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China and the Western countries shape the distinguished traditional cultures in the development of historical course. The culture of the festival has become an intrinsic and fundamental part of Chinese and Western countries and embodies the nation’s cultural origins (Dong 22). Clearly Chinese Spring Festival is the family center with seniority features and it is a reflection of agricultural culture. Most Western festivals are typical reflections of religion, and Christmas is not an exception. There are many similarities between the Spring Festival and Christmas. Both the Spring Festival and Christmas are the most important and grandest festivals for Chinese people and Western people. Both are celebrated by everyone because of their unique significance for people in their country. However, no matter what means people utilize to celebrate their festival, they all hold the same purpose and wish that is being healthier and happier.
In short, different countries have different traditional festivals. These festivals play essential roles both in social life and in economic fields. Through comparing Chinese culture and customs with those of western countries, many differences can be found. These differences can help us to learn and study the culture and custom of western countries better and it is meaningful for us to improve our own culture construction and progress because we can learn excellent part from foreign culture.
II. The Origin of Spring Festival and Christmas
According to the origin of Chinese and Western festival and holiday customs, we can see that there is an obvious distinction between Eastern and Western cultures. Major traditional festival seasons associate with a strong agricultural color in China while in Western countries, the origin of all festivals is linked with strong religious color.
And we know that each nation has its own folk festivals. Those festivals provide an opportunity for us to be away from our rigid work and everyday worries and anxiousness to enjoy ourselves and to develop friendship. The Spring Festival is about dietary holiday in China while Christmas is the most important and memorable day in the western world (Wang 118). As different countries have different national conditions, through researching the formation and the development of festival’s customs, studying on differences between the Spring Festival and Christmas has important significance.
2.1 The Origin of Spring Festival
The Spring Festival, the first day of the first lunar month, is commonly known as the “New Year”. It is one of the most popular traditional festivals in China. The Spring Festival originated in the Shang Dynasty (1000 B.C.) from the people’s sacrifice to their gods and ancestors at the end of the old year and the beginning of the New Year. Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the New Year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the New Year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with a number of lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.
The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to “catch up” with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-year cycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is the reason why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date every year.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are celebrated as a family activity, a time of gathering again and thanksgiving. The celebration is traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors. The sacrifice to the forefathers, the most important of all the ceremonies, connected the living family members with those who had passed away. Dead relatives are engraved with great respect because they were reliable for establishing the foundations for the wealth and honor of the family.