What's the difference between China and western traditional festivals? How to celebrate them?

1, Chinese and western traditional festivals have different origins.

Traditional festivals in China are mainly related to human culture, while traditional festivals in the West are mainly related to religious culture. The initial embryonic form of traditional festivals in China is some sacrificial days. In the process of planting in spring, planting in summer sowing, harvesting in autumn and storing in winter, people realize the laws of natural changes and sum up the seasons. The climatic characteristics of different seasons in a year are summarized and arranged to form the annual and seasonal order.

The New Year Festival not only guided the ancient agriculture in China, but also deeply integrated into our national customs and culture, and some solar terms became important folk festivals. Such as New Year's Day and beginning of spring. The purpose of festival activities is directly related to agricultural production. Through these celebrations in the slack season, people worship the sun, the moon and the stars, celebrate the bumper harvest of grains, and pray for good weather in the coming year.

Compared with the traditional festivals in China, the traditional festivals in the West are full of religious colors. In the west, early festivals in human society also have the nature of expecting a bumper harvest. Since the European continent was infected by Christian civilization, almost all influential traditional festivals in the west have been related to Christianity.

Among these festivals, Christmas, Easter and Epiphany are the three major Christian festivals. Some of these festivals were spontaneously formed by believers and some were prescribed by the church, which lasted almost a year. With the cross-civilization popularization of Christianity and the spread of European immigrants to all continents, most of these festivals have become world-wide festivals.

2. Differences in value orientation between Chinese and Western festival cultures.

The differences between Chinese and western festival cultures also stem from different value orientations: etiquette and legal system. "Rite" in China traditional culture is the core culture that embodies the characteristics of mainstream culture in China. Starting from collectivism, this thought emphasizes individual obligation and advocates that individuals obey the collective. Therefore, festivals in China focus on collective participation in festival activities.

"Law" in western culture is the core culture reflecting the characteristics of western mainstream culture, and "law" is a category derived from the external behavior rules of social members. This thought of rule of law is based on individualism. Western culture pursues individual standard, self-centeredness, individual standard, competition standard and human personality and dignity.

In addition, China's traditional festivals also pay attention to the inheritance of ethics and morality, while China people have always paid attention to concealment and profundity, and advocated restraint to vent their joy. Western festivals pay attention to the expression of personal feelings and the relationship between individuals, especially the care, love and affection between individuals.

Western festival culture attaches great importance to the publicity of personal character and the expression of personal feelings. Carnival, which is popular in Europe and America, can best reflect this cultural feature.

3. Different ways to celebrate.

Spring Festival is the most important festival in China and overseas Chinese. Its celebrations are rich and grand. Festival activities are colorful. Lin Yutang, a famous scholar in China, once described the Spring Festival well. The ancient Chinese New Year in China is the biggest festival in China. In contrast, other festivals seem to be much dimmer.

On Christmas Eve, most people who celebrate Christmas will hold a special festival celebration ceremony in their own homes. Every family usually decorates the Christmas tree and puts all the colorful presents under it. At Christmas, there are also many celebrations. It is a custom to exchange gifts and give Christmas cards to friends and relatives all over the world to celebrate Christmas.