中西传统节日的对比

with religion. In the western countries, because of the foundation and spreading of the Christian and the agriculture economy has been replaced by the commodity economy of industrial society. Gradually, the festivals derived by variable religion consciousness replaced the celebration customs which piously worship the land and pray for harvest. Although the western countries originated from the stock raising, the agriculture did not become the foundation for the country. Therefore people focus on the climate less than that in China; on the contrary they mostly focus on Christianity. Moreover, most western countries always formed into a religion, a nation and then respectively formed their own country. That makes the traditional festivals have the religion colors in the origin period and then strengthen in the process of development.

In western countries, religion is a social and cultural center. Meanwhile, through human for god or religious beliefs of the spirit of their control. It is no exaggeration to say, religious exists in all walks of life. Therefore, the festival is closely related with the Christian Christmas, Easter, except with religion.

Western culture by the influence due to long, the traditional Christian festivals with strong religious origins, such as valentine's day (memorial named Watts of Christian martyrs (Easter), commemorates the resurrection), Halloween (all saints), church memorial commemorates the birth of Jesus (Christmas), the origin of these festivals are mostly with

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religion.

3.2 From the custom differences

They also have different contents of festival culture. Traditional Chinese festival cultures are featured by food and wine. While traditional western festival cultures are featured by entertainment.

The topic of Chinese traditional festival custom is mainly about the diet. Chinese people notice more about the diet. The features of Chinese diet culture became the metaphor symbol system, which not only regards to the civilization achievements, but also a kind of national psychology with the high believes and forbidden. The kind of metaphor and symbol concentrated in the diet of festival custom.

It is the result of the mind concept and value orientation. Chinese people aim to pursue the health and longevity of life, and the food is the basic way to achieve the goals. In addition, Chinese philosophy emphasis on the elemental harmony, which means human, should be compatible with the nature. The philosophy makes Chinese food watch especially emphasize the corresponding among the body, the food and the nature. Only in this way, the human, as a part of the nature, will be healthy and longevity.

On the contrary, the topic of the traditional festival custom of the western countries is mainly refers to the libertinism. The western people treat the pursuit way of life as the attention to be healthy and happy. They

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think that, except the necessary food, it is more important to realize the goals by the religion and entertainment activities. They hold a view that everyone can be forgave only by believing the god, participating religious rituals and repenting continually in order to gain the purify and happy. Therefore, not only the western festival custom has the dense religion color, but also have the pleasure and relax after the religious rituals.

3.3Value Difference between China and Western countries in traditional Festival

The next difference in the perspective of inner meaning is that they

have different value orientation. Traditional Chinese festival cultures are featured by collectivism. Chinese festivals attach more importance to group activity and the passing down of ethics and virtues. But traditional western festival cultures are featured by individualism. They lay great emphasis on the expression of personal emotions and the individual psychological feelings.

3.3.1Collective cultural value in Chinese traditional festival

In China, we pursue health, union, and harmony. Food is a main factor mean that we become better and better year by year. We eat moon cakes in Middle-autumn Day and Laba porridge in laba festival. In the Chinese Moon festival, people use the mooncake to enact togetherness, harmoniousnessm traditional mooncake is round, which symbolizes the family circle, and its sweet flavor echoes the sweetness of filial ties, by

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cutting and sharing mooncake, the family circle is repeated and the tie of blood are strengthed, the mooncake must count carefully the number of the family members, including those absent. The portions must be even without breaking the angles. If there is a pregnant woman in the family, one additional portion is reserved for the unborn child. Similarly, some families with relatives in Taiwan reserve seats and prepare chopsticks and bowls for their absent beloved ones. Some of the Chinese TV programs and movies we examined set the climax of family reunification for spring festival, the New Year’s eve is the last year of December in lunar year . at that night, all members in a family will get together to enjoy the “ family union dinner”no matter how it is far from home , even how hard it is. Throughout the New Year’s eve, all member of a family get together to enjoy themselves to their hearts’ content through varied entertainments which all room are illuminated by red candles and decorated by colorful lantern. The festive activities for the night are varied and colorful –taking a family reuinion feast suggests.is to be taken by all members of a family. Even those out on business, if any, would have to hurry back for it. The feast is sumptuous,two indispensable foods on the menu are the New Year cake for southerners and JIAOZI for the northerners, the former being made of gutious rice flour and the latter being dumplings with meat and vegetable stuffing. Both for New Year cake is NIANGAO,which is harmonrnous with a Chinese expression meaning a venerable age which

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