MOSCOW, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Spring Festival, as a symbol of Chinese culture, has been universally recognized and highly appreciated by the world, said Andrei Seleznev, a sinologist and the director of the Confucius Institute at the Moscow State Linguistic University.
According to the lunar calendar, the Spring Festival, or the traditional Chinese New Year, falls on January 29 this year.
"Spring Festival is a main traditional Chinese holiday when the whole family gets together. We also have such a tradition. In Russia, New Year's Eve is considered as a family holiday. And in this way, we are very similar to our Chinese friends," Seleznev said in an interview with Xinhua.
Last December, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. "I believe this is very important. This step emphasizes the fact that Chinese culture is an asset not only of China, but an asset of the whole world," the Russian sinologist stressed.
In 2024, Moscow celebrated the Spring Festival on a large scale. From January 28 to February 9 this year, the Russian capital will also host a large-scale celebration of the Chinese New Year. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier this month that the celebrations will be a continuation of China-Russia Years of Culture in 2024-2025.
"We all, and I especially, are looking forward to the Spring Festival, I have great hopes in my heart. My work is connected with China. I want to do even more, to raise this work, to the best of my ability, to a higher level."
(Contributed by Bao Nuomin, edited by Yang Linlin with Xinhua Silk Road, linlinyanglyn@163.com)
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