Paris Saint-Germain's Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi reacts after scoring a goal disallowed for offside during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Stade de Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on January 29, 2023. Photo: VCG

As we entered the Year of the Rabbit, a wide range of major sports teams across the world celebrated the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, and sent out their best wishes to their Chinese supporters. 

On Sunday, French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) continued their tradition of celebrating the Chinese New Year during their Ligue 1 match against Reims, their first home game in over half a month. Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and the rest of the team wore shirts with their Chinese names written on the back instead of their English names. This was the fourth time in a row that the French team has celebrated the Chinese New Year this way. 

And the Parc des Princes, the Paris team's home stadium, was resplendent in Chinese New Year colors as red Chinese lanterns, umbrellas and other traditional Chinese decorations brought a festive atmosphere to the venue. The club also used LED display to offer their best wishes to their Chinese supporters in the Year of the Rabbit.

The traditional Chinese New Year has gradually become a popular festival celebrated around the world, and global sports teams' celebration of the event is more evidence of the rising influence of traditional Chinese culture.

The Spring Festival is now widely celebrated around the world, while football has long been a source of joy for fans all over the globe. The combination of the two can make more people feel the joy and beauty of life.

PSG is just one of the many major European football clubs to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Messi's former team FC Barcelona also paid tribute to the Chinese New Year with similar special shirts with players' Chinese names during their recent La Liga match. Barca kicked off celebrations on January 22, the first day of the Year of the Rabbit, with a variety of activities at Camp Nou. Fans could enjoy traditional Chinese dragon and lion dance performances, musical acts and Chinese calligraphy. 

Beside PSG and Barca, Italy's Inter Milan, England's Arsenal and Germany's Bayern Munich, among others, all celebrated the Chinese New Year with various activities. 
Outside football, a number of major basketball and ice hockey teams in North America also sent wishes for a great New Year to Chinese fans. 

According to reports, a total of 27 National Basketball Association teams have celebrated the Chinese New Year over the past two weeks through various online and offline activities, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets.

In the National Hockey League, the Vegas Golden Knights welcomed the Year of the Rabbit with special warmup jerseys and a variety of activities before, during and after their game for Chinese New Year. 

Other teams like the Seattle Kraken and Canada's Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames also posted similar activities to mark the holiday.

The author is an editor of the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn