Sharing New Year celebrations with foreign friends

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Qingtian County in southeast China is the hometown of many overseas Chinese who've come back to celebrate the Spring Festival.

And this year, they brought along some of their friends to experience China's biggest holiday which began last Friday as the Year of the Dog.

The festival is celebrated around the world, but nowhere else does it like China.

A traditional fish lamp dance was showcased on the first day in Qingtian, Zhejiang Province.

One foreign visitor said: "I feel very good. The fish lamp performance and the food are great. I can also play puppets here."

While many visitors were immersed in the street ceremonies, others were writing couplets with the locals.

One said: "I enjoy Chinese calligraphy but I didn't get the chance to learn it. Now I can learn from my teacher here. The couplets combined with Chinese culture – it's really great."

And what would Spring Festival be without food?

Some African visitors made snacks with the help of local people.

But the most important occasion for cuisine is the lunar New Year's Eve dinner, which Chinese consider the most important meal of the year.

Another tradition is red envelopes with money as a special holiday gift.