Feature: Bulgaria celebrates Global Confucius Institute Day

Confucius Institute in Sofia celebrated on Saturday the Global Confucius Institute Day for the second consecutive year by holding a special celebration that included key elements of traditional Chinese culture.

"Such a celebration is held at this moment in every part of the world where there is such an institute, so we are all sympathetic to the work of the great educator and philosopher Confucius," Aksiniya Koleva, Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, said at the opening ceremony.

She also used the occasion to invite all who are interested in Chinese language and culture to visit the renovated Confucius center in Sofia, which opened in early September.

During the four-hour event held in the park near Ariana Lake in the city center, lecturers from the institute taught the audience to speak words such as "mother" in Chinese.

Nearby, others took their first lessons in Chinese calligraphy or enjoyed Chinese tea ceremony and tasted the tea.

Meanwhile, Taijiquan martial art was presented on a stage, followed by performances of Chinese and Bulgarian songs and dances.

A photo exhibition titled "Confucius Institute - a bridge between two cultures" that represents the eight-year history of the Sofia branch of the institute was also a part of the festival, along with a traditional Chinese costume fashion show.

Hundreds of people attended the celebration like the parents of 15-year-old Alexandra, sharing the enthusiasm of their daughter who studies Chinese for a second year.

Another spectator, Ekaterina, a woman of about 30 years old, told Xinhua that she practiced Tai Chi for a few months. She said she liked Tai Chi.

The teaching of Chinese language in Bulgaria began in the 1950s in the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" and it has become increasingly popular over the past three years with over 2,000 people studying Chinese in two Confucius Institutes, five universities and some 20 schools. Endit