The Athens Business Confucius Institute wishes everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous Chinese New Year of the Horse 2026.

Celebrations begin on New Year's Eve, February 16th, 2026, and conclude with the Lantern Festival on March 3rd, 2026.

The Horse, the seventh sign of the Chinese zodiac, symbolizes: Strength, Vitality, Freedom, Progress

Holiday Closure Notice

The Athens Business Confucius Institute will remain closed:

February 16th – February 19th, 2026

• 16/02/2026 – 19/02/2026: There will be no classes at all levels.
• 20/02/2026: All classes will resume as scheduled.

Wishing you health, success, and prosperity in the Chinese New Year 2026!

On February 1, 2026, the “Celebrating the Spring Festival Together · Cultural Exchange and Mutual Learning—2026 ‘Golden Horse Welcomes Spring’ China–Greece Spring Festival Gala,” jointly hosted by the Business Confucius Institute in Athens and the Chinese Union in Greece, was successfully held at Divine Hall in Athens. Faculty members, students, and distinguished guests gathered to celebrate the arrival of the Chinese New Year in a joyful and festive atmosphere.

The event was attended by Professor Vasilios Vasdekis, Rector of the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB); Mr. Wang Jin, Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Greece; Associate Professor Alexandros Papalexandris, Greek Co-Director of the Business Confucius Institute in Athens; Ms. Yan Hongwei, Chinese Co-Director of the Institute; and Mr. Zou Yong, representative of the Chinese Union in Greece, together with members of the academic community, students, and friends of the Institute. The celebration opened with a lively lion dance performance, followed by a traditional eye-dotting ceremony, during which the guests jointly dotted the eyes of the lion with a brush, symbolizing the awakening of the lion and the bringing of good fortune and prosperity for the New Year.

In his remarks, Professor Vasilios Vasdekis reviewed the development of the Athens Business Confucius Institute since its establishment and highly praised its continuous efforts in Chinese language education, cultural activities, and academic exchange between China and Greece. He reaffirmed the strong support of the Athens University of Economics and Business for the Institute and its ongoing cooperation with partner institutions in both teaching and academic fields.

第二十四届"汉语桥"世界大学生中文比赛希腊赛区开始报名啦！ 

The 24th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition in Greece is Now Open for Registration! 

你是否热爱中文？你是否想展示自己的才华？机会来了！第二十四届"汉语桥"世界大学生中文比赛希腊赛区选拔赛正式启动！快来报名，赢取前往中国参加全球总决赛的机会！ 

Do you love Chinese? Do you want to showcase your talents? The opportunity is here! The 24th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students in Greece is officially open for registration! Join now for a chance to compete in the global finals in China! 

The Athens Business Confucius Institute invites you to celebrate the Chinese New Year, in collaboration with OPANDA, on Thursday, February 27th, at the Creative Learning Center of the Culture, Sports and Youth Organization of the City of Athens (OPANDA), at 18 Evelpidon St., from 7pm-8pm.

Free entrance.

The Athens Business Confucius Institute wishes everyone a happy, healthy, and safe Chinese New Year of the Snake 2025. Celebrations may last 16 days, starting from New Year's Eve on January 28th, and end with the Lantern Festival on February 12th, 2025.The snake, the sixth sign in the Chinese zodiac, is deeply associated with wisdom, intuition and prudence.

2025 Chinese New Year Holdiay Closure Notice:

We are informing the public to take note of the following dates:

The Athens Business Confucius Institute will be closed from January 28th till the 31st, 2025, in observance of the Chinese New Year.

28/01/2025-01/02/2025 - There will be no classes on all levels.

03/02/2025 - All classes will resume.

Wishing you wealth and health this Chinese New Year 2025!

Registration for the Chinese Language courses opens on September 18, 2024, at 12 pm. Before paying the tuition fees and completing the registration form, students are advised to check the course schedule and the Tuition Fees and Discounts policy. Tuition fees are paid in full for the entire academic year by bank transfer before submitting the online registration form. Tuition fees are non-refundable for withdrawing, interrupting, non-returning, non-attending students.

The opening date for Chinese Class online registration is now postponed to 16 September 2024 due to technical issues. Students are requested not to proceed in paying the tuition fees and trying not to register because the system is inactive. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Pursue your studies China. Good news! Confucius Institute Scholarship is currently open.

Confucius Institute Scholarship 2024-2025 is a fully funded scholarship for international students. This scholarship is offered to study Chinese language and culture in more than 150 Chinese Universities. CIS scholarship includes tuition and lodging fees, medical insurance and a monthly allowance for personal expenses.

These scholarships are very popular among students from all over the world. Confucius Institute is a government entity whose purpose is to promote knowledge of the Chinese language and culture throughout the globe.

Categories and Duration of the Confucius Institute Scholarship

The CIS scholarships to train Chinese language teachers usually start in September or March. Take a look at the available categories offered.

The application for these scholarships must be made online. During the process, the system will offer you the possibility of choosing, in order of priority, two universities from the 150 universities that offer this scholarship throughout the country. Take a look at the universities which offer Confucius Institute Scholarship (register first to access all the information, which is in Chinese and English) and find the course of your choice (not all universities offer all the modalities mentioned above).

Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) 2024: The Year of the Dragon

The Athens Business Confucius Institute wishes everyone a happy, healthy, and safe Chinese New Year of the Dragon 2024, starting from February 10th, 2024, and lasting until January 28th, 2025. The Year of the Dragon is believed to be able to foster growth, progress, and abundance.

2024 Chinese New Year Holiday Closure Notice:

We are informing the public to take note of the following dates:

The Athens Business Confucius Institute will be closed from February 8th till February 10th, 2024, in observance of the Chinese New Year.

08/02/2024-10/02/2024 - There will be no classes on all levels.

08/02/2024-09/02/2024 - Office will be closed.

12/02/2024 - All classes and office operations will resume.

Wishing you wealth and health this Chinese New Year!

Read the article by WANG MINGJIE in Athens | China Daily Global here.