Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, February 23 /Xinhua/ — "Let's open red hongbao envelopes together, each representing a custom of the Spring Festival (Chinese Spring Festival, the traditional Chinese New Year according to the lunar calendar)," suggests a student at the Institute of Foreign Languages at Moscow State Pedagogical University (IFL MPPU) during a Chinese language lesson. The audience visibly perks up. Someone receives an envelope with the characters for "Lion Dance," another for "Dumpling Making." The students, looking at their assigned topic, begin to discuss the significance of these Chinese New Year customs. Joy and genuine interest reign in the class, where third-year students are mastering the methodology of teaching Chinese through immersion in the traditions of the Spring Festival.
While some learn traditions through play, in another classroom, Chinese Language Department assistant Polina Ryzhenkova and her students read a poem by the great Chinese poet Wang Anshi, "The First Day of the Year." "To the clatter of bamboo firecrackers, the old year passes, the spring breeze brings warmth to glasses of tussu wine. The sun rises in golden light over thousands of courtyards, and people exchange old peach amulets for new ones," the students repeat with expression, inspired by their mentor's example.
Oksana Malykh, Head of the Chinese Language Department at the Institute of Foreign Languages at Moscow State Pedagogical University, explained that all teachers strive to infuse the spirit of Spring Festival into their classes. "First-year students learn basic vocabulary related to the Spring Festival, while senior students compare Chinese and Russian traditions and discuss intercultural differences," she explained.
The Spring Festival embodies a universal desire for renewal and the arrival of spring—an important message teachers strive to convey to students. As fourth-year student Elena noted, for her, Chinese New Year is a very interesting holiday, associated with home, happiness, the beginning of a new cycle in nature, and the arrival of spring.
Striving to convey this feeling of warmth and joy to students, the department's faculty has developed a rich program. Students not only study customs and recite classic poems dedicated to this holiday but also experience its traditions and customs in practice. Following the main classes, themed workshops are held, where participants create paper lanterns and learn to write the Chinese character "fu" (happiness).
"New Year's lanterns in China are red because the Chinese love this color. The Chinese character "fu" is written on the lantern, and it can be hung upside down—this signifies good fortune," two students enthusiastically making lanterns explained in Chinese during a workshop.
The festive atmosphere is not limited to the classrooms of Moscow State Pedagogical University. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) also hosted unusual lectures dedicated to the Chinese New Year.
"Spring Festival customs such as yinchun (welcoming spring), ancestor veneration, or banishing all evil from the home are, in essence, not just traditions, but an ancient model of the world that operates in everyday life and includes a belief in the magic of words and actions. Mythological narratives are woven into history, cosmology, and the practice of honoring time, forming an inextricable link," Konstantin Baraboshkin, head of the Chinese Philology Department at the Institute of Asian and African Studies (IAAS) at Moscow State University, enthusiastically explains to second-year students during his lecture.
During the class, he discussed the history of the Spring Festival through the lens of mythology, reviewed with the students excerpts from the ancient Chinese texts Shan Hai Jing, Hou Hanshu, and Chronicle of Seasonal Customs in Jingchu, and explained how this festival developed and what traditions are associated with it.
K. Baraboshkin emphasized that mythology is closely linked to cyclicality—the lunar and solar cycles—and that this provides the key to understanding the origins of the Spring Festival. "It seemed logical to me to place the story of the Spring Festival within the context of Chinese mythology and trace its development from ancient times to the present day," the lecturer shared his approach.
After the lecture, second-year student Yasya, reflecting on her impressions, noted that she had discovered many new and interesting things. "I realized that through this holiday, China conveys a love for traditions and a desire to preserve them. This is what I've always admired about China—their reverent attitude toward antiquity and their desire to continue to spread their myths, traditions, and customs. It unites people and brings joy," she said.
Having begun studying Chinese over twenty years ago, K. Baraboshkin has been researching and teaching it for all these years. He also noted the deeper meaning of the Spring Festival. According to him, the festival's core idea is unity. This idea is directly aligned with China's national goal of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation by 2049. "The Spring Festival is built around unity at all levels: from the family around the same table to the village, the province, and the country as a whole. It is in this value dimension that the festival finds its true unifying power," the sinologist emphasized.
This desire for unity finds its most vivid embodiment in the phenomenon of "spring migration" (chunyun), when millions of people travel to celebrate the holiday with their families. Recently, alongside the classic "homecoming," a new trend has emerged: more and more young people are inviting their parents to visit them in large cities, and many older people are making the long journey to visit their children to celebrate Chinese New Year together.
Yu Jie, a senior lecturer in Chinese philology at Moscow State University's Institute of Asian and African Studies (IAAS), examines this transformation of Spring Festival traditions in the modern era and discusses its significance with students. According to Yu Jie, the essence of the Spring Festival remains unchanged—it's a reunion with family. "The Chinese have always placed great importance on family, and this demonstrates the continuity of our traditional culture. Only the format changes: while previously young people would visit the older generation, now it's increasingly the older generation that visits the younger generation. However, the underlying essence of the festival—family reunion—remains unchanged," she says.
"Although each country celebrates the New Year in its own way, there is a common thread that unites all people—the desire for love, for reunification, for the warmth we give to each other through support and assistance. This is a universal feeling," Yu Jie added.
After the lecture, fourth-year student Alexander, studying Chinese, shared his impressions. He said the lecture was very informative: it covered a variety of aspects, allowing him to view the holiday from different perspectives—both cultural and social. "I'm interested in the social structure of China in its various manifestations, including holidays. Spring Festival is a very important holiday, so it was especially fascinating to learn not only about its history and culture but also about current trends," he said.
Not far from the Moscow State University Institute of Asian and African Studies, on Manezhnaya Square in the heart of Moscow, large-scale celebrations in honor of Chinese New Year have unfolded. Thematic venues feature master classes, concerts, and Chinese cuisine tastings, introducing guests to Chinese traditions and customs. Many Russians enjoy taking photos and sharing them on social media, tagging popular locations.
As K. Baraboshkin noted, for Russians, the Spring Festival is, on the one hand, exotic, but on the other, it allows them to recognize the universal values that underlie it. It is precisely these values that make the holiday universal.
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