Hundreds of Greek citizens joined members of the vibrant Chinese community in Athens on Tuesday to welcome the nascent Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, which begins on Feb. 5 this year.
A giant costumed character of a pig greeted the audience at the entrance of the show “Happy Chinese New Year 2019-Night of Beijing”. The year 2019 is the “Year of the Pig” according to the Chinese zodiac.
The hall of the Technopolis Cultural Center, a major cultural venue in Athens, was fully packed with visitors who took in the spectacular show featuring dancers and acrobats.
The performance given by artists from several prestigious troupes in China, such as Beijing’s Dance Academy and China’s National Acrobatic Troupe, enthralled the audience.
Chinese Ambassador to Greece Zhang Qiyue addressed the attendees of the event.
“Although China and Greece are far away geographically, they respect and understand each other, and are linked with strong friendship,” said the Chinese ambassador.
She added that the cooperation between the two countries has proved fruitful, and the cultural exchanges between the two countries have increased a great deal over the years.
The Chinese ambassador received a big round of applause when she said “Kali Chronia”, or “Happy New Year” in Greek to the audience, Xinhua news agency reports.
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