Culture Differences of Chinese and Western Traditional
Festival
Abstract
Traditional festivals are the historical products of a nation’s development.Whether in China which has a long history of more than five thousand years or in the newborn America,the origination of traditional festivals in the two countries is similar.Most traditional festivals originated from people’s expectation for harvest in the agricultural production,the worship towards the gods and the nature,sacrifices to the historical characters and etc.After the long-term evolution,traditional festivals have become an indispensable part of the national culture.Through traditional festivals,the distinct cultural characteristics of a people and the national spirits can be observed.Since the ancient time,China has been a large agricultural country,the small-scale economic mode known as ―The men plough and the women weave‖ initiated the agricultural civilization of Chinese characteristics.Chinese traditional festivals are deeply rooted in the agricultural civilization and greatly influenced by Confucianism.To some extent,Chinese traditional festivals have relieved from the primitive taboos and tended to be happy festivals which reflect the concept of harmony and integration in Confucianism.In America,religion plays a very important role in people’s life.With various branches,the religious system of America is quite complicated,among which Christianity is of the greatest importance.Some American traditional festivals are the direct products of Christianity and most festivals have evolved into the religious festivals later.This paper is designed to discuss the differences in customs,origins and other aspects of traditional festivals with the similar cultural connotation,then analyze the reasons lying behind the differences and finally reflect the cultural differences of the two nations.The paper also analyzes the mutual fusion in tradtional holidays between China and the west.
Key words:Traditional festivals; Chinese and American culture; cultural differences; causes; mutual fusion.
