The Confucius Institute in Sofia Have Organised Their 2025 Chinese New Year Celebration For Chinese And Bulgarian Students And Teachers

On 8th February 2025, the Confucius Institute in Sofia have hosted their 2025 Spring Festival Celebration for their Chinese and Bulgarian teachers and students to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Snake. Mr Yang Tian – the Head of the Department Of Education at the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, Mr Angel Apostolov - Senior expert at the Department of International Cooperation at the Bulgaria’s Ministry of Education and Science, Assoc. Prof. Valentin Katrandzhiev - Senior expert at the Diplomatic Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bulgaria, Prof.Reneta Bozhankova - vice-Rector of the Sofia University, and Assoc. Prof. Petrana Stoykova - vice-Rector of the Southwest University in Blagoevgrad, have been among the guests of honour. The list of honourable guests has also included Mrs Snezhana Todorova – the President of the Association of the Bulgarian Journalists, Assoc. Prof.Antonia Pencheva – the President of the Association of the Bulgarian Translators, Assoc. Prof. Antonia Tsankova – the Director of the Department For East And Southeast Asia at the Centre For Oriental Languages And Cultures, at the Sofia University, Prof.Georgi Chobanov – the Director Of the Centre For Chinese Economy And Politics at the University of Sofia, Prof. Nako Stefanov – a researcher at the Centre for Oriental Languages and Cultures, at the University of Sofia, Assoc. Prof. Iskra Mandova – the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute at the University Of Veliko Tarnovo, Mr Hong Hai – the Director of the Chinese Cultural Centre in Sofia, Mr Lin Hao - Chief Correspondent of the Xinhua News Agency in Sofia, Mr Chen Jian - Head of the Sofia Bureau of the European Times, Mrs Aksiniya Koleva - the Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, Prof. Chen Ying - the Chinese director of the CIS. The audience of the event has comprised of over 300 people including headmasters of primary and secondary schools, teachers, students and parents from the Confucius Classrooms and the teaching centers under the Confucius Institute, and representatives of all walks of life.
In his speech, Mr Yang Tian has said that the Chinese New Year is the most festive and culturally rich festival in China, symbolising reunion, harmony and prosperity. He has highly praised the Confucius Institute in Sofia for promoting the cultural understanding between China and Bulgaria through the celebration of the Chinese New Year of the Snake. Mrs Aksinia Koleva - the Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, and Prof. Chen Ying - the Chinese Director of the CIS, have summarised the achievements of Chinese language teaching at the Institute over the past year. They have stressed on the commitment of the Confucius Institute in Sofia to promote cultural and educational exchanges between China and Bulgaria, and to help more and more Bulgarian young people to learn the Chinese language and to understand China. After having attednded the CIS event, Mr Angel Apostolov - a Senior expert in the Department For International Cooperation at the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science, has shared his thoughts in front of the Xinhua News, saying that his first participation in the Chinese New Year celebrations from 15 years ago has left a deep impression on him, and that every time at any event of the CIS, the venue has been crowded with people. Moreover, he confirmed that the influence of the Chinese culture in Bulgaria has been growing over the years.
Students from Sofia, Vidin, Stara Zagora, Burgas, Montana and other places have performed traditional dances, Chinese and Bulgarian folk songs, a poetry recitation, a sword demonstration, dragon and lion dances etc. in the multifunctional hall of the CIS, presenting the charm of the Chinese culture to the local people in a rich and diversified form. The audience has been immersed in the wonderful performances and the atmosphere has been warm and cheerful.
During the event, the Confucius Institute in Sofia have also awarded some of the winners of the Youth Is a Boat Floating In a Sea Of Words - the 100 Chinese Words Competition, with the prizes being scrolls of paper-cut paintings, scrolls of Chinese peony paintings, Chinese opera bookmarks, and straw paintings – a traditional folk art with local characteristics. All the prizes have been provided by the Dingtao District of the city of Heze in the Shandong Province, China.
The event has been covered by Xinhua News and other media.

The Confucius Institute Sofia
Text: Chen Chen
Photos: Bilyana Isaeva, Wang Yan, Ding Chen
Editors: Prof. Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva
English translation: Maya Kostadinova

tu pian1 zhong guo zhu bao jia li ya da shi guan jiao yu shi wu fu ze ren yang tian zhi ci Picture 1. Mr Yang Tian - Head of the Department For Education at the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, delivering his speech.

tu pian2 suo fei ya kong zi xue yuan bao fang yuan zhang a ke xi ni ya.ke lie wa zhong fang yuan zhang chen ying zhi ci Picture 2. The speech given by Mrs Aksinia Koleva - the Bulgarian director of Confucius Institute in Sofia and Prof. Chen Ying - he Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia.