English Debate: Should Western festivals be celebrated?

1. The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the Double Ninth Festival, which is the annual autumn wind in China. In ancient China, "six" was a yin number and nine was a yang number. The ninth day of September happens to be two positive numbers, so people call it "Double Ninth Festival", also known as "Double Ninth Festival". On the Double Ninth Festival, most people in China "climb mountains" with their relatives.

Double Ninth Festival is a festival set by China people according to the lunar calendar. In western countries, only the solar calendar has no lunar calendar. In western countries, major festivals include Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is equivalent to the Spring Festival in China, and it is a festival for family reunion to welcome the New Year. But there are both connections and differences between them.

Thanksgiving Day and Spring Festival are family reunions, which fully show affection and affection. They are all important traditional festivals, on which people remember their ancestors and thank the earth for raising them. The difference between the two lies in the form of celebration.

Before the Spring Festival, families in China will make a lot of preparations, clean the house and cook special food. The red scroll is hung on the wall, and China people believe that the words on the scroll will bring them health, longevity and happiness. Not only that, all China people in the world like yangko and firecrackers during the Spring Festival very much.

But Americans eat turkey and watch professional football games on TV when celebrating Thanksgiving. Walking is also an important part of the holiday.

With the increasingly frequent cultural exchanges between China and the West, many festivals in the West have been passed down, and a combination of Chinese and Western cultures has emerged in China. For example, on February 25th every year, 165438, almost every student in China gets together for Christmas. /kloc-on the fourth Thursday of October, 1 165438, many students will also send a blessing and thanks to those who have helped themselves, because that day is Thanksgiving.

2. As far as I know, there are both traditional festivals and modern festivals in China (mainly some festivals stipulated by the government after liberation). Some traditional festivals have been lost, while others are still active, such as the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, the Dragon Boat Festival on the 5th day of May, the Qixi Festival on the 7th of July (Valentine's Day in China), the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th of August and the Double Ninth Festival in September (I know it mainly from Tang).

Modern times are mainly concentrated after liberation, such as Labor Day, Children's Day, Army Day and National Day.

Some festivals are internationally accepted, such as New Year's Day, 3. 15 World Consumer Day, and so on. I won't discuss it here.

There are many festivals in the west, but many of them have been lost. Most of them are still active and have spread to China, forming a certain influence. Some of them are even bigger than the traditional festivals in China, such as Valentine's Day in February 14, April Fool's Day in April 1, Christmas Eve on February 24th, 12, Christmas Day on February 25th, and then it is.

Festivals in China are produced in two situations, one is a legend, which is similar to the established truth, and the other is a regulation promulgated by government departments (this situation is also very common abroad, and it is mostly used to commemorate the day of major events). However, there are some differences between the western model and China, mainly in the former case. Most western festivals are produced by or related to religion. This is of course related to the differences between regions and civilizations, which is understandable.

Give two typical examples.

The Dragon Boat Festival in China originated from Qu Yuan. The sage was loyal to the monarch and loved the people, but he was provoked by traitors and was not trusted. He wrote influential works such as Li Sao all his life. Standing by the river, he was one of the earliest people in China who thought about life. At the same time, thinking about the universe with Socrates in the west, set each other off and become interesting. But he was never used again. When he was sad and desperate, he joined. Throw zongzi into the river and race the dragon boat. This is the Dragon Boat Festival. After deifying a mortal and a real person, it spread in the form of legend and finally formed a festival.

And the Wu Zixu Memorial. After Wu was forced to commit suicide by Fu Cha, the king of Wu, people set up this festival to commemorate him. This is the Dragon Boat Festival. Whether the two statements are correct remains to be verified, so I won't say it. Looking at this form alone, it is a festival after giving the legendary magic to two real people in history. This is of course related to China's cultural habits since ancient times. At that time, the theories of the pre-Qin philosophers all had certain influence, but after all, they were not as authoritative and inclusive as religion. In a land that has experienced numerous natural and man-made disasters and long-term wars, myths and legends are easy to stand on. The wise China predecessors saw this and only grasped a little, thus creating many meaningful and valuable festivals, leaving us a lot of spiritual wealth and making this land rich. Because of its connotation, it is enduring. As one of the ancient civilizations that have not been destroyed, our land in China has been.

Look at the west again. It seems that from the beginning, they were ruled by religion and sanctioned by religion. Both Christianity and Islam originated from that land. It seems that the land was born, and the blood that breeds religion flows in its bones. So their festivals are all related to Dachuan religion. For example, Christmas, which has a wide influence at home and abroad, originated from Christianity and is related to the birth of Jesus. It is also the dividing point around AD.

These two different forms have been different since ancient times. Nowadays, the difference is getting smaller and smaller. With the development of information society and the increasingly obvious and necessary internationalization, the friction between festivals is becoming less and less. Foreign festivals supported by different civilizations can be peaceful, without conflict and smoke. In such a society, even religions and festivals can blend with each other. After all, the global village will still be a global village. Festivals have played an increasingly important role in uniting and entertaining people. This is also an original role produced by Chinese and Western festivals. No matter what they have experienced and changed, what remains unchanged is this similarity, which makes people believe that the future will be a beautiful role.

In fact, this research topic is a bit annoying. If you give it to Yu, he will do well. He has inspected the differences between Chinese and western civilizations on the spot, which is easier to write and has something to write. But he won't write so much, because these things can be explained clearly in two or three sentences. If you want a quotation, it will be empty. If you are arrogant, you are suspected of deliberately showing off and carving. The traces are obvious ... There are many festivals every year, familiar and unfamiliar, willing and unwilling, or accompanying friends or family. We are all doing it, and we all have some feelings. It is difficult to express our inner feelings in words. I believe everyone has compared the similarities and differences between Chinese and western festivals in their minds. It's hard to say. Let nature take its course. If Han Han may be more troublesome, he is a funny genius. This little thing is not difficult for him. I'll just say a few words to you.

There is a more important comparison. That is, western festivals have a great influence in China, while festivals in China can't achieve the same effect abroad. Of course, this shows the unfairness of another civilization difference, but in this whole space, it is still one, so it is fair to say.

3. 1, address form

In Chinese, kinship terms are often widely used, often among non-relatives: young people call their elders "uncles" and "aunts"; Address peers as "Big Brother" and "Big Sister". But in English, kinship terms are not widely used in social intercourse. If we call our English-speaking elders "Uncle Smith" and "Aunt Brown", they will feel uncomfortable. In English culture, such kinship terms are only used when they are closely related, instead of surnames, only first names, such as "Uncle Tom".

Another example is that students know that a teacher means "teacher" and call him "Miss Wang" accordingly. In fact, English teachers are just a profession; People in China have a tradition of respecting teachers and valuing morality. "Teacher" is not only a profession, but also a kind of respect for people. Because of this cultural difference, students have a simple understanding: Miss Wang = Miss Wang. In addition, "Secretary Tang" and "Nurse Zhang" customarily referred to in Chinese are called Secretary Tang and Nurse Zhang, which sounds incredible to people in English-speaking countries. In English, people usually address themselves as Mr., Ms. and Mrs..

2. Thanks and thanks

Generally speaking, we in China seldom use "thank you" among family members. If you use it, it will sound strange, or there will be a distance between the two. In English-speaking countries, "thank you." Used in almost all occasions, between all people, even between parents and children, brothers and sisters. Send a bottle of drink and prepare a delicious meal, and the other party will say "thank you." In public, no matter what others help you, you should say "thank you", which is the minimum etiquette.

When people ask what they want to eat or drink (do you want to eat/drink? ), we are usually used to answering politely: "No, don't bother" and so on. According to the custom of English-speaking countries, if you want, you don't have to refuse and say, "Yes, please." If you don't want it, just say "no, thanks." . This also fully reflects the different styles of implicit China people and frank English-speaking people.

Step 3 worship

In English-speaking countries, compliments are often used as the opening remarks of conversations. The content of praise mainly includes personal appearance, appearance, newly bought things, personal belongings, personal excellent work in a certain aspect, etc. Usually, when praising other people's appearance, they only praise the results of her efforts to dress up, but not her natural beauty. So many people praise other people's hairstyles, but few people praise other people's hair. Praise others, the most common answer is: thank you. For example, A: Your skills look good.

B: Thank you.

4 Privacy

When people in China meet for the first time, they will ask about their age, marriage and income, expressing their concern. However, English-speaking countries are disgusted with this, thinking that all these involve personal privacy. For example, in JEFC lesson 1 lesson 16, there is a conversation: "Mrs. Reed, how old are you?" "Ah, it's a secret!" Why did Mrs. Reed refuse to tell her age? Because people in English-speaking countries want to look energetic and youthful in each other's eyes, and keep their actual age secret, especially women. For example, China people care about "Where are you going?" "What are you doing?" In English, it has become an interrogation of spying on others' privacy and listening to others' words, which is unpopular.

Step 5 say hello

China people are used to asking, "Have you eaten?" If you say this to people in English-speaking countries, they will think you want to invite them to dinner. People in English-speaking countries usually talk about weather, health, transportation, sports and hobbies.

6, festivals

Cultural differences between China and English-speaking countries are also obvious in festivals. Apart from festivals in China and English-speaking countries (such as New Year's Day), both sides also have their own unique festivals. There are Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival in China. English-speaking countries have Valentine's Day, Easter, April Fool's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and so on. The customs and habits of Chinese and western festivals are also very different. In festivals, people in China often refuse other people's gifts and accept them helplessly, but they usually don't open them in person after accepting them. If you open it in person and smile, you may be suspected of "greedy for money." In British culture, people usually open gifts from others and praise them in person, and thank them gladly.

7. Cultural connotation of vocabulary.

English vocabulary has accumulated rich cultural connotations in long-term use. In teaching, attention should be paid to the introduction of cultural meanings of English vocabulary to prevent students from making subjective evaluations simply from the vocabulary itself. For example, whether in English-speaking countries or in China, red is usually associated with celebrations or festivals, and there is "Red Letter Day" in English. Especially in China, red symbolizes the positive significance of revolution and socialism, but in English, "red" also means a dangerous state or makes people angry, such as "red flag". When you see "in the red" in business English, don't think it is profit, on the contrary, it means loss and debt.