Feature: Spring Festival celebrations bring Spaniards closer to China and its culture

MADRID, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of people celebrated the Chinese New Year over the weekend in several cities in Spain, including the capital Madrid, where a massive parade to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Dragon was held on Sunday.

"I loved the parade. I went looking for music, dragons, culture and Chinese food. There was everything," 18-year-old Iure Suarez told Xinhua.

Iure lives in the southern Madrid district of Usera, where the parade was held for the ninth consecutive year. Usera is the heart of the celebrations for the Spring Festival, home to many of the over 35,000 people who make up the Chinese community in Madrid.

"They are celebrations that transport you to another place. I like them a lot because they take me to oriental culture, bringing us closer together," said Iure's mother Begona Pablos, a social worker.

She said she wanted her children to have an "open mind and live with other cultures" and had decided to visit the "super quiet" neighborhood of Usera to soak up Chinese traditions.

Another of those attending the parade in Usera was Cristina Silva, a teacher at the San Jan Bautista preschool and primary school in Madrid.

"It was funny because suddenly I saw two girls from school who were on the first float," said Cristina, who was attending the parade for the first time and who took advantage of her visit to Usera to go to a Chinese supermarket to buy Chinese "vegetables, noodles and soy sauce."

Cristina believes events such as the Spring Festival celebrations "clearly bring us closer to China and its traditions. There were people with families everywhere: in the shops, restaurants, street food stalls."

Miguel Angel Salgado, who also works in education, said he was attracted by Chinese culture, especially its gastronomy.

"I had been wanting to come for several years. Every year, you see the parades, the parties, and the colorful dragons in the news, which is very attractive. On Saturday, we saw a girl on the metro wearing a traditional Chinese costume, and we thought, 'Let's go to the parade,'" he said.

"The music, food and Chinese cinema all interest me, as they are all so different," he said, adding that he was looking for a Sichuan restaurant where he could taste some spicy food.

Miguel Rivero, a computer scientist at the Madrid City Council who came with his wife and two children, said he was fascinated by traditional Chinese culture, including "writing, monuments, traditions and artisan products."

"These events allow us to get closer to a very different culture that is very present in Madrid. We wanted our children to see the parade and glimpse Chinese culture," he added.