Two locals in Quzhou prepare a fish dish for the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner. Fish is a must dish for Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, because "fish" in Chinese sounds like the character for "prosperity", symbolizing an abundant and comfortable life. [Photo/WeChat account: quzhoufb]

Celebrations for the Chinese New Year are underway across the world as people from various cultures come together to usher in the Year of the Tiger, which starts on Jan 31.

A slew of fanmaking celebrations and other fantastic performances and activities designed for all ages in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province attracted mainstream attention in China such as Xinhua and China Central Television (CCTV).

Take the ritual for Start of Spring in Jiuhua for example.

Quzhou city held a grand ritual on Feb 4 – the same day that Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games kicked off – in its Kecheng district to welcome the Start of Spring this year.

The rituals date back 1,000 years and have been formally observed each year since 2005 in the village on this special day of the Chinese lunar calendar, signaling the start of the farming season. On this day, farmers perform a ritual to wish for a bountiful harvest.

During the ceremony, a total of 24 overseas Chinese were invited to join local residents for a series of activities, including paying tribute to the god of spring and the land and whipping the spring, as part of time-honored rituals to carry on China's agricultural traditions.

In addition, in terms of the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, time-honored and well-known spicy dishes, the distinguishing feature of gastronomic delicacies in the city of Quzhou, would be the first choice for locals.

Residents from other cities in Zhejiang prefer to eat light or sweet food, creating a culinary contrast in Quzhou. White pepper in Longyou county also was highlighted at the dinner table during the spring holiday festival.