The Chinese New Year was celebrated in the Albanian capital with a festive ceremony organized in Tirana by the Embassy of China and the Municipality of Tirana on Thursday.
The Ambassador of China to Albania, Zhou Ding, the Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, the Minister of Tourism, Mirela Kumbaro, politicians, representatives of the diplomatic corps, of the Confucius Institute, business representatives and invited friends were present in the joyful ceremony.
In an environment decorated with red lanterns, Chinese Ambassador Zhou Ding greeted the participants, emphasizing that “today we are gathered again to share the joy and happiness that the Chinese New Year brings us and in the meantime to feel the charm and vitality of Tirana, the European Youth Capital 2022, and the sister city of Beijing.”
Speaking about the millennial Chinese tradition of celebrating the new year, the ambassador mentioned the Chinese expression, “a good year is determined by its spring”. He highlighted the special significance of the Beijing Olympic Games, and on this occasion he greeted the Albanian team participating in them, which was present at the ceremony.
“I can hardly wait to see the red and black flag fly again in Beijing. As we celebrate Chinese New Year coinciding with the Beijing Winter Olympics, let us enjoy the Games together and be inspired by the Olympic motto “faster, higher, stronger together” as well as the Olympic slogan “Together for a Common Future,” said Ambassador Zhou Ding.
The Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj noted that Tirana is the European youth capital for 2022 and invited the Chinese youth to become part of this event. He praised the cooperation with the Chinese embassy and expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by China to cope with the consequences of the 2019 earthquake and the Covid 19 pandemic.
“We have done some joint activities for which I am very grateful. We have built playgrounds, we have planted endless trees, we have the pagoda in the big park where all the bird lovers of Tirana can enjoy a moment of reflection.,” he said expressing the gratefulness of the city of Tirana and all the citizens who benefited from the Chinese help during the earthquake and the pandemic.
He greeted and wished success to the Albanian skier, Denni Xhepa who will represent Albania in the Beijing Winter Olympics. “I applaud our Olympic team. I wish them a lot of success! We will have an official reception in the Municipality of Tirana tomorrow to wish you success,” said the Mayor
During the ceremony, students from the Confucius Institute who performed songs in Chinese were given red envelopes, according to Chinese New Year tradition. Chinese New Year, known as the Spring Festival according to the lunar calendar is the most important holiday of the Chinese nation. It has already started all over China and culminates with the family reunion dinner where traditional foods with symbols of well being and prosperity are enjoyed.
February 12 marks the Spring Festival in China and the year 2022 belongs to the sign of the Tiger, starting from February 1, 2022 until January 21, 2023. / Argumentum.al with Cri
