Chinese New Year celebration in Iran

The Chinese Spring Festival atmosphere is being felt beyond the country's border. We go now to Teheran, capital city of Iran, to see how locals are joining in the celebrations of the coming Chinese New Year.

A lively performance of lion dance kicked off the "Happy Chinese New Year in Iran". Take a closer look, and you find that the performers were not Chinese. In fact, the Iranian performers were from a local martial arts club.

The event was organized by the Chinese Embassy in Iran and invited some 1500 local residents to take part in. Most were encouraged to come with their families, as the core of the Chinese New Year is family reunion.

A treat of traditional Chinese snacks has no problems attracting a long queue. The Mohseni couple said they just couldn't have enough of Chinese delicacies.

Yu Hongyang, Chinese Ambassador to Iran, said that the activity aims at showcasing Chinese festival traditions and custom.

Yu said, "The purpose of 'Happy Chinese New Year in Iran' is to show the local people how the Chinese celebrate their most important festival. We want the participants to enjoy the festival as much as we do. It is also a good opportunity for Iranians to gain more knowledge about Chinese culture. "

At the end of the day, artists from northwest China's Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region wowed the crowd with ethnic dances.