The 3rd Lunar New Year Festival opened at the oldest botanical garden in Russia, the Apothecary Garden. The celebration took place at the Subtropical Greenhouse amid blooming orchids, palm trees and azaleas, and brought together media representatives and guests in a space where nature became part of the festive scene.
The festival's concept is built around nature as a universal language, understandable without the need for translation. The beauty of flora and fauna, whether strange or familiar, evokes similar feelings of admiration among people of different cultures. In this harmony of feelings, a special territory of trust and mutual understanding arises, where dialogue begins not with words but with contemplation.
“There are a lot of symbols here, which will be interesting for visitors to understand. First of all, you need to remember that red is the color of wealth, fire and change. It also drives away the mythical creature Nian, who, according to legend, steals children, wealth and belongings. To scare off scoundrels, noisy celebrations are held, fireworks are set off and everything is decorated with red lanterns,” said festival curator Alexey Filin.
Dragons hover near the ceiling, and their smaller counterparts hang from trees and bushes. The director of “Apothecary Garden” recommends coming here with your kids to find all the cute guys breathing fire under the shade of the trees.
Within the framework of the festival, the exhibition of the Association “Creative Alliance” “Lucky flowers and jade bamboo” opened. The exhibition is dedicated to Chinese winter plants, including meihua plum, bamboo, pine, azalea and camellia, as well as an image of a panda.
The project combines illustrations of plants and animals with elements of traditional Chinese painting and reveals the philosophical symbolism of these images, their role in the country's cultural memory and artistic traditions.
Take time to bask in the beauty of this ancient Chinese holiday set against a backdrop of tropical plants from February 7 to March 9, 2026.
