp, etc., it vividly interprets the integration and innovation of traditional and modern, Eastern and Western cultures. The Cuban audience said, "It's all amazing! The performance was fantastic! It's a very interesting and poetic thing: the process of how different arts blend and express their deepest emotions."

Not only the wonderful performances on stage, Dunhuang art has also entered the vision of the Cuban people in various forms. In the Dunhuang Music and Dance Lecture, the ancient orchestra shared the interpretation process of Dunhuang ancient music notation, the evolution of traditional instruments, the core concepts of music and dance creation, and the historical significance of cultural inheritance. At the National Academy of Fine Arts in Cuba, members of the ancient orchestra had in-depth exchanges with students, performed classic music and dance scenes on site, shared the creative stories and inheritance process of Dunhuang art, taught traditional instrument playing techniques, and allowed students to experience the unique charm of Dunhuang music and dance up close.

On February 6th, the 2026 UK "Happy Spring Festival" series of activities was launched at the Chinese Embassy in the UK; On February 7th, the "Happy Spring Festival · Water Charm Jiangsu" themed exhibition and Jiangsu tourism promotion activity were held in Luxembourg; On February 8th, 2026, the "Warm Spring Festival · Happy Spring Festival" parade in Dubai was held at the Dubai World Expo City; On February 10th, 2026, the "Happy Spring Festival" temple fair in Laos officially began... The footsteps of the Chinese New Year of the Horse are getting closer, and more vivid stories of the "Happy Spring Festival" will be continued.