What are the differences between Chinese and Western festivals?

1. The origins of Chinese and Western traditional festivals are different. Chinese traditional festivals are mainly related to humanistic culture, while Western traditional festivals are mainly related to religious culture.

The original prototype of traditional Chinese festivals was some sacrificial days.

In the process of planting in spring, growing in summer, harvesting in autumn, and storing in winter, people realize the changing laws of nature and summarize the seasons.

The annual seasons are formed by summarizing and sorting the climate characteristics of different seasons in a year.

The seasonal festivals not only guided my country's ancient agriculture, but were also deeply integrated into our country's national customs and culture. Some solar terms have even become important folk festivals.

Such as: New Year's Day, Beginning of Spring, etc.

The purposes of festival activities are directly related to agricultural production.

Through these festive activities during the off-farm period, people worship the sun, moon and stars, celebrate a good harvest, and pray for good weather in the coming year.

Compared with Chinese traditional festivals, Western traditional festivals have a strong religious flavor.

In the West, early festival activities in human society also had the nature of hoping for a good harvest.

Since the European continent was invaded by Christian civilization, basically all the traditional festivals with great influence in the West are related to Christianity.

Among these festivals, Christmas, Easter and Epiphany are the three major Christian festivals.

Some of these festivals are spontaneously formed by believers, and some are prescribed by the church, and they last almost throughout the year.

With the universalization of Christianity across civilizations and the spread of European immigrants to all continents of the world, most of these festivals have become worldwide festivals.

2. Differences in value orientations between Chinese and Western festival cultures. The differences between Chinese and Western festival cultures also stem from the different value orientations between China and the West: etiquette and legality.

"Etiquette" in traditional Chinese culture is the core culture that reflects the characteristics of the main Chinese culture.

This etiquette thought starts from collective centralism, emphasizes individual obligations, and advocates individual submission to the collective. Therefore, Chinese festivals focus on collective participation in festival activities.

"Law" in Western culture is the core culture that reflects the characteristics of Western main culture. "Law" is a category derived from the external behavioral rules of social members.

This kind of rule of law thought is based on individualism.

Western culture pursues an individual orientation, is self-centered, values ??individuals, values ??competition, and values ??human personality and dignity.

In addition, traditional Chinese festivals also focus on the inheritance of ethics and morals. The Chinese people have always paid attention to subtlety and depth, and advocated the use of restraint to vent joyful emotions.

Western festivals focus on the expression of personal emotions and the relationship between individuals, especially the care, friendship and affection between individuals.

Western festival culture attaches great importance to the promotion of personal character and the expression of personal emotions.

The carnivals that are popular in European and American countries best reflect this cultural feature.

3. Different ways of celebrating the Spring Festival is the most important festival for every Chinese and overseas Chinese.

Its celebrations are rich and grand.

The festival activities are rich and colorful.

Lin Yutang, a famous Chinese scholar, once gave a good description of the Spring Festival. The ancient Chinese Lunar New Year is the biggest festival of the year for the Chinese people. In comparison, other festivals seem to be bleak.

On Christmas Eve, most people who celebrate Christmas will hold a special holiday celebration ceremony in their own homes.

Families usually decorate the Christmas tree and put colorfully wrapped gifts underneath.

On Christmas Day, there are also many celebrations.

Exchanging gifts and sending Christmas cards to relatives and friends at Christmas is a custom that celebrates Christmas all over the world.