The Confucius Classroom At the 18th Secondary School In Sofia Under the Confucius Institute in Sofia Have Organised A Chinese Cultural Festival Named Chinese New Year 2025 Celebration

On 26th January 2025, the Confucius Classroom at the 18th Secondary School in Sofia under the Confucius Institute in Sofia, have held their Chinese Cultural Festival to celebrate the 2025 Chinese New Year. Mr Stanislav Iliev - Mayor of Sofia’s Vazrazhdane region, Mr Guan Xin - Cultural Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, Mr Yang Tian - Head of the Educational Department at the Chinese embassy in Bulgaria, Mr Ning Yongpeng - Second Secretary for Scientific and Technological Affairs at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Bulgaria, and Mrs Ralitsa Kirilova – the Principal of the 18th Secondary School in Sofia, have been invited to attend the event. Numerous other guests of honour incliding Mrs Desislava Nikolova – the vice- Principal of the 18th Secondary School in Sofia, Mrs Aksiniya Koleva - the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, Prof.Chen Ying - the Chinese director of the CIS, teachers and parents from the school, many guests from other schools - almost 300 people, have attended the event.
Mrs Ralitsa Kirilova – the Principal of the 18th Secondary School in Sofia, has introduced the achievements of the school in the past year in the Chinese language teaching, the organisation of cultural activities and the exchanges between Chinese and Bulgarian students. She has expresses her best wishes for the Chinese New Year of the Snake.
The event has comprised of two parts: a concert part and a Chinese cultural experience workshop part. In the concert, the students have performed songs, dances, theatre plays, musical instrument plays, as well as a Chinese costumes catwalk display. Two ten-grade students – Miss Natali Moldovanova and Miss Iren Panova, have shared their experiences and impressions, and have talked about the benefits they have gained during their stay at the Yinghua Experimental School in the city of  Tiаnjin in China.
During the cultural workshop, the guests and the audience have experienced the rich and colourful Chinese culture. They have learned how to write Chinese characters, how to draw face masks, and how to play various Chinese chess games. Moreover, they have tasted Chinese tea and Chinese food, have celebrated the Chinese New Year together, and have discovered the charm of the Chinese culture.
Confucius Institute in Sofia

Text: Huang Shihui
Photos: Zhang Qing
Editors: Prof.Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva, Chen Chen
English translation: Maya Kostadinova

Picture 1. Mrs Ralitsa Kirilova - the Principal of the 18th Secondary School in Sofia delivering her speech.

Picture 2. The Jasmine Flower song performance.

Picture 3. The Power Of Fans dance performance.

Picture 4. The West Red Moon melody played on guzheng.

Picture 5. A tea ceremony demonstration.

Picture 6. Playing Chinese chess games.

Picture 7. The audience.

Picture 8. A group photo of the guests and some of the performers.