From red lanterns to Spring Festival scrolls, elements of the Chinese New Year fill Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games venues during the traditional holiday in China, creating a warm and festive atmosphere for the Olympic staff, volunteers and foreign athletes.

Videos and pictures showing life inside the Beijing Olympic Village have flooded social media both in China and overseas recent days. Of them, many foreign athletes shared their experience of participating in various activities of the Chinese New Year.

Inside the Olympic Village, lanterns, Chinese knots and other festival decorations are seen everywhere. Beijing's intangible cultural heritage, such as the old Beijing rabbit figures and Peking Opera costumes, are also displayed in the village, showing both Chinese traditional cultures and the thriving Chinese New Year festival custom.

The Global Times reporters learnt from volunteers at Beijing Olympics Main Media Center on Wednesday that they started celebrating Chinese New Year on January 26 by writing "Fu" - a Chinese character meaning "fortune," on red paper and hanging red lanterns inside the center. They also recorded videos of sending Chinese New Year wishes to all on Tuesday.

Chen Wun-cheng, a teacher from Peking University from the Changhua county of the island of Taiwan, also organized activities with a Winter Olympics volunteer team of Taiwan youth based in Beijings Zizhuyuan Park to celebrate the festival, including making paper cut-outs for window decoration, making lanterns and solving riddles, he said at a Wednesday press conference introducing the volunteer work during the Games.

In terms of food, Yan Jiarong, spokesperson for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympics, said at a press conference on Tuesday that the committee has prepared dumplings, spring rolls, roast duck and sticky riceballs for athletes and guests during Chinese New Year so that they can "taste the festival."

The Chinese food have gained popularity in the Olympic village. Czech ice dancer Natalie Taschlerova told the Global Times on Wednesday that she was happy to be served dumplings and spring rolls in the Olympic Village, which were her favorite.

She also showed some Spring-festival-themed packages that she received from the committee, which was comprised of foldable red lanterns and Spring Festival scrolls. The 20-year-old Czech athlete shared her excitement with the Global Times, saying that her experiences inside Beijing Olympic Village has been very hospitable.

Like Taschlerova, many foreign athletes have expressed appreciation over the arrangement either by actively participating in the New Year activities or posting pictures and videos on social media platforms.

British athletes have had fun learning to write Chinese calligraphy and couplets, which are often pasted on doors during the Spring Festival holidays. A video showing them writing using traditional Chinese writing brushes has circulated on Chinese social media, with some netizens joking that they look like theyre going on a vacation in China.

The Team exclaimed in a Twitter post that its pretty special to be celebrating Chinese New Year in the Winter Olympic venues and villages, especially mentioning that there are "beautiful red lanterns" outside every house.

The American athletes were videoed learning Chinese Kung Fu in the Winter Olympic village. Besides this, athletes are also reported to have learned how to make Chinese dumplings on New Years Eve.