中西方節(jié)日文化對比研究

1、【標(biāo)題】中西方節(jié)日文化比照研究 【作者】郭禹霞 【關(guān)鍵詞】節(jié)日文化；傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日；文化差異；起源 【指導(dǎo)老師】張亞軍 方明超 【專業(yè)】英語 【正文】I. Introduction In the development of mankind, each cultural circles of the world all create a special cultural festival, and have a special comprehension of the cultural festival. Festivals are precious cultural heritage o

2、f different countries. So different festivals can represent different cultures. That is also the reason why festivals in China and western countries have little in common. As a matter of fact, Chinese and Western festivals serve as an intriguing window into their cultural differences. Their differen

3、t origins and peoples different ways to celebrate the festivals all reflect their cultural contrasts. First of all, the naming and the origins of Chinese and Western festivals are an indication of their totally different traditions. Whats more, peoples different ways to celebrate the festivals embod

4、y their different values. In China, we pursue health, union, and harmony, while in western countries, people celebrate freedom, happiness.The cultural sediment formed through long-range accumulation is not to be removed easily, and the cultural tradition handed down from generation to generation sho

5、ws great consistency and continuity. It promotes the development of human society as a vehicle for human spiritual civilization .Nevertheless, cultures of different regions and nations still have their own distinctive peculiarities, and significance still needs to be attached to the study of th

6、e individualities of different cultures against the background of their universality. A nationalitys festival celebrations not only reflect the historical perspective of this nation, but also reflect the national spiritual and cultural orientation of this nation. So studying cultural festivals can h

7、elp us to know this nation and understand the influence of the different cultural festivals. All in all, Chinese and western festivals are a window into their different cultures, including their tradition, their belief and their value. To learn different festivals can promote cross-culture comm

8、unication. We should know the origins and peoples ways of celebration to understand the different cultures. Thus, communication between China and Western countries will be much easier. Comparison of Important Festivals between China and Western CountriesA. Spring Festival and Christmas The firs

9、t day of the first lunar month is the Spring Festival, the Lunar New Years Day in China. The Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival in China. It is said that the Spring Festival evolved from Winter Sacrifice, a custom primitive society. As cold winter began to recede and warm spr

10、ing was about to begin, the people of an entire clan gathered. They brought out their bounty from hunting, fishing and fields, and thanked the gods for the blessings of nature. In the beginning, the Winter Sacrifice activities had no fixed date. Usually, it was held at the end of each winter. As tim

11、e past, the form and content of Winter Sacrifice were also changing. Ultimately, it became a festival to bid farewell old year and welcome a new year. So it came to be called the Spring Festival, or the Lunar New Years Day. Of all the festivals, the Spring Festival is the most important to the

12、Chinese. Several days before the Spring Festival, we spring-clean our houses and decorate them. Old folks say that everything must be clean for the Spring Festival celebrations so that the New Year will bring happiness and good luck. According to Chinese traditions, each and every family puts up red

13、 Spring Festival couplets on doorframes on the eve of the lunar New Years Day. When the family happily fathers together the celebration begins. No matter how far away a person is, he would always try to get home in time for this big dinner. After the family dinner, the whole family sits around, watc

14、hing the evening programs for celebrating the Spring Festival from CCTV. Parents or grandparents offer the children money as a lunar New Year gift and encourage them to do better in the coming new year. Some parents put the money gifts under the childrens pillows when they fall asleep. Money gift sy

15、mbolizes two things: firstly, they hope that children will grow safe and sound in the new year; secondly, they want to intensify the festive atmosphere. As the Spring Festival is one of the most important festivals in China, the celebration sometimes lasts 15 days. The fifteenth night of the first m

16、oon is called the Lantern Festival of the Yuan Xiao Festival, which pushes the Spring Festival recreational activities to another climax.Similar to the importance of the Spring Festival for Chinese, Christmas is the most important celebration for westerners. Christmas and the Spring Festival have mu

17、ch in common. Both are prepared beforehand to create a joyous atmosphere; both offer a family reunion with a square feast: and both satisfy the children with new clothes, lovely presents and delicious food. Christmas, the 25th of December, is the biggest festival celebrated in the Christians who reg

18、ard this day as the birthday of Jesus Christ, but many of the customs and celebrations are not of a religious nature. In western countries, the spirit of Christmas arrives about a month before the festival itself. Late in November, the windows of almost every shop or store in town, the city street,

19、the outside of public buildings are all decorated with strings of colored lights and the traditional Christmas colors of red and green. Snowman, Santa Claus, shepherds, angels and Nativity scenes appear in countless shop windows. Fir trees, holly wreaths, and mistletoe are familiar sights. People ar

20、e busy preparing for the festival, buying Christmas cards, presents and food. Westerners like to put their Christmas tree in their living room about two weeks before Christmas and decorate the trees with colored balls and strings of colored electric lights. Although westerners enjoy the commercial g

21、aiety of Christmas, the most beautiful and meaningful aspects of the festival occur at home and in church. “Going home for Christmas is a cherished custom and no distance seems too great if it enables one to join the family circle for the festival. On Christmas morning, the first thing for

22、 many people is to gather around the Christmas tree to exchange gifts and a Merry Christmas greeting with each other. After that, some people may go to a Christmas morning church service. The mothers will be in the kitchen preparing Christmas Dinner, turkey of ham, sweet potatoes, vegetables, cranbe

23、rry sauce and fruit cake. Christmas Dinner usually starts around one or two oclock rather than right at noon and no one is in such a hurry to finish. According to Elizabeth, “the Christmas spirit is hard to define, but the joy in giving love to family, friends and to strangers is characteristic

24、 of the season, especially among North Americans. There is that spirit which somehow at Christmas makes people want to help others, to be kind, to give gifts, and to show love.1B. Tomb-Sweeping Day and HallowmasTomb-Sweeping Day usually on April 5 or 4, is traditionally observed as a festival for wo

25、rshipping at ancestral graves, technically known as “sweeping the graves. In ancient China, Tomb-Sweeping Day was not the only time when sacrifices were made to ancestors. Until Emperor Tang Xuanzong who declared that respects would be formally paid at the tombs of ancestors only on the day of

26、Tomb-Sweeping Day, this is a custom that continues up to date. On every Tomb-Sweeping Day, people will visit their ancestors graves to tidy up, remove weeds and sweep away leaves. This is why this day is known as the Tomb-Sweeping Day. In ancient times, Chinese people used to wear head ornament

27、s woven of willow twigs during Tomb-Sweeping Day. They were originally influenced by Buddhism and believed that willow twigs could becharms, drive away evil spirits and prevent ghosts. So wearing willow twigs became a traditional custom and it continues to the present. Besides the activities of the

28、grave sweeping and wearing willow twigs, there are some recreations, such as flying kites, playing on a swing etc. Springtime, especially in North China, is a windy season, just right for flying kites. The history of the kite in China is very interesting. It is said that Lu Ban, the famous legendary

29、 carpenter, made the kite over 2000 years ago. People would fly their kites as high as possible, then let it go off the string. People said that the kite went off, taking with its bad luck and illness. Conversely, the one who pick up a kite released or lost by others would with bad luck. Some enthus

30、iasts enjoy flying kites at night. They hang small colored lanterns on the string with candles burning inside. With dozens of kites up together, are lines of flickering multi-colored lights decorate the night sky beautiful. For a long time, flying kites during the Tomb-sweeping Festival has already

31、become a civilized recreational activity for Chinese. All in all, the Tomb-sweeping Festival is an occasion of unique characteristics, sorrowful tears to the dead with the continuous laughter from the spring outing. The Chinese respecting for filial piety and careful attention to funeral rites

32、is visibly manifested in the custom of ancestor worship.Halloween falls on the evening of October 31, the last day of the month. It is neither a national day nor a religious day. It is, primarily, a childrens day to have fun. Halloween has its roots in Europein the British Isles and Italy. The Celts

33、, who lived in the British Isles and northern France during ancient and medieval times held an October 31 harvest in honor of the Sun. They believed that November 1st was the beginning of winter, with the Sun god losing power and the Lord of Death controlling the next few months. For the Celt, the n

34、ight of October 31 was a frightening time under the control of Death 3. Supposedly on this evening, ghosts rose from their graves and witches could ride through the air on broomsticks and black cats. Also the souls of dead relatives and friends were expected to revive for a visit on this evening. So

35、 they lit large bonfires on the top of high hills, partly as thanks to the Sun for their good harvest, partly to frighten away evil spirits and help to guide the relative spirits back home. Around the fire they would tell frightening ghost stories. In English-speaking countries, children go Tre

36、at-or-Tricking on Halloween night. Some older high school students have used Halloween night as an excuse for vandalism. Each child dresses up like a witch, a ghost, a skeleton, or people from movies or stories. They throw eggs or tomatoes at passing cars, mark up windows and windshield with hard-to

37、-erase candle wax, roll pumpkins down along hills, carry away porch furniture and garbage or can covers, inscribe graffiti on fences, or commit whatever devilment occurs to them as they walk around looking for ways to “l(fā)et off steam. Halloween is most fun for children, but this doesnt mean the

38、adults do not enjoy it. They will attend masquerade parties, participate in Halloween parades, visit a haunted house, or go to see horror movies or watch at home, and of course with all the lights turned off. For adults, many hotels hold Halloween masquerade parties, with prizes for the best costume

39、s. To look special, people may spend hundreds of dollars on an elaborate costume and mask. Other adults may wear a creative homemade costume to a friends home, where everyone then tries to guess who is who. Dressing in masks and costumes is a popular Halloween activity. Costumes can be traditional a

40、nd scary, such as a witchs pointy hat and black gown. Costumes may also have a modern flavor. Many children dress up as movie characters or their favorite superhero. In the 1840s, Irish fleeing their country's potato famine brought their Halloween traditions with them to America, and these super

41、natural beings are still a part of Halloween.C. Double Seventh Festival and Valentines DayThe Double-Seventh Day falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month which is a festival full of romance. In Chinese folktales, it was also called “Cleverness-Begging for Festival. There is a beautif

42、ul love story passed down from generation to generation. It is said that long, long ago, there was a poor kind-hearted cowherd named Herd-boy. He fell in love with Weaving-girl who was the granddaughter of the Jade Emperor of heaven. Both of them were deeply in love. Herd-boy worked hard in their fi

43、eld and Weaving-girl raised silkworms. They were overjoyed with each other and hoped they would stay happily together for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, the Jade Emperor and the Lady Queen Mother of Heaven found out that their granddaughter had gone to the world of Man and taken a husband.

44、They were furious. Eventually, the couple was separated by a wide swollen river in the sky and can only meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. That is the time the two stars of Altair and Vega move most closely every year. This sad, romantic love story has been passed d

45、own for thousands of years. It is said that very few magpies are seen on the Double-Seventh Day. This is because most of them might fly to the Milky Way, where they could form a bridge for the two lovers. So the following day, people would notice that many magpies are bald, because Herd-boy and Weav

46、ing-girl walked and stood too long on the heads of their loyal friends, the magpies. In ancient times, the Double-Seventh Day was a special festival for young women. Girls, no matter rich or poor, would put on their holiday best to celebrate the annual meeting of the Cowherd and the Girls Weaver. Pa

47、rents would place an increase burner n the courtyard and lay out some fruits as offerings. Then, all the girls in the family would kowtow to Altar and Vega and pray for ingenuity.3The Double-Seventh Day is not a public legal festival in China. However, it is still a traditional festival with a stron

48、g local flavor. For example, people in remote mountainous districts regard the Double-Seventh Day as “Womens Day. On that day, girls and women get together to talk about everything under the sun, besides what kind of husbands they want to get. In order to enjoy themselves, they go to the local

49、markets to buy womens articles and watch local dramatic performances, etc. Many city people consider the Double-Seventh Day as the Chinese Valentines Day. On this day, lovers present gifts to each other. They go shopping or go sightseeing together in order to enjoy themselves.February 14th is a popu

50、lar Western holiday called Valentines Day. It is a festival of romance and affection, and romance is supposed to bloom. Love is in the air, and roses, candy and cards are the preferred presents of the day. The most important thing about Valentines Day is sending greeting cards. People usually send r

51、omantic cards to someone they love or want to be loved by. How did February 14th become the modern festival for people in love? There are many explanations. One story is about a Christian man named Valentine, who resist against Roman Emperor Claudius commands in order to be the chief witness at

52、 a wedding ceremony of Christian couples. But finally, he was put into prison. One tradition says that he wrote notes to his friends by marking on leaves and then throwing them out the window of his prison. The leaves shape like hearts. Another story is about Saint Valentine, who was killed by the R

53、omans on February 14th in the year 270 for refusing to give up his belief in Jesus Christ and to worship the Emperor. He was made a saint some years after his death.4 Whatever the origin, Saint Valentines Day has had a long and romantic history.Valentine's Day festival is celebrated in a big way

54、 in countries around the world. It is interesting to note that the popularity of this ancient festival has grown several folds and it would be increasing by the year as more and more people are getting influenced by idea of celebrating love and lovers. The present generation holds the festival in hi

55、gh regard and celebrates the day by expressing love not just to their sweethearts but everyone they hold dear and special. In present times, Valentine's Day Festival celebrations are massive in several countries across the globe. The festival has emerged as a popular dating and gift-giving festi

56、val and therefore has a major social and economic significance. It may be noted that Valentine's Day started as a romantic festival but today the festival has increased in scope. People therefore wish “Happy Valentine's Day to parents, teachers, siblings, friends or any other person spe

57、cial to them. Though there are various traditions and customs associated with the festival, the most popular way of celebrating Valentines Day is by expressing love to sweethearts and dear ones with an exchange of gifts. Some of the most traditional gifts are fresh flowers, chocolates and cards. In

58、the modern technologically advanced age, exchange of text messages between friends and loved ones has become a norm. Going on dates with beloved is the other major way of celebrating Valentine's Day Festival. Origins of Different Cultural FestivalsA. Differences of Religious BeliefOne origin of

59、different cultural festivals between China and western countries shows on the differences of religious belief, especially Christianity, and western region is obviously. Westerners hold that God creates human being. God doesnt allow them to adore other deities and there is no need to. Christian holds

60、 that life is just a process. Fortune and misfortune is decided by God Congenital. So theme of Christmas is to pray for happiness bestowed by god. New Years Day, Epiphany, Easter, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas all connected with religion.5 Good Friday is the anniversary of the crucifixion of Jesus, Easter is