The usually serene village of Heping, Mashan town, Wuxi was extraordinarily bustling on Feb 21 as more than 100 foreigners from about 20 countries gathered there to spend the Lantern Festival with locals.

Lantern Festival falls on Feb 22 this year, the 15th day of the first lunar month. This is the first full moon of the New Year, symbolizing unity and perfection. Lantern Festival is an important part of Spring Festival, and marks the official end of the long holiday.

Flanking the village's main road was a wide range of folk art and performances, such as lions and dragons dancing, drumming, land-boat races, a tug-of-war and lantern riddles.

An Italian told reporters that he knew about Chinese festivals only from TV, and he was very happy and excited to be able to watch live traditional performances.

A Slovakian and his wife, Tang, said that their daughter was born in the Year of the Dragon, so the Dance of Dragon was her favorite performance.

The Lantern Festival event in Heping village, Mashan town also marks the beginning of the series of complementary events taking place throughout the year, entitled, "2016 Love in Wuxi".

Last year, Wuxi invited some 600 foreigners from more than 20 countries to experience the culture of Wuxi, including talk shows and tourism activities.

Folk artists perform traditional dance in costume to celebrate the Lantern Festival in Mashan town, Wuxi, on Feb 21. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]