STORY: Spring Festival cultural activities held in Tunisia
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 27, 2025
DATELINE: Jan. 28, 2025
LENGTH: 00:02:26
LOCATION: Tunis
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of cultural events
2. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) HICHEM MESSAOUDI, Tunisian director of the Confucius Institute and director of the Higher Language Institute of Carthage University

STORYLINE:

The Confucius Institute at Carthage University in Tunisia held a Spring Festival cultural experience event on Jan. 27 to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.

In December 2024, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the Spring Festival, the social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year, to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

This means the Year of the Snake marks the first "heritage edition" of the Chinese New Year.

SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) HICHEM MESSAOUDI, Tunisian director of the Confucius Institute and director of the Higher Language Institute of Carthage University
"China's Spring Festival is well known all over the world. When I lived in France and Montreal, Canada, Chinatown would hold activities to celebrate New Year every year. I am also happy to see this. Although I don't quite understand the meaning of this festival, I sometimes participated in some Spring Festival activities in various ways. This is not only a Chinese festival, but also a world festival.
I think (the inscription of the Spring Festival in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list) is a very important move. Our Confucius Institute in Tunisia should participate in promoting this world's intangible cultural heritage. This is not only for China, but also for the world. The Confucius Institute and other institutions should hold activities to celebrate the Spring Festival, just like how China promotes traditional festivals in other countries. I think it is our duty."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tunis.
(XHTV)