Chinese New Year or moon year, also called as “Spring Festival”, is the world’s biggest festival as ¼ of the world’s population celebrates the coming of spring and of the New Year as well. On the one hand, it is a good reason for the family members to gather together, give presents and wish good luck for each other. On the other hand, this is the exact time to say goodbye to the old year, get rid of its harms, and last but not least, provide good wishes for the New Year. The Year of the Goat starts from 19 February and for this reason, the SZTE Confucius Institute organized a Spring Festival in order to make the people of Szeged known more about China’s culture, customs and food.

After the opening ceremony, a multimedia equipment, which was offered to the city of Szeged by SZTE Confucius Institute, as a present was given to Agora. The equipment was given to Orbán Hedvig director of Agora, and Szabó Sándor representative of the Hungarian Parliament by Ujhelyi István representative of the EP, president of SZTE Confucius Institute and also by Cao Hang Chinese director of SZTE Confucius Institute.

“Within some days in China, the year of the goat will start, which is characterized by peace and harmony, and I hope the world will also calm down. Here in Szeged, at the Confucius Institute we already know that there is no alternative for cooperation. Szeged is already know all over in Europe, and they also know how successful does this Confucius Institute work. Now thanks to this cooperation, we give the present of China to the city of Szeged. This is such a multimedia equipment by which the two nations can learn more about each other and it can also get the two cultures and the people closer to each other” said Ujhelyi István.

In the name of the city of Szeged, Szabó Sándor member of the Hungarian Parliament took the present and he said in his welcoming speech that China is a big country and that is why it is important for every country in the world to have good relations with this Far-Eastern country. In this sense Szeged is lucky because it has a Confucius Institute.

“This is not due to luck, but to hard work: Ujhelyi István worked hard to bring this institute to Szeged and also to learn more about China’s culture, language and its people. Szeged was always a colorful and host city. Besides the university, with the help of the multimedia equipment the citizens of Szeged can learn more about the culture of this far away country in the Agora in the future.

Orbán Hedvig said that this new equipment, which nearly knows everything about the far away country, will be deposited in the Agora’s hall in order to be available for everyone visiting the institute.

On the event different kinds of colorful programs awaited the guests on Sunday afternoon. Hundreds of people saw the calligraphy exhibition and the martial arts show. Small kids were more interested in skillful games, grow ups could learn how to eat with chopsticks. The participants could try traditional Chinese clothes, could learn some sentences in Chinese and they were able to try traditional Chinese food as well.

In addition, with the help of short films the organizers tried to introduce China.