The Panamanian Government announced on the 12th, November, that it will designate the Chinese Lunar New Year as a national holiday in Panama from 2022 and integrate the celebrations of the Spring Festival into Panama’s international tourism promotion plan.

Ivan Eskildsen, Director of Panama National Administration, held a press conference at the newly opened Panama Convention and Exhibition Center, and said that this decision aims to recognize the Panamanian Chinese community's contribution to identity recognition, ethnic diversity and multiculturalism of Panama. This will also boost Panama's economy. The Panama Government is currently negotiating with the Chinese Embassy in Panama and Chinese communities in other Latin American countries on the promotion of the 2022 Spring Festival celebrations. These celebrations are expected to generate more than $100 million in economic output.

The celebration of the Spring Festival: The traditional Chinese dragon dance. The photo is provided by Xinhua News.

Wei Qiang, the Chinese Ambassador to Panama, said at the press conference that the Spring Festival is the most traditional holiday for the Chinese, and the celebrations outside China are also increasing day by day. The Chinese have a long history of settlement in Panama and have formed a very extensive local community.

Carlos Aguilar, Panama's Minister of Culture, told the reporter from Xinhua News that the arrival of Chinese in Panama can date back to the mid-19th century. More than 200,000 Chinese now live in Panama. The existence of Chinese people exerts a great influence on Panama’s culture. The Spring Festival is designated as a national holiday in Panama, with the purpose of making Panama a meeting point for all Chinese families in Latin America, so that they can celebrate the Lunar New Year as they do in China.