DRUSKININKAI, Lithuania, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese New Year was celebrated on Saturday at the famous Lithuanian spa town of Druskininkai, with exhibitions, music, tea ceremony and Kung Fu show.
The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, fell on Feb. 5 this year. In China, celebrations begin about a week in advance and end with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the new year. It is an occasion for family members to reunite, bid farewell to the past year and celebrate the advent of a new spring, with its promise of renewal and hope.
At this Lithuanian spa town, one of the exhibitions was photography titled "Impressions from China". It features 24 images taken by famous Lithuanian photographer Vytautas Daraskevicius during his eight trips to China from 2004 to 2015.
Fascinated by China's diverse and exotic wildlife as well as the rich historical and cultural heritage, Daraskevicius told Xinhua what impressed him most during his stay in China was always the Chinese people and their daily life.
Apart from the exhibitions, visitors were also served with Chinese tea ceremony, performance of Chinese instrument Guzheng, Kung Fu show, and introductions of Chinese New Year customs in Lithuanian.
The event culminated in people rushing to the city square to fly the red Chinese lantern lights, wishing for good luck in the Year of the Pig.
"Lithuanians know well about the Chinese calendar and all the zodiac animals, and this year is the golden pig year, which I think will bring big success, so wish this year will have more tourists from China," said Druskininkai mayor Ricardas Malinauskas.
