On the Protection of Chinese Traditional Festivals from the Perspective of thePopularity of

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1、On the Protection of Chinese Traditional Festivals from the Perspective of the Popularity of Western Festivals1.0 IntroductionOn December 21, 2006, there appeared a petition on the Internet. Ten Philosophy and education PhD students from Chinese top Universities jointly called for netizens to be les

2、s existed about Western holidays. They believed that Chinese were going to cultural collective unconsciousness. The petition caused fierce argument on whether Chinese should celebrate Western festivals. Regarding on this matter, there is a survey conducted by S recently. In it the host asks netizens

3、 about their attitudes towards Christmas. There are 18222 of them, among whom the majority 63.9% said celebrating Christmas is another way to recreation, nothing serious 17.85% netizens regarded the festivals as a fashionable act, showing they were not out of date. These two parts clearly indicate t

4、he general opinion of the young. And its true that most people who celebrate Western festivals do not know the connotation of those festivals.“With the progress of globalization and the development of Chinese society, economy and culture, our culture of folk festival has been impacted a lot. Traditi

5、onal festivals are desalinating while Western festivals are becoming more and more popular. In this situation, I believe its very necessary to save our cultural of traditional festivals. And such kind of voice is high in cultural circles.”said Li Lulu(2005), profess of Chinese National Museum. From

6、the research made by S and Lis point, it is obvious seen that many people are really in cultural unconsciousness. Are Western festivals really better than Chinese ones? Or are there any other reasons to make Western festivals more popular? The following chapters will give answers.2.0Comparison betwe

7、en Western festivals and Chinese festivals Liu Kuili(2006) academic member of Chinese Social Science Institute said,“At present, many people feel warm when they see Santa Claus. However, when talking about some our own traditional things, they feel these things out of date.”Are Chinese traditional f

8、estivals really out of date? A comparison has been made between Western festivals and Chinese ones to answer this question.2.1Similaraties Between Western festivals and Chinese festivals2.1.1Unoin, harmony and blessing The Spring Festival is the most important festival in China, while Christmas is t

9、he most important one of Western countries. Though they have different cultural background, they have something in common. The Spring Festival falls on the 1st day of the 1st lunar month. It originates in the Shang Dynasty (1600BC-1100BC) from the peoples sacrifice to gods and ancestors at the end o

10、f the passing year and the beginning of the new one. Christmas is a religious festival. It is the day when Christians celebrate the birthday of Jesus. It falls on 25th, December every year. Cleaning house and decorating are what both Chinese and Western people do before the Spring Festival and Chris

11、tmas. One of the reasons people do this is to prepare a clean and beautiful house for the reunion of the family members and friends. The reunion of the family members and friends is one of the important themes of the two festivals. During the several days following the Spring Festival, Chinese peopl

12、e visit each other and exchange gifts. It is a time for reconciliation when old disagreement should be cast aside and the air is permeated by warmth and friendship. Christmas also involves familial get-togethers, and exchange of gifts. Though meanwhile the language people use to express their blessi

13、ng is different, the blessing includes the same emotion. Sociologist Wang Xiao Zhang (2003) believes festivals provide opportunities for people to exchange ideas, communicate and narrow the gap between them. Both the Spring Festival and Christmas prove this point.2.1.2 True love Love is so important

14、 in the life that people with different cultural background have their festivals to show their cherishing of true love. In China, the Double Seventh Festival, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, is a traditional festival. Scholars have shown the Double Seventh Festival originate from the Han Dyna

15、sty (206BC-220AD). There is a beautiful love story about the origin of it. According to Chinese folklore, Zhinv(the weaving girl in heaven)who was the granddaughter of the Mother Lady Queen, fell in love and married a young cowherd named Niulang, despite the rule prohibiting marriage between mortal

16、and immortal. Zhinv was forced back to heaven, but Niulang pursued her with the magic ox. The Mother Lady Queen lined out the Milky Way with her hairpin, separating the couple. Still their remained devoted and undeterred, and at last, on the 7th evening of the seventh lunar month, bevies of magpies

17、bridged the Milky Way to bring Zhinv and Niulang together. As such, the festival is known as Chinese Valentines Day. This is a legend, while the origin of Valentines Day in Western countries is a true story. St. Valentine was a young priest who defied an edict from Rome and the Emperor that prohibit

18、ed young males in the army from marrying. It was believed that if a soldier were to marry, it would lesson his strength and dedication and change them into poor soldiers. St. Valentine defied the edict and continued to conduct wedding ceremonies. And for this defiance he was executed on February 14

19、in 269. To commemorate this hero, later generations made this day a celebration of youthful love. Both stories show that true love can overcome all the difficulties. Even life can be devoted to protection of true love. The two festivals embody peoples high value of true love.2.2 Difference between W

20、estern festivals and Chinese festivals 2.2.1 Ways of expression Our traditional cultural encourage implicit ways to express our emotion. This point affects our traditional festivals deeply. We also exchange gifts during some important festivals, but most of these gifts are health-protective products

21、. We also send cards to our friends or relatives, but we seldom express our emotion directly. For example, most Chinese people never say love directly to their parents. In contrast, Western peoples ways of expressing their emotion are much more direct and various than ours. Their ways of celebrating

22、 festivals can testify this point. Flowers play an important role in Western festivals. The first kind of flower should be mentioned here is rose. Sending roses to their love is the direct way for youth to express their love on Valentines Day. On Mothers Day carnations are the most popular flowers.

23、Sons and daughters use it to express their love for their mothers. In Chinese festivals we do not have this kind of gifts to show our love.Party just like flower is an important part in Western festivals. Sometimes it is so exciting that it becomes carnival. People, especially youth like to use this

24、 form to lesson stress and communicate with each other. Party is a good way for people to express their emotion directly.2.2.2 Food culture Turkey is the typical dish on the day of Christmas in Western countries. It is said that when the pioneers of American first arrived at the new continent, eatab

25、le thing there were very limited. But they found that there were many turkeys. Those fatty and big turkeys helped them out and became the most important food on their tables at Christmas. Comparing with Western countrys big meal of turkey, Chinese festival food is much more various, and has more cul

26、tural background. Jiaozi(a traditional Chinese food) is the representative food during the Spring Festival. These round dumplings (jiaozi) signify the reunion of family. In northern China, families traditionally spend New Years Eve together preparing the dumplings, which are eaten at the midnight. O

27、ne of the most popular courses is Jiaozi boiled in water. One lucky person may find a coin inside. Crescent-shaped Jiaozi are the symbol of health and prosperity because of their resemblance to ancient Chinese money (silver ingots). Niangao is another important food during the Spring Festival. Their

28、 sweetness symbolizes a rich, sweet life, while the layers symbolize rising abundance for the coming year.Many traditional Chinese foods are used to honor the gods or divine persons in history. Zongzi(a glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves)is such kind of food. It is used to hono

29、r Qu Yuan (340BC-278BC), the pioneer patriotic poet of ancient China. Qu Yuan was a famous patriotic poet. Unfortunately his stature aroused the jealousy of the king, who banished him to a remote area. The poet despaired of the government and its policies. When the states capital was captured by ene

30、mies, he committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River on May 5th according to the Chinese lunar calendar. The Chinese people felt this loss deeply, as he was a much beloved poet. Local folk searched for him in the river, meanwhile dropping dumplings of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or

31、 reed leaves into the river in order to keep the fish from attacking Qu Yuans body. At present, eating Zongzi on the 5th day of the fifth lunar month has become a custom all over China.Moon cakes are an important part of the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the 14th century, a revolt against the Mongols deve

32、loped, and messages of the revolution were writing on paper, then backed into the cakes. The secret messages in the moon cakes were sent to the revolutionists. Things are different now, and the moon cakes are given to friends and relatives during the festival to convey blessing. Moon cakes are made

33、with sweet fillings of nuts, mashed red beans, lotus-seed paste or Chinese dates, wrapped in a pastry. Sometimes a cooked egg yolk can be found in the middle of the rich tasting dessert. The round shape of moon cake means the reunion of the family to Chinese.Yuanxiao is the special food for the Lant

34、ern Festival. It is believed that Yuanxiao is named after a place maid, Yuanxiao, of Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty. It is a kind of sweet dumpling, which is made with sticky rice flour filled with sweet stuffing. It symbolizes the sweet life.3.0 Reasons for difference to Chinese traditional festi

35、vals The comparison above proves Chinese traditional festivals also have various cultural connotations. Well then what makes Western festivals more popular than Chinese one?3.1 Losing essence According to the survey conducted by the Beijing Youth Daily, during the Spring Festival, 49.9 percent of re

36、spondents said they set off firecrackers, while only 17.7 percent said they have a ceremony to worship their ancestors. And a mere 16 percent said they put up Spring Festival couplets on the front gates of their houses. It proves that the essence of traditional festivals is degenerating. Some new ch

37、anges are taking place. According to Guo Zhichun (2007), a cultural commentator at the Global Times, no countrys New Year is parallel to the Spring Festival in China in terms of commercialization and materialism. In Western countries friends and relatives exchange gifts on Christmas Day, but their g

38、ifts are usually simple and not expensive. In China, gifts have become increasingly expensive. Many Chinese confess that the Spring Festival has become an economic and psychological burden of them. They are tried of the excessive number of advertisements for sales and the problem of deciding what to

39、 buy for others. Drinking and eating during the festivals is another burden on customers pockets. And for health conscious Chinese who have spent the year keeping in shape, the Spring Festival can be seen as a burden on belly, too. Even the greeting words are something too materialized. The most pop

40、ular greeting words Chinese people use during the Spring Festival are “Congratulations on greeting rich” or “May you be prosperous”, while the wish for good health is a second choice. The Spring Festival is not alone. The other important tradition Chinese Festivals such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, t

41、he Lantern Festival are losing their essence and turning into simple shopping or eating events, too.3.2 Misleading of Business The arising of celebrating foreign festivals apparently has something to do with the advancement of Chinese economy. When a major festival arrives, business circles are tryi

42、ng every means to boost the atmosphere, thus finding opportunity to attract every possible customer. Hotels make full use of the chance to offer luxurious Christmas dinner, the price of which is 2 times higher than the normal one. Still, these luxuries are sold out in seconds. Some shopping centers

43、redecorate their little gifts such as doll bears and chocolates to sell at special price. Some travel agencies make “Christmas lines”. Even cinemas are providing something different. Business rather than culture has begun to play a dominate role in festivals. More and more people are preoccupied wit

44、h how much money can be earned during festivals. The atmosphere of Valentines Day is quite observable. To meet a lot of love couples roses are emerging at any place, such as shopping center, squares metro stations and so on. The advertisement of chocolate and other gifts are at their peak of the yea

45、r. Newspapers and fashion magazines boost a lot of the festivals, giving all kinds of tips from how to send suitable gifts to your loved ones, how to write a special and romantic love letter, even how to arrange a surprise date. The atmosphere raised by the businessmen stimulates the public and rais

46、e their desire to celebrate the foreign festivals. However, there is no businessman telling people the cultural background of those foreign festivals. Under their propagating, people celebrate those festivals just for fun.3.3 Lacking humanity Since the Peoples Republic of China was found in 1949, pu

47、blic holidays such as the New Years Day (January 1), the Spring Festival (the 1st day of the 1st lunar month in the Chinese calendar), International Womens Day (March 8), International Labors Day (May 1), Youth Day (May 4), Childrens Day (June 1), Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party o

48、f China (July 1), Army Day (August 1) and National Day (October 1)have all been decided. These holidays have revolutionary origins but most people think they lack humanity concern. At the same time, other traditional Chinese festivals such as the Lantern Festival (the 15th day of the 1st lunar month

49、), Qingming Festival (April 5), Dragon Boat Festival (the 5th day of the 5th lunar month), Mid-Autumn Day (the 15th day of the 8th lunar month) and Double Ninth Festival (the 9th day of the 9th lunar month), which express love between human beings, are not included. We can not ignore that Western fe

50、stival pay more attention to the personal relationship, while the Chinese ones originate from the mortals awe for the immortals. The International Labor Day holiday, the National Day holiday, and the Spring Festival holiday are the three weeklong holidays China has now. The last one is the only holi

51、day that ties in with Chinas traditional customs. Many festivals, considered important days on Chinas lunar calendar, such as New Years Eve, Mid-Autumn Day and Qingming Festival, on which people pay their respects to their ancestors, are not celebrated and the customs are not commonly commemorated i

52、n cities as people have to work on these days.3.4 Spreading of Christianity in China Nowadays, cultural exchange between China and Western countries is becoming more and more frequent. Christianity is also extending inland unavoidably. The developing impetus of Christianity in China springs up like

53、bamboo shoots after a spring rain. According to the data on line, there are about 16 million Christians in Chinese inland. However, some foreign organizations believe that there are more than 60 million Christians in China. There is a survey conducted among students of Sichuan University and Folk Co

54、llege of Southwest China on religious idea. From the result of 254 valid questionnaire, 14% students involved think religion is against science, meanwhile, over 2/3 students believe religion includes truth. 72% people answer that there are religious believers around them. 86% people believe religion

55、 can satisfy the spiritual need of believers. 62% people think religion can go harmoniously with socialism. It can be seen from this survey that more and more people can accept Christianitys entering Chinese culture. Consequently, the fanaticism of some people, especially youth who think they are Ch

56、ristians makes contribution to the popularity of some Western festivals in China, though most of them do not know the connotation of Christianity well. 3.5 Age differences The attitudes toward Western festivals are various from person to person. Western festivals are popular mainly among the younger

57、 generation while the senior show little interest in them. At present, youth are growing in the atmosphere of easy acceptance of foreign cultures and increasing tolerance toward foreign festivals. It makes them happy to send greeting cards at Christmas, send chocolates to their beloved ones on Valen

58、tines Day, make jokes on April fools day and hug their parents on Mothers Day and Fathers Day. To them, foreign festivals enrich their lives, giving them more occasions to have fun and appreciate love. While, on the other hand, the older generation is quiet indifferent to foreign festivals. They sti

59、ll prefer traditional Chinese festivals, during which the reunion of the family is still greatly emphasized. They regard the young peoples enthusiastic interest in Christmas and Valentines Day as being deceived by business tricks. To them the money spent on gifts and flowers is waste.4.0 Inspiration

60、 from other countries4.1 Increasing humanity concern The ways that Western countries celebrate their festivals have much inspiration to us, especially, the essence of humanity of their festivals. In Western countries, children like Christmas because they can get unexpected gifts from “Santa Claus”.

61、Santa Claus, the old man in red is a very amiable and healthy image. But during our Spring Festivals, elders give children money as gift. Comparing with gifts from Santa Claus, money loses humanity concern. In France, after going to church on Christmas Eve, all the family members will go to the elde

62、st brothers or sisters home to have a big meal together. They discuss matters of family on the assembly. The entire discordance will be resolved on it. So Christmas is also called Merciful Day. And churches will organize donations before and during Christmas. Most people will take part in this merci

63、ful action. All the collections will be distributed to needy people. The sprit of Christmas encourages people to help each other. On Mothers Day American children of all ages treat their mothers to something special. It is the one day when children, young and old, try to show how much they appreciat

64、e their mothers. On Mothers Day some American children follow the tradition of serving their mothers breakfast in bed. Other children will give their mothers gifts which they have made themselves or brought in stores. Adults give their mothers red carnations. This is the busiest day of the year for

65、American restaurants. The busiest day of our restaurants is the New Years Eve. It proves that the living standard of our life has been improved. However, at the same time, the exciting atmosphere that all family members take part in making Jiaozi also disappeared.4.2 Increasing governmental intervention Japans cultural properties are absolutely essential for the Japanese people in getting a proper understanding of their history and culture. The preservation and utilization of cultural properties is not only important for enriching the lives of people but also i