GABORONE, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Spring Festival celebration event was held in Palapye in Botswana's Central District on Thursday to mark the Chinese New Year and promote people-to-people exchanges.

Performers play drums during a Spring Festival reception held by the Chinese embassy in Gaborone, Botswana, Jan. 25, 2025. (File photo: Xinhua)

Hosted by the Confucius Institute at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), the event featured songs and dances, poetry recitation, and displays of paper cutting, calligraphy, and virtual reality glasses for technology.

It drew around 200 participants, including university students and staff, leaders of the local traditional leaders, and representatives of the Chinese enterprise, medical team and the Chinese community.

"The Spring Festival is the most significant holiday in the Chinese calendar. It is a time for family gatherings, feasting, and celebrating new beginnings," Otlogetswe Totolo, vice chancellor of BIUST, said at the event.

He referred to the Chinese festive practices' rich and symbolic traditions and customs that bring families together, such as the eating of dumplings and the creation of Spring Festival couplets and "Fu" characters.

He described the celebration event at BIUST as a "beautiful moment," noting "no matter where we come from, we are all part of the global community with a shared future for mankind, bound closely together by the common values of peace, friendship and progress."

"Many festivities, like the Spring Festival, keep strengthening the bond of friendship between China and Botswana, and inspire us to embark on the journey of cross-cultural exchange," said Totolo.

He also highlighted the partnership between BIUST and China's Yanshan University for the launch of the Confucius Institute at BIUST in October 2023, the second Confucius Institute in Botswana, which "serves as a brilliant bridge connecting the people of China and Botswana through language and culture."

Jin Hao, president of the Chinese Enterprises Association in Botswana, said Chinese companies have actively participated in many national infrastructure construction projects in Botswana.

He pledged that the association will continue to play the role of a bridge and link for more cooperation and friendship between China and Botswana.