On the occasion of the Chinese New Year, Far East and Hungarian artists, musicians, as well as sportsmen have greeted the Year of the Horse on February 1st, at the Millenáris. The festival awaited its visitors with kung-fu, traditional Chinese medicine, children programmes, exhibitions, calligraphy, Far East gastronomy, concerts, and movies previously unknown to the Hungarian audience. At the opening ceremony held on the occasion of the most important holiday in East Asia, Deputy Mayor Balázs Szeneczey has also delivered a speech.
The last year was prominently important in building the bridge between the two countries, even a Hungarian Institute of Culture was opened in Beijing, thus Hungary became the first Central European country to establish an independent institution in the Chinese capital city to promote its own culture, said Balázs Szeneczey. The Deputy Mayor for City Development added that the Hungarian capital city has signed sister city agreements with Beijing and Shanghai as well.
The Chinese New Year, often referred to as the Lunar New Year is the biggest holiday for one quarter of the world’s population. At this time of the year in China, as well as among Chinese colonies in other parts of the world, life just stops, everyone is paying attention to the new year, when even trading stops for a while. It is the same in Hungary, where Chinese people, if cannot travel back home to China, strive to celebrate these important days, just as they were at home.
