An Analysis of the differences between Chinese and Western traditional festivals

唐白雪

摘 要：Chinese and western culture have many differences. The difference can be reflected on the traditional festivals. By analyzing thedifferences between Chinese and Western traditional festivals through origin information， celebration， diet and Garment Color， it is indicated that human beings can avoid misunderstanding， respect each other's cultural customs， and make communication smoother and cooperation more pleasant.

關键词：Traditional festivals；Origin；Celebration；Diet；Color

1.Introduction

The formation of traditional festivals is a long-term process. The origin of the festival is closely related to people's life. The traditional festivals express the rich emotional world of the people and the people's love of life. Every national festival is the real reflection of their culture. Therefore， in order to understand cultural characteristics and national spirits， people must know more about their traditional festivals. There are many differences in traditional festivals between China and the Western countries. It can beanalyzed the cultural differences between China and the Western countries from the origin formation of traditional festivals， the way of celebration， the characteristics of diet， the color of clothing， and so on.

2.Differences in Origin Formation of Chinese and Western Festivals

China has been in the agricultural society for a long time， its traditional festivals have strong agricultural color， including the social characteristics of farming civilization. In ancient China， agriculture was regarded as the foundation for a long time. Under the condition of undeveloped productivity and agricultural technology， great importance was attached to the influence of climate on crops. In the process of spring， summer， autumn and winter ， the complex rules of nature were recognized. And 24 solar terms were summed up. As a result， China has formed traditional festivals dominated by solar terms. In ancient times， Spring Festival and Qingming Festival were important agricultural festivals. Western culture was influenced by Christianity for a long time， its traditional festival origin had strong religious color， for example， Easter was a Christian memorial to the resurrection of Jesus and Halloween was a memorial to all the saints of the church and Christmas is a Christian commemoration of the birth of Jesus. The origins of these festivals were mostly related to religion.

3.Differences between Chinese and Western Traditional Festivals in the Way of Celebration Traditional festivals in China center on activities within the family. Western traditional festivals are different， showing the interactivity and collectivity of people. It is self-centered， advocating personality. This is the opposite of Chinese festivals.

Let's use Spring Festival and New year as examples. As the beginning of the new year， China and the Western countries have a very different way of celebrating. The Spring Festival，which was the most important traditional festival in China， originated in the Qin Dynasty. It was scheduled to start on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar， starting on December 23 of the lunar calendar. And people began to celebrate it in various ways until the Lantern Festival. Spring Festival customs were various， such as cleaning， reunion dinner to celebrate the New year， firecrackers， lion dance and so on. In short， both streets and alleys， were filled with a thick festive atmosphere. And in the West， what they advocated was the Gregorian calendar New year， namely New Year's Day. By contrast， the way they celebrated the New year was much more romantic. On the night of December 31， people from all regions poured into the streets and had a grand carnival. By the time the night was near zero， hundreds of thousands of people would gather and pray sincerely. When the bell struck 12， suddenly， the beautiful music opened the prologue of the ornate ball. People celebrated it all night. It can be seen that Spring Festival and New year have their own styles. Spring Festival is fulled with strong traditional atmosphere and unique charm while New year reflect the breath of the times which is closer to modern life.

4. Differences in Diet between Chinese and Western Festivals

Chinese and Western traditional festivals also have significant differences in dietary characteristics. Chinese traditional festivals pay attention to both color and flavor of food. Each festival has its own food to distinguish it from the others. Spring Festival is a peaceful festival. It is also the day of family reunion. The northern region has the custom of eating dumplings， symbolizing reunion. Southern Chinese eat New year cake，It symbolizes that the new year life will be sweet and happy. The Lantern Festival has the custom of eating Yuanxiao and the Dragon Boat Festival has the custom of eating zongzi， and the Mid-Autumn Festival has the custom of eating moon cakes. The Western diet pay more attention to nutrition. As a result， the West has developed food industries， such as canned， fast food and， KFC， McDonald， Although they have similar taste， theysave time， and have good nutrition.

5.Differences between Chinese and Western Traditional Festivals in Garment Color

The symbolic meaning of color is also very different between Chinese and western cultures， especially in traditional festivals. Red is the color of our culture. On festive days， people hang red lanterns and stick red couplets. Red also symbolizes beauty. Red in Western culture， originally a taboo word， symbolizes cruelty and bloodshed. White， a taboo word in traditional Chinese culture， is often used in funerals. Whilewesterners think white is elegant and pure， so it is the advocate color in western culture. It symbolizes innocence.

6.Conclusion

Traditional festivals have accumulated the long history and culture of each country. It is an important carrier of national culture. When human beings enjoy the feast and feel the strong atmosphere of the festival， people might as well experience the differences between Chinese and Western festival culture， which is of great benefit to us to learn the western language and culture. Moreover， people can avoid misunderstanding， respect each other's cultural customs， and make communication smoother and cooperation more pleasant.

Bibliography

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