The Chinese New Year of the Pig was celebrated in grand style in Selles-sur-Cher, a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France from Jan 16 to 19, with numerous fun activities of festive Chinese-style celebrations and performances put on by Shandong artists.

The Spring Festival atmosphere was provided by a convivial parade of lion and dragon dancing as well as displays of paper cutting, calligraphy, folk music, fireworks and Sichuan opera face changing, attracting hordes of schoolchildren and their families.

"I learned how to kick shuttlecock for the first time but I liked the game immediately. It's quite challenging but fun and I will keep practicing," said a local schoolgirl.

Christina Brown, vice-president of the council of Loir-et-Cher department, spoke highly of the festive event. 

She said that the event provided a platform that is joyful, harmonious and accessible to local residents to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year and experience Chinese culture, which although may seem perhaps initially a little alien to them, can also prove a fascinating insight to a different country's customs.

The Spring Festival celebration fully demonstrates the friendship between China and France, she added.

The celebration, jointly organized by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Chinese Embassy in France and the Taierzhuang ancient town in Shandong province, was part of the "Happy Chinese New Year" cultural program, a worldwide activity for celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year, hosted by China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism and other Chinese authorities since 2009.

The festive dragon dance parade attracts hordes of visitors in Selles-sur-Cher, a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France on Jan 19. [Photo/WeChat account: tezgc2008]

A jubilant and upbeat lion dance adds a Spring Festival atmosphere in Selles-sur-Cher, a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France. [Photo/WeChat account: tezgc2008]

Local kids queue up to experience stone rubbing during a Spring Festival celebration in Selles-sur-Cher, Loir-et-Cher department of central France on Jan 19. [Photo/WeChat account: tezgc2008]