Spring Festival celebrations offer Iranian students glimpse of Chinese culture

Iranian students display Chinese Lunar New Year decorations at a park in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Wencheng)

TEHRAN, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- It was the first time for many of the Chinese language majors at the University of Tehran in Iran to celebrate Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, and have a personal experience of the country's cultural practices, when the Confucius Institute here held an outdoor class on Wednesday at a park in the Iranian capital.

This event provided a "very precious opportunity," said Mobina Moradkhani, a third-year Chinese major, adding Iranian students have long hoped to participate in such cultural activities and experience the atmosphere of Chinese New Year.

Iranian students display Chinese Lunar New Year decorations at a park in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Wencheng)

Once the students saw Chinese New Year decorations like couplets and lanterns, big smiles radiated from their faces, and they cannot hesitate to hold the red decorations to take pictures.

Li Mei, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Tehran, said since the COVID-19 outbreak more than three years ago, her Confucius Institute has mainly carried out online Chinese teaching and cultural activities, which has encountered many difficulties.

Now, this "culture class" took the Spring Festival as an opportunity to make up for the lack of face-to-face communication in the past few years, Li Mei added.

Through the get-together between teachers and students, Iranian students are expected to improve their understanding of Chinese culture and the Spring Festival, she told Xinhua.

In the "culture class," the teachers explained the traditions of the Chinese New Year, while the Iranian young students followed their example, by clasping their hands in their fists and bowing slightly to pay New Year greetings in the Chinese way to each other.

Iranian students learn Chinese martial arts Taijiquan at a park in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Wencheng)

Zeynab Ghaoorian, a first-year student at the Confucius Institute, was most surprised by the tradition of lucky money. When Iranians celebrate Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, elders also give similar lucky money to younger generations.

"It's really nice that the two countries have almost the same culture," she said.

For Moradkhani, the biggest feature of the traditional New Year in both countries is the "emphasis on family."

"The Chinese Spring Festival and the Iranian Nowruz Festival have a lot in common," she noted. "We both value family very much."

Teachers from the Confucius Institute also cut the Chinese character "fu" meaning "good fortune" with paper, wrote calligraphy, and practised Taijiquan, a Chinese martial art, to showcase the Chinese culture in different fashions to the Iranian students.

After interpreting the meaning of the Chinese character "fu," Li Li, a teacher wrote "fu" with a Chinese brush, spreading the artistic charm of Chinese calligraphy to her students.

According to Li Li, the Confucius Institute started a calligraphy course for first-year students majoring in Chinese this semester. After a semester of learning, students have developed a strong interest in Chinese calligraphy.

"The activity of writing 'fu' is a combination of calligraphy class and Spring Festival customs so that the students can more deeply understand that calligraphy is not only a kind of culture and art, but also closely related to daily life," she said.

Her words were confirmed by her students' reactions. After she finished a "fu" character, almost all the students raised their hands to ask for it.

Meanwhile, another teacher Wang Xinhua's Taijiquan demonstration also impressed many. He opened the class on the spot and helped two students correct their kung fu movements.

A teachers and her student of the Confucius Institute at the University of Tehran in Iran display Chinese New Year decorations at a park in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Wencheng)

Ghaoorian said she had watched kung fu in short videos before but seeing it live was an eye-opener.

"Through Taijiquan exercises, students can improve their physical well-being and understand Chinese culture," said Wang, who plans to start a training camp for students in the new semester.

In Li Mei's opinion, the "culture class" allowed students to watch and participate in the activities of Chinese people celebrating the Spring Festival, which will inspire their greater interest in learning Chinese.

"I love China. I love Chinese. That's why I want to learn more about China and the language. I really want to work with Chinese people in the future," said Ghaoorian, giving enthusiastic feedback.

"In my diary, today is a very unforgettable memory. The only regret is that the activity time passed so quickly," said Mohammad-Javad Jahan-Ara, another student.

"For the Chinese teachers who teach Chinese abroad, it is the most unforgettable and meaningful reunion to get together with their dear students and colleagues during the Spring Festival," said Liu Xiaxuan, a teacher.

"Who says the Spring Festival can't be celebrated away from home," she added, flashing a smile.