A light show is held to celebrate Chinese New Year in Recife, Brazil, Jan 19, 2023. Photo:Xinhua

 
Iguazu, a famous tourist city in southern Brazil, signed a bill officially listing Chinese New Year as an official holiday in the city, the city mayor Chico Brasileiro announced on Sunday local time.

The city Iguazu has kept an annual tradition of celebrating the Chinese New Year since 2019, according to a news release on the city council's website.

Iguazu City Councilor João Morales, the initiator of the motion, proposed the Chinese New Year as an official holiday, adding that the inclusion is a great way to bring Chinese culture to the locals. The motion was passed unanimously by the city council on February 14.

The city of Iguazu is located in the south of Brazil, near the border of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, and is the second most visited city in Brazil. The city is known worldwide for the Iguazu Falls, one of the three largest waterfalls in the world.

Recife, was the first city in Brazil to establish the Chinese New Year as an official holiday when the city council passed a bill in September 2022 to include Chinese New Year in the city's official calendar. This is also the first time that Recife has established an official holiday related to China, following the establishment of the August 15 diplomatic relations day between China and Brazil as "Chinese Immigrants' Day" in 2019. 

In January, a series of activities were held in many places in Brazil to celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit and the Lantern Festival, attracting the enthusiastic participation of many local overseas Chinese and Brazilian people.