吉林华侨外国语大学

吉林华侨外国语学院毕业论文

CultureDifferencesofChineandWestern

TraditionalFestivals

Abstract

Traditionalfestivalsarethehistoricalproductsofanation’s

rinChinawhichhasalonghistoryofmore

thanfivethousandyearsorinthenewbornAmerica,the

originationoftraditionalfestivalsinthetwocountriesissimilar.

Mosttraditionalfestivalsoriginatedfrompeople’xpectationfor

harvestintheagriculturalproduction,theworshiptowardsthegods

andthenature,

thelong-termevolution,traditionalfestivalshavebecomean

htraditionalfestivals,

thedistinctculturalcharacteristicsofapeopleandthenational

heancienttime,Chinahasbeena

largeagriculturalcountry,thesmall-scaleeconomicmodeknownas

“Themenploughandthewomenweave”initiatedtheagricultural

etraditionalfestivalsare

deeplyrootedintheagriculturalcivilizationandgreatlyinfluenced

extent,Chinetraditionalfestivalshave

relievedfromtheprimitivetaboosandtendedtobehappyfestivals

whichreflecttheconceptofharmonyandintegrationin

ica,religionplaysaveryimportantrolein

people’riousbranches,thereligioussystemofAmerica

isquitecomplicated,amongwhichChristianityisofthegreatest

ericantraditionalfestivalsarethedirectproducts

ofChristianityandmostfestivalshaveevolvedintothereligious

perisdesignedtodiscussthedifferencesin

customs,originsandotheraspectsoftraditionalfestivalswiththe

similarculturalconnotation,thenanalyzethereasonslyingbehind

thedifferencesandfinallyreflecttheculturaldifferencesofthetwo

eralsoanalyzesthemutualfusionintradtional

holidaysbetweenChinaandthewest.

Keywords：Traditionalfestivals;ChineandAmericanculture;cultural

differences;caus;mutualfusion.

中西方传统节日文化的差异

摘要

人们在农业生产生活中对丰收的期盼、对天地神灵和自然的崇拜、以及对历史人

物的祭奠等等。传统节日在长期的演变和发展中，已经成为民族文化不可或缺的

一部分，透过传统节日能够反映一个民族的文化特色和民族精神。中国自古以来

就是一个农业大国，“男耕女织”的小农经济模式开创了具有中国特色的农耕文

化。中国传统节日深深植根于农耕文化之中，在演变过程中深受儒家思想的影响。

从某种水准来说，中国传统节日已经逐步摆脱原始禁忌和崇拜，演化成为体现儒

家和合思想的欢庆祥和的节日。在美国，宗教的影响和地位是不言而喻的，美国

的宗教体系错综复杂，其中最有影响力的宗教派别是基督教。美国的传统节日大

都衍化成为基督教的产物，绝大部分的美国节日在日后的发展中都成为宗教性的

节日。本文从两国传统节日中有着相似文化内涵的节日出发，探讨这些传统节日

在起源、节日习俗等方面的差异，并分析产生这些差异的原因，从而折射出两国

传统节日文化的差异。另外本文也探讨了中西方传统节日的相互融合。原创英语

毕业论文请咨询QQ253771735

关键词：传统节日；中美文化；差异；根源；相互融合

Contents

uction

encesbetweenChineandWesternTraditionalFestivals

givingDay

een

2.3TheChineValentine’ine’sDay

2.4Summary

actorsCausingDifferencesbetweenChineandWesternTraditional

Festivals

3.1FactorsInfluencingChineTraditionalFestivals

3.1.1AgriculturalCivilization

3.1.2Confucianism

3.1.2.1ReunionandFilialPiety

3.1.2.2BlessingsandBenevolence

3.2MajorFactorsInfluencingWesternTraditionalFestivals

3.2.1Industrialization

3.2.2Christianity

FusionBetweenChineandWesternTraditionalHolidays

4.1ThedevelopmentoftheMutualFusion

4.2ThePerformanceoftheMutualFusion

sion

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CultureDifferencesofChineandWesternTraditionalFestivals

uction

Chinaisamulti-ethnicnation,withtheHannationalityaccountingforthe

majorityofthetotalpopulationandvariouthnicminoritiesintheminority(Zhao,

2002).AccordingtoZhao(2002)andTan(2003),peopleindifferentnationalitiesor

regionscelebratesometraditionalfestivalsoftheirown,whileamongallthefestivals

themosttypicalonescelebratedbyChinepeopleincommonconsistoftheones：

theSpringFestival,theLanternFestival,Tomb-SweepingDay,theDragon-Boat

Festival,theChineValentine’sDay,theZhongyuanFestival,Mid-AutumnDay,the

Double-NinthFestival,theWinterSolstice,theLabaFestival,andtheKitchenGod

Festival,etc.

DifferentfromChina,Americaisamulti-culturalnationwiththeimmigrants

takingalargeproportionofitspopulationandpeoplefromdifferentcountrieslive

togetherandtheculturesbroughtwiththemmeltintothedistinctAmericanculture

(Wu,2003;Hu,2004;William,2007).InthesystemofAmericantraditionalfestivals,

therearefestivalsoriginatinginthehomelandandfestivalsbroughtfromtheforeign

tivalsinAmericacanbedividedintothelegalholidaysandtraditional

ones;besides,somestatesalsocelebrateafewfestivalsoftheirown(Ellinwood,

2005).Ingeneral,accordingtoSamovaretal.(2008),themostpopulartraditional

festivalscelebratedbyAmericanpeopleincludethefollowingones：NewYear’sDay,

Valentine’sDay,k’sDay,AllFools’Day,Mother’sDay,Father’sDay,

Halloween,Easter,ThanksgivingDay,andChristmas,etc.

Accordingtothefolklorists’rearch,traditionalfestivalsindifferentsocieties

derivefromsuchoriginationsaspeople’xpectationforabountifulharvestinthe

agriculturalproduction,theprimitiveworshiptowardsthegodsandthenature,

sacrificestoancestorsandhistoricalcharactersandsoon,anditisunabletodenythat

traditionalfestivalsdisplaytheculturaldifferencesonveralaspects(Davis,2001;

NiandQiao,2003).Inthemodernworldwithglobalizationtakingsuchafastpace,

communicationamongpeopleofdifferentnationalitiesismorecommoninthefields

ofpolitics,economy,textof

differentcultures,misunderstandingsandconflictsarelikelytoariintheprocessof

communicationwhenthereislittleawarenessofdiverculturalvaluesandbeliefs.

Therefore,therecognitionandunderstandingoftheculturaldifferencesisofgreat

perisdesignedto

investigatetheculturaldifferencembodiedintraditionalfestivalsinChinaand

Americabadontheanalysisoftraditionalfestivalsinthetwocultureswithsimilar

culturalconnotation.

encesbetweenChineandWesternTraditionalFestivals

Traditionalfestivals,asanintegralpartofthenationalculture,posssrich

extent,traditionalfestivalsarethemanifestationand

sublimationofhumanbeings’cognitionandemotionstowardtheworldandinthe

lightoftheuniversalcognitionandemotionsofhumanbeings,itisnowonderthat

therearetraditionalfestivalsinthetwocultureswiththesimilarculturalconnotations

(Zhang,2001).However,behindthesimilarculturalconnotationsoftraditional

festivals,originsandcustomsofthefestivalsaregreatlydifferentiated,which

illustratetheculturaldifferencesofthetwonations.

givingDay

TheSpringFestivalinChinaandThanksgivingDayinAmericaareboth

r,inthe

beginning,the“springfestival”wasnotheldtofarewelltothepastyearandwelcome

theChineLunarNewYear,buttocelebratethecomingof“SpringCommence”(the

1stsolarterm)(ChenandLu,1989).Forwhen“SpringCommence”arrived,which

wasemedasthecomingofspring,

theoldsayinggoesthat“Thewholeyear’sworkdependsonagoodstartinspring”

(Xiao,2002).ConcerningtheoriginofThanksgivingDay,itshouldberelatedtothe

ory,1620,agroup

ofpilgrimswhowantedtoescapereligiouspercutionreachedPlymouthbytheMay

Flower(Julian,2004).Assoonastheyttleddown,theyfoundtheyhadtofacea

terriblewinter—honative

,theIndianstaughtthenewttlers

utumnof

1621,rtocelebratetheharvestand

showgratitudetotheIndians’help,theyheldafeasttogetherwiththenativeIndians,

whichwasrecordedastheoriginofthanksgiving(Geng,2006).Badondifferent

origins,thetwofestivalsdevelopedwiththeirownnationalcultureandformedthe

uniquecustomsoftheirown.

Amongallthecustoms,foodatthefestivalisthemostremarkable,justasthe

Chinesayinggoes,“Foodisthefirstnecessityofthepeople.”Nomatteratthe

SpringFestivaloronThanksgivingDay,areuniondinnerwillbetforcelebration.

InChina,thereuniondinnerisheldontheNewYear’sEve,thatis,thedaybeforethe

uforthereuniondinnertraditionally

includesfish,echaractersthe

pronunciationof“fish”(“鱼”;inChinepinying“yú”)makesitahomophonefor

“surplus”(“余”;inChinepinying“yú”),inthisn,thefishatthereunion

dinneristoexpresspeople’sgoodwishesforthecomingyearwhichareimpliedin

theChinephra“maytherebesurpluveryyear”(“年年有余”;pinying“niánni

ányǒuyú”).Therearealsoothertypicalfoodforthisfestival,suchasdumplingsand

peofthedumplingislike

goldingotfromancientChina,sopeopleeatthemandwishformoneyandtreasure

(Tan,2003).“niangao”,asahomophone,means“higherandhigher,oneyearafter

another.”Atthereuniondinner,thefamilymemberssittogetheraccordingtoa

hetraditionalAmerican

Thanksgivingdinnerconsistsofroastturkeyrvedwithmashedpotatoes,gravy,

cranberrysauce,sweetpotatoes,vegetables,freshcornbreadandendswithpumpkin

memberssittogetheratthedinnertabletoenjoythejoyfultimeof

reunion.(Hu,2004)Incelebrationsathome,itisaholidaytraditioninmanyfamilies

saprayerbeforeoraftera

mealtoexpressappreciationtoGod,toaskforGod’sblessing.

Despitethedifferenceinthefoodculture,thecelebrationsofthetwofestivals

sknownforitsmoralsandrituals,whicharealsoembodiedin

ionforthedeadandthealiveis

stomarytomakesacrificestotheancestorswith

ily,

theelderusuallygive“redenvelops”payNewYearcallsto

ngscanbeheardeverywhereamong

people,suchas“HappyNewYear”(inChine“过年好”)and“Mayyoube

prosperous”(inChine“恭喜发财”).Othercustoms,likepastingthedoorpanels

withtheSpringFestivalcouplets,highlightingChinecalligraphywithblack

charactersonredpaper,burningfireworksandsoon,allcreatethefestiveatmosphere.

FortheThanksgivingDay,besidethebigThanksgivingdinner,peoplecelebratethe

festivalbytravelingwiththefamily,parading,shoppingandalsoAmericanfootballis

sional

gamesaretraditionallyplayedonThanksgivingDay;untilrecently,thewerethe

onlygamesplayedduringtheweekapartfromSundayorMondaynight.

een

TheZhongyuanFestivalandHalloweenaretwofestivalsrelatedtoghosts

(Trevor,2005;Robert,2007).TheZhongyuanFestival,fallingonJuly15thinthe

lunarcalendar,isafestivalforpeopletooffersacrificestothedepartedrelatives

(ChenandLu,1989).SinceancientChina,theventhlunarmonthhasbeenbelieved

tobethe“ghostmonth”,andinthismonththeghostsareallowedtogetoutofthe

ory,

peopleudtoworshipancestorsateverychangeofasonthroughoutayear,but

restrainedbythenaturalrhythm,farmershadtogrowcropsinspringandharvestin

autumn(Xiao,2002).Theninspringtheyprayedtheirancestorsforagoodharvest

ore,

ddhismintroducedinto

ChinaintheEasternHanDynasty(25-220A.D.),theoriginalZhongyuanFestival

combinedwiththefestivalofBuddhism–theYuLanPenFestival,whichwasheldin

memoryoftheforefathersoftheBuddhistsandencouragetheBuddhists’piety(Ibid.).

AfterwardsthecustomsoftheYuLanPenFestivalwentwiththeChinecustomof

commemoratingtheirancestorsontheZhongyuanFestivalandtheprent

ZhongyuanFestival,ortheHungryGhostFestival,festival,

Familymemberswouldofferprayerstotheirdeceadrelativesandwouldburnjoss

eswouldalsopaytributetootherunknownwanderingghostssothat

thehomelesssoulswouldnotintrudeontheirlivesandbringmisfortuneandbad

feastisheldfortheghostsonthe15thdayofthe7thmonth,where

everyonebringssamplingsoffoodandplacesthemontheofferingtabletopleathe

ghostsandwardoffbadluck.

HalloweenhasoriginsintheancientCelticfestivalknownasSamhaincelebrated

ientCeltsbelievedthatonthenightofOctober31,

ghostsofthedeadwouldreturntoearthcausingtroubleanddamagingthe

community’sfoodsupply(Eugene,2006).TheCeltsobrvedtheeventbyburning

cropsandsacrificinganimalstotheCelticGodsinbonfiresbuiltbytheDruids(The

CelticPriests).Theyalsoworecostumes,typicallyofanimalskinsandheads,becau

theybelievedthattheycouldavoidbeingrecognizedbytheghosts,whichisnow

co

wouldalsoplacebowlsoffoodoutsidetheirhoustosatisfytheghostsandprevent

themfromenteringthehome,

the800s,eventh

century,PopeBonifaceIVdesignatedNovember1AllSaints'Day,atimetohonor

delybelievedtodaythatthepopewasattemptingtoreplace

theCelticfestivalofthedeadwitharelated,

celebrationwasalsocalledAll-hallowsorAll-hallowmas(fromMiddleEnglish

AlholowmesmeaningAllSaints'Day)andthenightbeforeit,thenightofSamhain,

begantobecalledAll-hallowsEveand,eventually,isoften

associatedwiththecolorsorangeandblack,andisstronglyassociatedwithsymbols

suchasthejack-o'-eenactivitiesincludetrick-or-treating,ghosttours,

bonfires,costumeparties,visitinghauntedattractions,carvingjack-o'-lanterns,

readingscarystories,andwatchinghorrormovies(ChenKefeng，2006).

2.3TheChineValentine’ine’sDay

TheChineValentine’sDayandValentine’sDayinthewestareromantic

neValentine’sDay,alsoknownasQixi,fallsonthe

ginationofthefestivaliscloly

llisntialfortheir

night,theunmarriedgirlsmayprayfortheWeavingMaidstar

estarVegaishighupinthesky,girlsdoatest,

eedledoesn'tsink,thengirlis

alreadysmartenoughandreadytofindahusband(Zhang,Qizhi2007).

Valentine’inewasa

perorClaudiusII

decidedthatsinglemenmadebettersoldiersthanthowithwivesandfamilies,he

outlawedmarriageforyoungmen–ine,realizing

theinjusticeofthedecree,defiedClaudiusandcontinuedtoperformmarriagesfor

lentine'sactionswerediscovered,Claudiusordered

thathebeputtodeathandSaintValentinewasburiedonthedayofFebruary14th.

LaterloverswhogotmarriedwiththehelpofValentinebegantomemorializehimon

est,Valentine’sDayisthetraditionaldayonwhichloverxpress

theirloveforeachotherbyndingValentine’scards,prentingflowers,oroffering

confectionery(Ellinwood,2005).

2.4Summary

Throughcomparisonofthethreepairsoftraditionalfestivalsabove,the

differencesinChineandAmericanfestivalscanbesummedupasfollows.

Inviewoforigins,ly,

mostChinetraditionalfestivalsarederivedfrompeople’sconductingthe

entChina,agriculturalproductioncouldnotbe

paratedfromthespecial“solarterms”(inChinepinyin,“jiéqì”).MostChine

traditionalfestivalsareconnectedtothe“solarterms”,forexample,thePure

BrightnessFestival,ativelyspeaking,origins

ofAmericantraditionalfestivalsreflecttheinfluenceofreligion,mainlyChristianity.

ThanksgivingDayisrelatedtoreligiontosomeextent,althoughitisoriginatedinthe

celebrationofharvest,theinfluenceofagricultureonthisfestivalhasfadedaway,and

,

amongalltheAmericantraditionalfestivalsmanyareoriginatedfromChristianity.

ThebiggestfestivalChristmasisheldtoobrvethebirthofJesus;Easteristo

celebratetheresurrectionofJesus;HalloweenisalsobrandedbyChristianityasaday

ianityisclolyrelatedtoAmericantraditional

rasttotheuniqueplaceofChristianityinAmericantraditional

festivals,remany

godsinChina’iFestivalisrootedinthestoryofCowherdand

WeaverGirlwhowastheventhdaughteroftheJadeEmperorandtheHeavenly

KitchenGodFestivalisobviouslyrelatedtotheKitchenGod,

etc.

Inviewofcustoms,etiquettehasbeengreatlyemphasizedincelebrationof

eSpringFestivalforexample,etiquettecanbe

eneverywhere：theatingarrangementatthereuniondinner,theeldergiving“red

envelops”totheyounger,theyoungergivinggiftstotheirparents,thedescendants

offeringsacrificestotheirancestors,peoplesayinggreetingstoeachother,paying

NewYearcallstorelativesandfriendswithgifts,ttehasbeenregardedasa

criteriontojudgeanindividual’s,mostChine

traditionalfestivalsattachmoreimportancetoharmonyandhappinessamongpeople.

WhileinAmericacelebrationsfortraditionalfestivalsaremoretendingtobeforfun

ametime,thecustomsoftraditionalfestivalsaresomewhat

religious,forexample,theprayerbeforetheThanksgivingdinner,peoplegoingtothe

churchattheEastermorning,etc.

AllthedifferencesanalyzedabovebetweenChineandAmericantraditional

festivalsareformedundertheparticularhistoricalbackgroundandspecificcultural

lowingpartisdevotedtotheunderlyingfactorsthathavecaudsuch

differences.

actorsCausingDifferencesbetweenChineandWestern

TraditionalFestivals

3.1FactorsinfluencingChinetraditionalfestivals

Chinaisacountrythatbearswisdomofgenerationsandanationalhistoryof

centuries;therefore,itisinevitablefortraditionalfestivalstogothroughdramatic

changesfor“itisagenerallawinhumanhistorythatthevariouscivilizations

polarized,syncretized,andaffectedeachother”(Zhou,2006).Inhistory,suchfactors

asreligion,literatureandarts,Confucianism,Taoism,Buddhismfromtheforeignland

andpoliticsandothershaveexertedasignificantandpositiveinfluenceontheculture

loadedbyChinetraditionalfestivals(Robert,2007).Thefollowingtwoarethe

primaryonesamongallthefactorsthathavecontributedtodistinctcharacteristicsof

Chinetraditionalfestivals.

3.1.1Agriculturalcivilization

Thesingle,decisivefactorthatmadeitpossibleformankindtottlein

armingwasdevelopedintheMiddle

Eastinabout6500BC,peoplelivingintribesorfamilyunitsdidnothavetobeonthe

oplecould

controltheproductionoffoodandbeassuredofareliableannualsupplyofit,their

ancientcountries,thedevelopmentofagriculture

gavebirthtothenationalcivilization(NiandQiao,2003).Chinaisnotanexception.

Agriculturalcivilizationreferstoakindofcultureformedinthelong-term

ntheeconomicmodeof“mentillthelandand

womenweavecloth”inthefeudalsociety,people’slifecenteredontheagricultural

activities(Ibid.).Astimegoesby,variouskindsofculturaldisplaysrelatedto

agriculture,suchasdramas,folksongs,poems,andothersacrificialceremonies,etc.

showedup,whichconstitutestherichagriculturalcivilization.

TheagriculturalcivilizationisthefoundationofmostChinetraditional

festivals.“Solarterms”arethedirectproductsoftheagriculturedevelopmentin

andynasty,peoplecreatedthetwenty-foursolar

termsasanexclusivewaytodividetimeandthesolartermswerethenadoptedby

ntheirexperiences,farmers

knewhowagriculturalworkshouldbebetterarrangedaccordingtothecharacteristics

ofdifferentsolarterms(Xiao,2002).ThetimesystemofChinetraditionalfestivals

isbornfromthesystemof“solarterms”becau“solarterms”providethe

stivalsarecelebratedaroundor

onsomesolarterm.

3.1.2Confucianism

Confucianism,withfocusonhumanmoralityandrightactions,isaChine

ethicalandphilosophicalsystemdevelopedfromtheteachingsoftheChine

philosopherConfucius(551–479BC)(Robert,2007).Confucianismisacomplex

systemofmoral,social,political,philosophical,andquasi-religiousthoughtthathas

hadtremendousinfluenceonthecultureandhistoryofChina(Ibid.)AccordingtoTan

(2003),theinfluencethatConfucianismexertedonthedevelopmentoftraditional

festivalscanbesummarizedintothefollowingaspects.

3.1.2.1Reunionandfilialpiety

Thenotionof“filialpiety”cannotbeparatedfromtheConfucianconceptof

allytheterm“filial”characterizesthe

respectthatachildshowstohisparents,butlaterthisrelationshipwaxtendedby

analogytoariesofthefiverelationships：rulertosubject,fathertoson,husbandto

wife,elderbrothertoyoungerbrotherandfriendtofriend.”Ineveryrelationship,

ific,thefive

relationshipsdefineasfollows：intimacyshouldbemaintainedbetweenfatherand

son;righteousnessshouldbeemphasizedbetweentherulerandhissubjects;distinct

responsibilitiesshouldbeundertakenbyhusbandandwiferespectively;theorder

shouldbedefendedbetweentheelderandtheyounger;andthegoodfaithshouldbe

keptbetweenfriends.

Throughthousandsofyears,theconceptof“filialpiety”haspenetratedintothe

moralsysteminChinaandturnedtobeacrucialmoralmaximtojudgethe

er,ithasbeenreflectedincelebratingtraditional

festivalsandenrichedthecontentofthefestivals.

ReunionistheprimarythemeinthecelebrationofmostChinetraditional

tChinepeopleobrvedtheMid-autumnDaytoworshipthemoon,

butovertimethisfestivalevolvedintoafestivalforreunitingwiththefamily

ingFestivalasthebiggestonecelebratedoverayearalso

emphasizesthesignificanceofreunion,soattheendofeveryyearpeoplefarfrom

the

happyreunionwiththefamilyreflectstheideaof“filialpiety”

ontheideaof“filialpiety”,Confucianphilosopherspromoted,“Whileyourparents

arealive,otravel,youshouldhaveapreci

destination”(Robert,2007).Inthisn,thereunionatfestivalsdemonstratesthat

peoplehasidentifiedwiththecultureof“filialpiety”andtherespectshowntothe

ancestorsandparentsbythedescendantsatfestivalsdisplaysthatpeoplehavebeen

obeyingtheprincipleof“filialpiety”.Otherprinciplesof“filialpiety”havealso

mple,theatingarrangementsatthereunion

dinnerareelaboratelyplannedinrespectforthenior,andtheyoungershould

propoatoasttotheelderinafamilytoshowrespectandetc.

3.1.2.2Blessingsandbenevolence

Thebasicdefinitionof“benevolence”ucianism,

theconceptof“benevolence”notonlyreferstotheaffectionandconcernsforother

people,butalsohasapoliticaldimension,anditisheldthatiftherulerlacks

benevolence,itwillbedifficultforhissubjectstobehavehumanely(Robert,2007).

BenevolenceisthecoreofConfucianismanditislf-evidentthattheconceptof

“benevolence”hepartof

traditionalfestivals,theideaof“benevolence”hasbeenincludedintheblessingsat

ssingsoftheSpringFestivalincludetheblessingtothefamily

ionally,theelderinthefamilygives“redenvelops”

totheunmarriedjuniorsforitisbelievedthattheredcoloroftheenvelope

s,peoplepay

estivalsalsocontaintheblessingsto

ngsillustratetheaffectionandconcernsforothersand

helptomaintaintheintimaterelationshipamongpeople(Zhao,2002).

3.2MajorFactorsinfluencingAmericantraditionalfestivals

3.2.1Industrialization

DifferentfromChina,ingthe

waveofindustrializationinitiatedinBritain,Americasoonbecamethegiantamong

1860,Americawasfourthintheworldin

manufacturingbutbytheturnofthe20thcenturywasthebiggestindustrialnationin

ationaleconomy,theproportionofagricultureismuch

smallerthanotherindustriessuchasmanufacturing,informationtechnologyandother

high-techindustries(Wu,2003;Hu,2004).Itisthennaturalthattheinfluenceof

efastpaceoftheindustrializationin

America,moreandmoreforeignershavepouredtothecountrytopursuetheir

“Americandreams”,whichpromptsAmericatobecomeamulti-culturalnation.

Asaresult,withthedeclininginfluenceofagricultureinthenationaleconomy,

agricul

Thanksgivingasthefestivalmostclolyrelatedtotheagriculturalproductionisno

longerafestivaltocelebratetheharvestbutafestivalforthereunionofthefamily

rmore,withtheveral

immigrationwavesbringingabundantlaborforcefortheindustrializationinAmerica,

manyforeignfestivalshavealsobeenembeddedinthesystemoftraditionalfestivals

k’sDayisoriginallyafestivalcelebratedbytheIrishin

Ireland,Fools’Day

wa

immigrantcultureshaveenrichedthesystemofAmericantraditionalfestivals.

3.2.2Christianity

ReligionisvitaltotheAmericanpeople’ingtoa2002studybythe

PewGlobalAttitudesProject,theUSwastheonlydevelopednationinthesurvey

whereamajorityofcitizensreportedthatreligionplayeda“veryimportant”rolein

ica,itisaritualformostpeopletogochurchonSunday,forthe

churchisnotonlyaplaceforpeopletoshowtheirpietytothegod,butalsoaplace

timportanteventsofone’slifeareall

connectedwithreligion：ababyacceptsbaptismatbirth;acouplegetsmarriedatthe

witnessofapriestinthechurch;aman’e

enthatreligionhaspenetratedintopeople’oninAmericais

complicatedwithveralbranches,

largedegree,theAmericanculturehasdevelopedunderthegreatimpactof

ericantraditionalfestivalsaredirectlytheresultsofreligious

beliefs(Ellinwood,2005).

ThishistoryofChristianityisfocudonthelife,deathandresurrectionofone

person,JesusChrist,thesonofGod(Trevor,2005).ThetraditionalstoryofJesustells

ofhisbirthinastableinBethlehemintheHolyLand,toayoungvirgincalledMary

whohadbecomepregnantwiththesonofGodthroughtheactionoftheHolySpirit.

ThestoryofJesus’birthistoldinthewritingsofMatthewandLukeintheNew

thisbelievedbyChristianstobethefulfillmentof

propheciesintheJewishOldTestamentwhichclaimedthataMessiahwoulddeliver

theJewishpeoplefromcaptivity(Ibid.).Afterthestoryofhisbirth,littleisknown

spentthree

yearsteaching,htinparables-everydaystories

welvedisciples

tatedpubliclythathe

aimangeredthereligiousauthoritiesin

Pales

wastriedforheresy,

Sundayfollowinghixecution,someofhiswomenfollowersdiscoveredthatthe

henappearedtothem,

alive,lowersrealizedthatGod

asenbymanyofhisdisciplesandfollowers

overthenextfewdaysbefore,andaccordingtotheGospelaccounts,hewastakenup

intoheaven(Eugene,2006;Trevor,2005)

ThebeliefinChristianityisthesourceofformationofmostAmericantraditional

masiscelebratedinthememoryofJesus’birth;Easteriscelebratedin

estivalshavealsobeenbrandedbyChristianity,

suchastheValentine’entine’sDayissaidto

commemoratethesaintValentine,andHalloween,originallyasadaytomemorialize

thedead,ntheanalysis

above,itisobviousthatChristianityhasdeeplytakenrootinAmericanculture,and

exertedgreatimpactofAmericantraditionalfestivals.

FusionBetweenChineandWesternTraditional

Holidays

4.1ThedevelopmentoftheMutualFusion

ThedifferencesbetweentheChineandWesterntraditionalfestivalsmakethe

worldbeautifulandinteresting,r,everythinghastwosides,

whenweaffirmthedifferences,payingattentiontothesimilaritiesishelpfulto

understandthingscomprehensively,ast,

wehaveexaggeratedtheChineandWesterndifferencestoomuch,particularly

replacethesharedvalues,ideas,thoughtsandemotionswithpoliticalsystem,items

notyouoverwhelmingIorisIoverwhelmingyou,,

whatthedifferencesbringisnotall“ascourge.”Thenatureofhumanmeansthereis

notdifferencebetweeneasternandwesternraces,thehumanculturesoriginallyhave

manycommonthings,thethingsareimpodininterdepending,interacting,

complyingeachother,learningfromeachotherandpromotingeachother,then

promotethehumansociety’,ourcountryisatypical

land-badculture,ral,this

opeanandAmerican

culturesaremaritimecultures,thistypeofcultureisopeninmajor,especiallyinthe

UnitedKingdom,aftertheindustrialrevolution,itgraduallyexpandexternal,become

aempire“sundoesnott”,manyEuropeancountriesfollowedhavecompletedthe

IndustrialRevolutiononebyone,eUnitedKingdom

andotherEuropeancountriesbringabroadadvancedtechnology,theyalsooutputthe

culture,reanumber

ofcasinChinaacceptingtheWesternculturepassively,suchas,aweekweusually

saidisaweek,yisthemainreligious

activitiestheProtestantismhave,generallyheldinchapelsonSunday,ithaspraying,

scripturereading,hymns,wearenotChristians,we

acceptthe“Sunday”,infact,weacceptedtheexternalinfluenceoftheChristian

activities,thatis,thewesterntraditionalfestival’goriancalendarwe

udtodayareactuallyinfluencedbytheChristian,treattheJesusyearastheADyear.

Nowadays,therearemoreandmorewesterntraditionalholidaysbecomingChine

holidays,suchasThanksgivingDay,Halloween,Valentine’re

alsosomeChinetrationalholidaysarepopularinwesterncountries,suchasthe

DragonBoatFestival,SpringFestivalandsoon.

4.2ThePerformanceoftheMutualFusion

Today,bytheglobaleconomicintegrationandChina’smarketeconomy,people

liberatedtheirthought,providedconditionsforwesternculturemergeintooursociety,

atthattime,learningtheWestemstobeatrend,suchaslearningEnglish,learning

Westerntechnology,ntyears,the

Christmas,Mother’sDay,Father’sDay,Valentine’sDayandtheFool’sDayhave

becomethenewgeneration,especiallythefashionofthe“after”,theyareinterestedin

thefreedom,everywhere,unrestrained,personalatmosphere,sometimesarefullof

swing,ceptanceofthewesterncultureandtraditionalfestivals

currentsituation

continuestoevolve,thisisaactiveacceptance.

TheEuropeanacceptancestoourtraditionalfestivalsmainlyareintheChine

theChinebringdancingdragon,dancinglioninournewyear

andsteppingshipstotheEurope,buttheyhavenotcreatedagreatimpact.

sion

Thispaperbeginswiththebackgroundintroductionoftraditionalfestivalsin

ChinaandAmerica,andthencomparesthreepairsoftraditionalfestivalsinthetwo

hcomparisonofthethreepairsof

traditionalfestivalsinoriginsandtypicalcustomsforcelebration,alotofdifferences

h

analyzedtheunderlyingreasonscausingsuchdifferencesinthetwocultures.

Tosumup,theChinetraditionalfestivalsreflectthecharacteristicsof

ationforharvestistheoriginationofmosttraditional

rocessofthedevelopmentoftraditionalfestivals,theyhavebeen

mainlyinfluencedbyConfucianismandembodiedtheesnceofConfucianisminto

tureloadedinChinetraditional

festivalsreflectsthatChinetraditionalcultureattachesgreatimportancetoethics

andmoralsinthesocietyandtheharmonyamongpeople.

Incontrast,thefastdevelopmentofindustrializationinAmericahascrowdedout

ametime,American

aditionalfestivalsarethe

religiousproductsandthereligiousritualshavebeenincorporatedintothecelebration

tureembodiedinAmericantraditionalfestivalsreflects

theimportantroleofreligion,mainlyChristianity,inthesociety.

Incross-culturalcommunication,effectivecommunicationreliesonmutual

understanding,theavoidanceofmisinterpretation,andpositiveculturalawarenessof

individualinterlocutors(Samovar,etal.,2008).Chine-Englishlearnersmustknow

thatlearningalanguageismorethanlearningthelanguageitlf,andonlywhen

Chine-Englishlearnersdevelopgreaterawarenessofthedifferencescanthey

ntstudyisthus

practicallysignificantinthatithelpsreaderstohaveabetterunderstandingofsomeof

thekeytraditionalfestivalsinChineandAmericancultureaswellasthemajor

r,limitationxist

inthatduetotheauthor’slimitedrangeofknowledge,thecoveredcultural

phenomenaarenotvariounoughandthusthedepthofouranalysisisinneedof

furtherdevelopment.

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