An enthusiastic crowd of Greeks of all ages joined on Jan 29 Chinese living in Athens in a celebratory event to welcome the upcoming Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 5 this year.

A giant costumed character of pig greeted the audience of the "Happy Chinese New Year 2019-Night of Beijing" show at the entrance, as the year 2019 is the Year of the Pig according to the Chinese Zodiac.

The hall of the Technopolis cultural center, a major cultural venue in Athens, where the show was staged, was fully packed the night.

The performance given by artists from several prestigious troupes in China, such as Beijing's Dance Academy and China's National Acrobatic Troupe, enthralled the audience.

The show was opened up by dragons dance performed by both Chinese and Greek youth. The two dragons, one red and one blue, were believed to symbolize China and Greece, as they are the colors of the national flags of the two countries.

The show was also attended by officials from both China and Greece.