The Place and Role of Traditional Chinese Festivals in Daily Life

Zhu Renqiu: The Spring Festival is approaching, and the streets and alleys are filled with the joy of the festival. In the past few years, when it comes to festivals, people's reaction is often one word: tired. What is the festival that makes people feel tired? It's the traditional festivals, such as Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival. But at the same time, foreign festivals are highly respected by young people, especially in the city. At Christmas and Valentine's Day, colorful Christmas trees, smiling Santa Claus, brightly colored roses and affectionate lovers all make people feel a strong festive atmosphere. In the native Chinese culture, why do people lose their own festivals, but pick up the background and our culture is completely different from the Western festivals?

Huang Ningying: One important reason is the impact of globalization. In terms of culture, when we talk about globalization, we are only deceiving ourselves and others in search of a grandiose reason for Westernization. In the process of globalization, it is undeniable that Chinese culture is in a weaker position compared to Western culture. Hollywood movies are changing people's views on life. The warm and romantic portrayal of Western festivals in movies, and then rendered by fashion magazines, make the celebration of Western festivals a symbol of tasteful life. This impression is so y rooted in people's hearts that among young people in the city, not celebrating Western festivals has become outdated and unbelievable.

Zhu Renqiu: The inner support of traditional festivals is the farming culture and Confucianism. But now, these two cultures can't firmly support traditional festivals. In the agricultural society, the family relationship is very important to the development of a person, traditional festivals often contain the will of the family reunion, is an excellent opportunity to contact the family of all kinds of people feelings. However, in the ever-changing modern city, the structure of social interaction is completely different from traditional society, and the relationship between coworkers and friends has a much greater impact on people's work compared to that of relatives. Mid-Autumn and Qingming are good for reunion with family. And on Christmas and Valentine's Day, being with colleagues and friends should be the best choice. The relaxing and enjoyable Western festivals just make up for the traditional festivals that are not adapted to the modern social structure in terms of interpersonal interactions. In addition, the withering of Confucian culture and the impact of Western culture have made the roots of traditional festivals increasingly fragile.

Chen Daoyuan: Except for the Spring Festival, none of the other traditional festivals have statutory holidays. For example, the 2004 Mid-Autumn Festival is September 28, and the National Day holiday is very close to each other, if the government will be a few days ahead of the National Day holiday, many people will go home to reunite with their loved ones, *** celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. But unfortunately, the National Day holiday is still from October 1, travelers can only "raise their heads to look at the moon, low thinking of their hometown". Traditional festivals have been marginalized, there are reasons for the east-west trend, but the government's neglect in this regard, can not be blamed.

Huang Ningying: It is because the traditional festivals implied culture is too deep, the inner spirit is too rich, so that now the pursuit of relaxation of the people instinctively escape, and choose to live in the Western holiday. In fact, they are not the original meaning of the Western holidays, but the cultural and traditional connotations of the Western holidays have been removed. This form of festival, in turn, let the impetuous people feel relaxed. There are many people who believe that the foreign festival is just an excuse to have a good time to relieve the pressure of work and life. In addition, the traditional festivals of visiting friends and relatives and countless entertainment is also very headache. What people say is that they are tired of celebrating festivals is actually what they mean by this kind of tiredness.

Zhu Renqiu: The fast-paced life and utilitarian pursuits have gradually alienated people from traditional festivals. In the tension of modern life under the impact of traditional festivals to create a harmonious mood of man and nature, traditional festivals brought by the deepest peace and tranquility, gradually away from us. And too many utilitarian things are seriously destroyed the inner spirit of traditional festivals, modern people are the most lack of that kind of idyllic pastoral cultural state of mind.

Chen Daoyuan: Yes! Now, many people do not pay much attention to the festival culture itself humanistic significance, but more attention to the weight of the holiday gifts, festivals become empty consumption, the original in the festival of those cultural things become more fragile. The reduction of the cultural meaning of traditional festivals is also an important manifestation of cultural decline, because culture and inner spirit is the soul of the festival. The festivities can be transplanted, but the meaning of the festivals can not be transplanted.

The Meaning of Festivals and Their Inner Spirit

Zhu Renqiu: Festivals, as grand commemorative and celebratory activities held by various ethnic groups in specific seasons, are a typical mode of life in which people regulate the content and rhythm of their own lives in an integrative, communal, and phased manner. Festivals have far-reaching significance, which can satisfy people's physiological, psychological and social needs from various aspects.

Chen Daoyuan: There are three types of festivals: religious, folk, and political. For religious festivals, festivals have the significance of humanistic care; for folk festivals, festivals have the meaning of hero worship; political festivals reflect the preferences of the state's coercive power, and the state's coercive power to protect whom it wants to protect, and whom it does not protect. From the point of view of the types of festivals and their corresponding meanings, festivals have a pure, single point, which has its own clear signs, the connotation of the festival is not to be added or subtracted. The way to celebrate the festival is related to the actual people and things in the environment, the festival is the actual, concrete people and things to promote the meaning of the festival, rendering the atmosphere of the festival. Nowadays, some festivals, singing the main role is not the meaning of the festival, but the economic activities, which reverses the connotation of the festival's subject and object.

Huang Ningying: Religious festivals are a refresher course for people and events that have disappeared, and people get their meaning of life through this refresher course. In religious festivals, people's spirit obtains a life experience through religious ceremonies, and obtains a spiritual space for living. Folk festivals make every detail of the festivities a manifestation of heroism. People are immersed in happiness during the festivals, sharing the feelings of heroes, sharing the joy brought by heroic feelings, and every activity has the feeling of becoming a hero. Political festivals, on the other hand, reflect the coercive power of the state. The state mandatory provisions of the festival, are reflected in the state to protect or care of the object, such as Teachers' Day, reflecting the state's attention to education, the care of teachers.

Zhu Renqiu: There are many different classifications of festivals. As far as individual life is concerned, the growth of life is always accompanied by the memory of festivals. There are different identities and roles at each stage of one's life. From childhood to adulthood, one experiences Children's Day, Youth Day, Father's Day or Mother's Day, and Elderly (Chung Yeung) Day, through which festivals can awaken people to feel their own importance, and also express the society's care for children, expectations for youth, gratitude for parents, and respect for the elderly, and respect for oneself and others.

Chen Daoyuan: From the point of view of social division of labor, we have the Journalists' Day, May Day (workers, farmers, intellectuals), Army Day (soldiers), Nurses' Day, Teachers' Day and so on, people from all walks of life are very important and have their own festivals, which illustrate the sanctity of the work, and also tell us that each industry is worthy of respect.

Huang Ningying: in the direction of time, there are traditional festivals and modern festivals; in the spatial direction, there are national festivals and world festivals (such as the United Nations Festival), or "local festivals" and "foreign festivals", which are the two most common festivals. These are also the two most common ways of dividing festivals. No matter what kind of festival, it brings us a joyful, peaceful, lively, celebratory, relaxing and relaxing atmosphere. Festivals are the expression of individuality and the revelry of the group, and are the regulation and revolt against the monotonous and tense daily life.

Zhu Renqiu: In a philosophical sense, festivals convey the feeling of life time and space. Traditional Chinese festivals are precisely the condensed form of our life space-time experience, which is both the experience of the individual and the experience of the national ****same body; it is both the experience of the national time and the experience of the national space. Traditional festivals bring out the spiritual level of a people, which condenses the spirit of a people, shows the pursuit of a people, highlights the value of a people. The reason why some traditional festivals are interrupted or even extinct is actually the loss of their cultural spirit. People's demand for festivals is mainly spiritual and emotional demand, emotional value is the main core of the festival, which is more distinctive and more characteristic of the Chinese people.

Huang Ningying: Each festival has a unique cultural and historical background, and the meaning of the festival depends on its cultural connotation. For example, the Cold Food Festival, is to commemorate the noble temperament of Jie Zi push; Dragon Boat Festival, is to commemorate the spirit of patriotism Qu Yuan, at the same time inserted wormwood, sprinkle Xionghuang wine, etc. and has the role of mosquito repellent. In addition, the legend of Chang'e running to the moon is portrayed very movingly in every Mid-Autumn Festival, and Mid-Autumn means harvest, reunion and harmony between heaven and man. The romantic love story of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden lights up the night of every Tanabata, which has evolved into a Chinese-style Valentine's Day. The story of setting off firecrackers to scare away the "year" is also one of the stories that children often hear when they are young at New Year's Eve. Similarly, Western festivals have specific cultural connotations. Their major festivals are often related to religion, such as Easter and Christmas.

Chen Daoyuan: Chinese traditional festivals are diverse and rich in content, and are an integral part of the long history and culture of the Chinese nation. The origin and development of traditional festivals is a process of gradual formation, subtle refinement, and slow penetration into social life. From these festivals and customs handed down to the present day, we can still clearly see the wonderful picture of the social life of the ancient people.

Zhu Renqiu: China's traditional festivals, most of the astronomy, calendar, mathematics, and later divided into festivals, which can be traced back at least from the literature to the "Xia Xiaozheng", "Shangshu", to the period of the Warring States period, the division of the year's twenty-four festivals, has basically complete, and later traditional festivals, and these festivals are closely related.

Huang Ningying: festival for the production of the festival provides the prerequisites, most of the festivals in China in the pre-Qin period, has been the first signs of the earliest customary activities and primitive worship, superstitions and taboos related. China's main traditional festivals stereotyped in the Han Dynasty, to the Tang Dynasty, has turned into entertainment ceremonial type, become a real festival of good times. China's traditional festivals have a deep cultural heritage, wonderful and romantic, great vulgarity in the great elegance, elegance and vulgarity **** appreciation, has a strong cohesion and broad inclusiveness, a holiday, the country celebrated together, which is the long history of the Chinese nation and the long history of the same lineage, is a valuable spiritual cultural heritage.

Chen Daoyuan: National festivals are the most grand and eye-catching events in the national culture, and they are also the centralized display of a nation's national culture and national customs. Therefore, national festivals are not only emphasized by the nationalities, but also noticed by other nationalities. In modern society, the significance of national festivals does not only lie in its carnival, but also has the function of enhancing national cohesion, inheriting national culture, and promoting economic and cultural exchanges among various nationalities. There is no contradiction between culture and festival economy, and the inherent culture of festivals can be utilized to create good economic benefits, for example, by engaging in special tourism, selling special food, etc. In this way, economy and culture can promote each other. In this way, the economy and culture can promote each other, why not?

Building Chinese traditional festival culture

Zhu Renqiu: As an ancient civilization with a long history, national traditional festivals are an important and indispensable part of Chinese culture. They all have specific cultural connotations, condense the wisdom of the Chinese nation, embody the spirit of the Chinese nation, and have played an important role in passing on and spreading Chinese civilization for thousands of years. We can not belittle the connotation of festival culture, should not ignore the decline of festival culture, should be well protected, especially in the strong penetration of Western culture today, the reconstruction of the national traditional festivals is more significant.

Chen Daoyuan: Some people think that if a festival dies out, it means that it has lagged behind the development of the times, and there is no significance in saving it. But I don't see it that way. I think that traditional things can not be left to their own devices, is in need of protection, more precisely, the tradition needs to be consciously protected by the government and the people, deliberate protection.

Huang Ningying: The more advanced the country, the better the protection of traditional things. Modernity and tradition go hand in hand. In the UK, I saw the situation of people preparing for Christmas, which can be described in two words: serious.

Zhu Renqiu: The government should first pay attention to the traditional festivals, and add Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Winter Solstice as legal holidays, and vigorously publicize the origins of the festivals, the customs of different places, and so on. In the current situation, first of all, there should be a form, and then the inner culture of the festival will have the opportunity to be understood and accepted by the people.

Huang Ningying: people understand and accept the traditional festivals have a premise, is to have peace and innocence of mind, to have the heart. Although the way to celebrate the festival is not the same everywhere, but there is one thing is **** the same, that is, in the festival on the nature of gratitude, full of good expectations for life. This is something that seems to be hard to feel when people in the city celebrate festivals. People just for the sake of festivals and festivals, the lack of a perception of nature, thanks to the heart of life.

Chen Daoyuan: Chinese traditional festivals are being refreshed and upgraded in both form and connotation with the great changes in society. From visiting friends and relatives to traveling far and wide, from eating and drinking festivals to enjoyment festivals, the traditional sense of the festival flavor faded, such as the Dragon Boat Festival wrapping dumplings, the Mid-Autumn Festival to taste the moon cake, the Lantern Festival to eat dumplings, the Spring Festival to celebrate the reunion of the customs have been diluted. With the increase in consumer spending power and the convenience of transportation, people's cultural life is colorful, but also let the traditional festivals more than a lot of fashion factors, the times give the traditional festival new connotation.

Zhu Renqiu: Society has changed from traditional to modern. Many festivals arranged according to the solar calendar, let us feel the influence of foreign cultures, such as: Western Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc. These foreign cultures to expand the scope of life, so that we can also be the same as the inhabitants of the world, and to share some of the same ideals of mankind ****.

Huang Ningying: We emphasize the traditional Chinese festivals here, not against the people of Western festivals. The "foreign festivals" have "foreign festivals" of the wonderful, "earth festival" has "earth festival" of the mood. The first time I've seen this, I've seen a lot of people who have been in the same boat for a long time.

Chen Daoyuan: economic and social development, culture should also be developed accordingly; with the times, festival culture is also so. How to promote innovation, inheritance, development of traditional festival culture in the excellent components, and give it new content and form, is the need to study and solve the problem.

Huang Ningying: In the face of traditional Chinese festivals, each of us should go "over" the festival, to participate in order to ensure that the mood of the festival.

Zhu Renqiu: The heritage of the festival culture has a vital role in maintaining the culture and spirit of a nation. The relevant folklore experts proposed to call our traditional festivals, so that their cultural connotations can be carried forward, but also need the whole society **** with efforts. Such as the Dragon Boat Race in the Dragon Boat Festival, Lantern Festival and other traditional group activities to add more fashionable factors, so that the activities of the festival to obtain a greater sense of identity and more participants, to create a strong festive atmosphere. Family harmony, harvest reunion, respect for the elderly and respect for the ancestors, is an important spirit of traditional Chinese culture, but also an important theme of traditional festivals, the current promotion of this spirit still has a positive significance.

Huang Ningying: this spirit, must have the opportunity to express in daily life. In fact, the spirit of the nation can only be expressed more thoroughly in the environment of daily life. Therefore, one must learn to find inspiration from life, and try to establish a connecting station where time and space meet.

Chen Daoyuan: All the efforts to revive traditional festivals also reflect people's special feelings towards traditional culture. For example, the Mid-Autumn Festival is always the most romantic and poetic festival in the tradition. At this time, and the ancients can be reunited to enjoy the moon *** talk about the year of plenty, or the moon drinking alone to send a long-distance love. At this time, may also wish to consider new ways of future days. In short, romance is eternal, the times are changing, life is changing, the expression of romantic way is also changing.

Zhu Renqiu: the construction of Chinese traditional festival culture, the restoration of traditional festivals, the purpose does not lie in more than two days of vacation, more than a so-called "golden consumer week", but to allow people to restore the traditional time and space perception and experience, to restore the value of traditional culture and the ability to understand the meaning of. Only by establishing the cultural identity and cultural self-awareness of the whole nation can this effect be achieved.