The Magical Yuanxiaojie Lantern Festival
In China, New Year celebrations last 15 days. The final, fifteenth day is Yuanxiaojie, or the Lantern Festival, which most Chinese people enjoy more than the New Year itself; in 2026, Yuanxiaojie falls in early March.
First-year students opened the evening with the song "Chinese New Year," setting the tone for the entire event. Guests from the Petrozavodsk State Conservatory—Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Velikanova, Associate Professor of the Department of Music Pedagogy and Humanities, and Peng Haoran, a Master's student—not only spoke about the traditions of the Yuanxiaojie festival in China but also held an educational quiz for all participants, offering New Year's wishes.
The most touching moment was an online meeting with the first Chinese language teacher, Zhao Linlin, who taught Chinese at PetrSU for two years after the program's launch. After completing her postgraduate studies at PetrSU and defending her dissertation, she returned to China to teach Russian as a foreign language.
The event took place in the evening, and despite the significant time difference (the time difference between Moscow and Beijing is five hours), Zhao Linlin joined the live stream from China to greet everyone gathered:
“It is a great honor and a joy to be with you, dear students and esteemed colleagues, even if it is from a distance. I remember with particular warmth the time I spent at Petrozavodsk University, and I am proud that this year you will welcome the first graduation of the students I once taught. May this Year of the Red Horse be a successful and happy one for all of us, and help further strengthen the friendship and cooperation between our countries.
The Lantern Festival is incomplete without the traditional treat—tangyuan sweets, which were prepared this time by second-year students; they explained the symbolism of the treat and offered some to everyone. Before the tasting, everyone competed in the popular Chinese "Chopsticks" competition, where they flicked tennis balls with traditional chopsticks.
The highlight of the event was a traditional lantern contest, crafted by first- and second-year students. Viewers voted for the best lantern using a QR code, and the winner received a certificate and a Chinese sweet prize. The evening concluded with a group song, uniting first- to third-year students. It was truly warm and entertaining, perfectly fitting the atmosphere of Yuanxiaojie.
Such events are an integral part of the educational process, as they allow future Chinese language specialists to immerse themselves in the culture of the language they are studying, understand its philosophy, and learn about the traditions of the centuries-old Chinese people.
The Department of Russian as a Foreign Language and Applied Linguistics thanks Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Velikanova, Associate Professor of the Department of Music Pedagogy and Humanities, and the students of the Petrozavodsk State Conservatory for their participation in the celebration.
