Paris, the Flower City, is Europe’s largest and most prosperous Chinese city. It features a large and a small Chinatown. The large Chinatown is located in the 13th arrondissement around the Porte de Choisy and Porte d’Ivry metro stations, along the streets of Choisy and d’Ivry; the small Chinatown is in Belleville in the north of the city. During Chinese or Western holidays, the shops and streets in these two areas become particularly bustling. Especially during the Chinese New Year, the streets are decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, full of joyous atmosphere. For the French, this undoubtedly adds a somewhat illusory exotic flair, but for people from Asia, it feels like time and space have reversed, plunging them into an illusory hometown holiday scene. This is not a dream but the result of globalization, so Paris hosts a unique Carnival every Chinese New Year.

This year, the Chinese “Year of the Golden Pig” arrived a bit late, coinciding with the school winter break in Paris. On the last day of the break, many schools even recommended Chinese meals, illustrating the cultural impact. On New Year’s Eve (February 16), firecrackers continuously echoed through the Chinatown. Within the Chinese community, the tradition of setting off firecrackers to bid farewell to the old year and welcome spring, as well as burning incense and praying at temples or exchanging New Year greetings, remains quite strong in a foreign land. Every Chinese New Year, French mainstream media never fails to provide vivid reports. Even the French President or the Mayor of Paris often sends New Year greetings to the Chinese community through Chinese media with auspicious words. In recent years, major supermarkets in Paris have launched various Chinese food weeks, signaling the global concept of the Chinese New Year?

On February 17, the first day of the Chinese New Year, the Paris municipal government collaborated with Chinese community associations to hold a unique and grand Chinese New Year Carnival for Parisians. At the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, spectacular dragon and lion dances and colorful folk costume parades attracted many curious Parisians amidst joyous drumbeats. Then, a massive parade moved through the center of Paris, announcing this traditional Chinese festive holiday to the Parisians. Television always ensures coverage of Chinese New Year traditions, especially curiosity and speculation about the Year of the Golden Pig.

The 13th arrondissement, home to the large Chinatown, did not feature special performances. Shops remained open despite the holiday, and the streets were crowded with people. Chinese community lion dance troupes toured various shops and restaurants to ward off evil and welcome fortune, with continuous rumbling firecrackers. Over the weekend, this attracted many curious Parisians to watch, suggesting that only here can people still feel a hint of the Chinese New Year atmosphere.

This week (Sunday afternoon, February 25), the Chinese New Year celebrations continued in the 13th arrondissement of the large Chinatown in Paris. As in previous years, dragon dances, lion dances, team groups from various associations, figures in colorful ancient costumes, flag teams, traditional music carriages, and dignified deity processions paraded grandly amidst noisy traditional music and strings of rumbling firecrackers. Starting from the street of d’Ivry to Place d’Italie, then turning back onto the street of Choisy, both streets were packed with crowds watching this unique carnival. The Paris Chinese New Year concluded after this exotic-filled grand parade.