UN Recognizes Spring Festival as a Global Floating Holiday.

Starting in 2024, the United Nations has officially included the Spring Festival as a floating holiday in its calendar of conferences and meetings.

The UN General Assembly passed a resolution recognizing the importance of the Spring Festival, which is celebrated in numerous UN member states. The resolution invited UN bodies worldwide to refrain from organizing meetings during the Spring Festival, allowing participants to honor and appreciate this vital cultural event fully.

The resolution, passed unanimously on Friday, suggests considering this arrangement when creating future conference and meeting calendars.

Dai Bing, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, emphasized the significance of the Spring Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday that embodies family reunification, good wishes, and harmony. This festival reflects Chinese civilization’s values of peace and unity and resonates with universal human principles, promoting harmonious families, inclusive societies, and a balanced relationship between people and nature. The adoption of the resolution acknowledges and celebrates these shared values and their enduring relevance across cultures and generations.

Many nations recognize the Spring Festival as a national holiday, and approximately one-fifth of the global population observes this celebration in diverse ways, as per Dai Bing’s statement.

Dai stated that China’s initiative to recognize the Spring Festival as a United Nations holiday aligns with its broader Global Civilization Initiative, aiming to celebrate cultural diversity globally and foster inclusive exchange among different civilizations.

According to Dai, the resolution demonstrates the impact of Chinese civilization and seeks to deepen mutual understanding and respect amongst various civilizations globally. Additionally, it aligns with and supports the diversity and inclusivity principles upheld by the United Nations.

Dai’s decision to include the Spring Festival on the UN holiday calendar received enthusiastic approval and appreciation from both UN member states and personnel within the UN Secretariat.

The United Nations recognizes globally celebrated holidays as floating holidays and avoids scheduling meetings on these dates to honor their significance and allow participants to observe them without scheduling conflicts.