Introduction:
In the world we live in today where humans are so socially connected to one another, the spreading of information has led to the dissemination of Chinese and Western cultures. Cultures that once could only be found in certain places of the world are so widespread today that we live in the most multi cultural period of human history. An example of this is Chinese culture, where Chinese festivals can be found in many parts of the world now. Chinese festivals are mainly derived from the solar terms of the year, and celebrations are based on eating and drinking. The main reason is that the Chinese people’s pursuit of life is aimed at health and longevity, which is believed to be achieved through a plentiful diet.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this part you should be able to:
- Describe the differences between Chinese and Western traditional festivals.
- Describe the influence of different cultures on traditional festivals.
- Students need to know the similar festivals are celebrated in different ways.
Chinese & Western culture impacts
Culture could impact on traditional festivals. Traditional festivals are an integral part of a cultural society and often has much history pertaining to its origins. “The culture of traditional festivals are different between China and America” (Gao, J., & Wu, X. 2017) , there are still many similarities between them. Some not able differences include the Chinese Spring Festival vs Western Thanksgiving Day, and the Zhongyuan Festival vs Western Halloween, and some notable similarities include the Chinese Valentine’s Day vs the Western Valentine’s Day.
Much of the traditional Chinese festivals have close relations to confucianism, while Western festivals tend to be influenced by religions. So, while Chinese traditional festivals are affected by religion, it is no where near the extent of Western festivals. Ultimately, these cultural differences can be attributed to the fact that China was mostly an agricultural country up to the 21st century while Western countries faced industrialism much sooner than China, as well as the religious differences and history of both these cultures.
Celebration
We also need to know that because of the influence of culture, people will also have differences in some similar festival celebrations.
Chinese New Year with Lunar New Year (Foreign)
Chinese New Year is not the same festival as Foreign Lunar New Year. Many people often associate both these festivals as the same thing and use them interchangeably, however, there is a difference between these 2 festivals. “While Lunar New Year is widely celebrated by countries in Asia, Chinese New Year is only observed in China and celebrated by Chinese people” (Lunar New Year vs Western New Year, n.d.). Lunar New Year is a festival based on the start of a new year in the lunisolar calendar – a calendar unlike the predominantly used Gregorian calendar, but rather follows both the cycles of the Moon’s phases and sun’s position. Chinese New Year instead is a branch of the Lunar New Year festival celebration specifically to Chinese culture with Chinese traditions embedded in it, such as the Chinese Zodiacs. Lunar New Year is an umbrella term that describes the festival that is celebrated in all of China, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore. So, while Chinese people celebrate Chinese New Year, other countries such as Vietnam and South Korea do not celebrate Chinese New Year, but rather other branches and variations of Lunar New Year.
Zhonyuan Festival Vs Halloween
The two festivals, Halloween and Zhongyuan Festival, are both about ghosts, which are believed to be spirits of deceased people. Besides, these ghosts wander back to our life at a certain time of the year, “on Oct 31 in Western culture, and on July 15 of lunar calendar in Chinese culture” (Zhang, W. 2009). However, ghosts are released for no more than two days during Halloween, while it’s at least for one month during Chinese ghost festival.
The two festivals, both themed on ghosts, have different attitudes toward them. During Halloween, people dress up like ghosts to scare away spirits rather than please them. While during Chinese Zhongyuan Festival, people burn paper money and sacrifice the spirits to show their respect. “Chinese citizens have never shown much interest in ghosts” (Zhang, W. 2009).
Tasks & Assessment
- Student shall participate in a forum discussion online on cultural compare between Chinese traditional festivals and foreign traditional festivals. Post your idea on WordPress.
- Students need to review other participants’ and comment on at least one member’s posts using WordPress to engage in discussion.
- Meet with learning pod members on Discord.
- A group study report submit at the end. 20% of the grade
Reference
Gao, J., & Wu, X. (2017). CULTURE DIFFERENCES OF CHINESE AND AMERICAN TRADITIONAL FESTIVAL. Retrieved from https://www.u-picardie.fr/eastwest/fichiers/art210.pdf
Zhang, W. (2009). How Do We Think about Death?—-A Cultural Glance of Superstitious Ideas from Chinese and Western Ghost Festivals. Vol. 2, No. 4. Retrieved from https://ccsenet-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/journal/index.php/ies/article/view/4122
Li, M. (2010). A Glimpse of Cultural Differences through Christmas and Spring Festival. Issue:12 Page: 266-266 cnki.net. Retrieved from https://chn-oversea-cnki-net.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/knavi/JournalDetail?pcode=CJFD&pykm=HWYY
Gao, J., & Wu, X. (2017). CULTURE DIFFERENCES OF CHINESE AND AMERICAN TRADITIONAL FESTIVAL. Retrieved from https://www.u-picardie.fr/eastwest/fichiers/art210.pdf
Song, W., & Howell, J. (2022, January 31). Chinese New Year: What is it and how is it celebrated? BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60153348
Lei, Xuelian, (2015, March 1). A Case Study on Comparison of Typical Chinese and Western Festivals . International Journal of Case Studies, Vol. 4, Issue 2, Retrieved from https://ssrn.com/abstract=2886243
Chinese Lunar New Year vs Western New Year. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.topchinatravel.com/china-guide/chinese-lunar-new-year-vs-western-new-year.htm
Different shades of western and Chinese ‘ghost festivals … – china daily. China Daily. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2017-11/01/content_33972800.htm
