Wife of Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Bulgaria, Mrs.Chong Yang-hi was the charming hostess of this year's traditional lady's party, organized by Culture Directorate with Sofia Municipality and Bulgarian Diplomatic Review magazine. On December 8, in the cosy and festively decorated Furniture Art Salon at 47, Therni Vruh Blvd. in Sofia, many guests with opened for charity hearts gathered. Mrs. Chong Yang-hi delivered a welcoming speech: “To me it is a great honour to host this party, held on the Christmas Eve – a time, when we feel even stronger the need of keeping alive the feeling of Hope among the needy.

“Tonight I would like to reconfirm that key message of giving hope and showing compassion for the less fortunate in our midst, which, I am sure, has been a leitmotif of all preceding charities over the past 15 years.

Organizers: Mrs. Mariana Petkova and Mrs. Vania Zhekova from the Furniture Art Salon, Mrs. Margarita Donova, senior expert at Culture Directorate with Sofia Municipality, the hostess of the festive night Mrs. Chong Yang-hi and Mrs. Juliana Tomova

“To me charity is about giving and sharing – whether money, time or talent, but above all, it is about having a heart for the others. And my call on all of you tonight is to open your hearts for the needy in order to nourish the sense of hope alive in them, who have been dealt a hard hand in life,” she said.

The funds raised at the Christmas charity raffle were granted to the sole rehabilitation centre for the disabled in Sofia, based in Slatina project, for buying equipment for magnet therapy.

The attendees at the charity night enjoyed the magnificent programme, organized by Mrs. Margarita Donova, senior expert at Culture Directorate with Sofia Municipality.

It was a delight to watch the elaborate Bulgarian traditional costumes and perfect performance of Lozenska Mladost folklore company with Pencho Slaveikov community centre, choreographed by Julia Stoichkova. Their Christmas Toast from the Land of the Shops cheered the ladies up.

Mrs. Nedret Titalova, Mrs Maria Konakchieva, Mrs. Anne Begramian, Mrs. Lili Bozhilova, Mrs. Yana Dokladalova, HE Mrs. Zahida Ansari, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Afghanistan, HE Mrs. Micheline Abi Samra, Republic of Lebanon's Ambassador to Bulgaria, Mrs. Lubomira Faller, Mrs. Davorka Vukov-Colic, Mrs. Purevdagva Byambsuren and Mrs. Lyudmila Rylach attended the party among others.

After that students from the National Dance School trained by Liliana Draguleva displayed their talents. The ballet troupe danced to music by Tchaikovsky.

Everybody was enraptured with the divine voice of Poli Paskova and her group. Not only is she the tallest Bulgarian singer being an ex-national basketball player, she is also one of the most popular performers of Macedonian songs. Her song tops a world charity album. The funds raised from the sales were donated to tsunami-stricken Malaysia.

Beauty eluded the fashion show of Unique Studio who showed their festive collection, designed by Lubomira Stoicheva.

We express our thanks to organizers and participants who joined efforts to make this significant even feasible: to Hunja company for French cosmetics; importers of perfumes and cosmetics of Pani Walewska; to Mrs. Irina Mishovska, importer of Christmas toys from Ukraine; to Bulgarian Bestseller publishing house, to kind hostesses Vania Zhekova and Mariana Petkova from the Furniture Art Salon.

We asked Mrs. Chong Yang-hi, wife of Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Bulgaria to share some thoughts and moods for the upcoming holidays:

Mrs. Chong Yang-hi, have you taken part in similar events in your capacity of a member of the International Women's Club?
Yes, I attend almost every event here, depending on my schedule, which is very busy at times. I make every effort not to skip gatherings. Last month we organized a big bazaar.

Would you please elaborate on the goal of tonight's event?
The major goal is people to feel socialized and such events to gain publicity. In this particular case, we'd try to raise funds to be granted to the Home for social integration of disabled people. Through this act the women's society in Sofia aims to show empathy with the less fortunate in our midst. Traditional values of compassion for the needy would be demonstrated through the party tonight.

Tell us, please, how do you celebrate Christmas and New Year in Korea?
Christmas is not only Christian holiday in Korea; these holidays are a great festival to us. Everybody celebrates, especially the young couples. They are fond of Christmas, as they go out and have fun. There are many Christians in Korea: Protestants and Catholics; they go to church and stick to the traditional rites. Still, not only Christians, but all families reunite on Christmas. In Korea it is more or less a family holiday rather than a traditional religious holiday.

In Korea the New Year is celebrated according to the lunar calendar. Unlike you, we have only one-day public holiday on the traditional New Year, yet the lunar celebrations last three days.

Where are you to celebrate this year?
Here, in Bulgaria I do not go to church. Maybe, I and my husband would stay at home and spend a quiet night.

How does it feel here?
Bulgaria feels like home. People are very kind and landscape and seasons are similar to the Korean ones. So, I enjoy my life here.