中国和美国节日的不同

陈早

中国和美国节日的不同

每个国家有他它不同的历史， 文化背景， 因此就形成了它们自己特有的节日。这些节日各有各的意义和特征，通过它们我们能进一步的了解这些国家及民族。从两个国家的节日习俗的比较中，我们能发现它们之间有什么共同处与差异。就拿中国和美国来进行比较。中国的节日可以分成五类：宗教和祭祀性的，纪念活动，庆祝性的，社交游乐性的，还有跟农业劳动有关的。美国也有其中的四种，可是却没有农业节日。

农业节日是中国最早的节日，因为中国曾经是一个农业大国。住在城市里的中国人并不太清楚这些节日，可是生活在农村里的人却必须依靠这些农业节来指导他们的生产。应该什么时候种田，什么时候收割？我们祖先创造的二十四个节气的系统（立春，雨水，大寒，等等）便能告诉我们。而美国是一个移民国家，主要靠工业科技为生，它没有跟农业有关的节日。

因为美国是一个移民国家，美国人民当中有很多外国来的人，各自带着自己祖国的习俗和传统。由于美国又是一个民主国家，人人都能享受信仰自由的权利，所以美国就成了世界上宗教种类最多的国家。这些种类包括基督教，天主教，犹太教，伊斯兰教，佛教，等等。美国过的节日中，可以说人们最重视的是与宗教有关的节日，如圣诞节，是美国最有代表性的节日。政府规定这一天所有的人都放假。

中国不是一个多宗教的国家，因为它的执政党不提倡其他的信仰。当然在现代的中国

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也有很多人信教，但他们过节时并没有法律规定的假。可是中国有一种传统的宗教，也就是崇拜祖宗的习惯。每一年在四月五日清明节时，家家户户都去祭祀祖先，扫墓，烧香，献花。美国人祭祀的祖先不是他们自己家的祖宗，而是国家的鼻祖，领袖，英雄。这就是为什么哥仑巴士（Columbus），华盛顿 （Washington），马丁路德金 （Martin Luther King Jr.），和为国家而献身的荣民都各有各的节日。除了纪念祖先以外，中美两个国家的人民也纪念一些对全国或全世界有意义的日子。比如说两个国家都有国家成立日。在中国是国庆节，十月一日，政府举行文艺表演，国庆晚会，游行，等等。在美国是独立日，七月四日，也很隆重，有表演和焰火。

其实现在有很多这样的纪念性的节日都已经失去了它原有的意义。例如中国和世界上很多其它国家都过的五一国际劳动节从一个纪念芝加哥死去的工人的节日演变成了人们旅游的节日，很少有人知道它的起因。美国的节日也有很多类似的变化。当然每一年还是有一些人参加纪念活动，以及文艺表演，演讲，但是这些人占少数。大多数人都放假休息，没多少人会真正花一天的时间来纪念这些历史上的人。在两个国家里，这个问题变得严重起来。

这两个国家还共同面对另外一个问题，就是节日的商业化。两个国家都庆祝的元旦是阳历新年的第一天，都有法定的假。可是中国人还庆祝春节，农历新年，中国所有的节日中最重要的一个。过年是家家团圆的时候，在一起吃年饭，互相祝福 “恭喜发财”。还有一个团圆庆祝之日就是中秋节。这两个节日的庆祝和团聚的气氛很像美国的感恩节。可是现在这些节日的意义是不是淡化了？我们讲起过年就想到打红包，送礼物；想到感恩节就想到火鸡。这些自动的联想是不是说明这些节日真正的意义已经被商业化了？

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圣诞节本来是为了纪念耶稣的生日。信基督教的人很重视这个节日，而不信教的把上帝儿子诞生的日子做为一个社交活动的节日。既然政府给美国人民放几天假，他们就用这个机会来互相请客，送礼，旅游。很多人开始注重谁的礼物得的多，谁送的最贵重 － 想都没想到应该去教堂。更无聊的是有很多爱赶时髦的中国人也过圣诞节。当然有一部分是真的信教的，但大多数的只是为了娱乐，休闲，社交活动。你一问他们圣诞节到底是怎么回事，他们一定解答不清楚。

而最大的问题是那些完全没有真正意义的，人们创造的，商业性的节日。情人节就是一个例子。我们都知道在情人节就该给女朋友买巧克力，送花，可是我们都不知道为什么。这是一个美国人和中国人都过的节日，可是没有什么意义。据说在古罗马有一个皇帝，Claudius II，想建立一个强大的军队，可是没有人愿意参加。他分析这是因为古罗马的男人都被爱情和对儿女的责任缠住了，所以为了建立军队他就禁止所有的婚姻。在古罗马有一个牧师叫Valentine，认为即使是皇帝也不应该有权利阻止爱情，于是他就帮助很多相爱的年轻人成了婚。因为他犯了法，他被Claudius II抓起来了，最后被处死了。现在的社会把这个故事进一步的发展成了情人节。买糖果，送花，完全是民间自发产生的。经商的人用这个机会来赚钱，人们又爱赶时髦，场面就变得越来越大。

其他的这种赶时髦和社交性的节日包括父亲节，母亲节，等等。每一年到了五月，电视上就开始放一些钻石，香水类的广告，叫我们 “送妈妈这条美丽的项链，表示你对母亲的爱”。中国的问题更严重，因为它要防的不只是商业化而且也要防西方的影响盲目地赶时髦。

以上是中美两国的五种节日的比较。它们的节日反映了各国的特性（农业和工业，多

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信仰和少信仰，等等），也反映了它们共同的地方（元旦，纪念祖先，注重家庭团聚，等等）。通过这种比较使我们学到许多重要的知识，特别是怎么面对和接收其它的文化。而我们发现的最重要的一点是这两个国家共同面对的问题。这就是节日原有的意义在淡化，渐渐地被商业色彩取代了。如果它们不及时处理这些问题，节日就会慢慢地失去其所有的价值，而变成铺张浪费的好机会。如果我们想让节日继续做为一个民族的很重要的表达自己的方式，我们就得努力找回它们原本的意义，世世代代相传下去。

The Differences Between Chinese and American Holidays

Every country has its own history and cultural background, thus they each celebrate their own distinctive holidays. These holidays have specific meanings and characteristics, through which we can further understand the people of the country. From the differences in holiday customs and rituals of two countries, we can discover many similarities and differences between their respective cultures. Take China and America for example. China’s holidays can be roughly divided into five general categories: religious and sacrificial, memorial, celebratory, interactive/amusement oriented, and agricultural. America has four of these five categories, but it has no agricultural holidays.

Agricultural festivals were the first type of holiday to be celebrated in China, because China was once a predominantly agrarian state. Although city-dwellers often are not familiar with these holidays, those who live in farming villages must rely on them to survive and produce. When should fields be planted and

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harvested? Our ancestors developed a twenty-four lunar term system (“entering spring”, “rain water”, “big cold”, etc.) to guide us. But America is an immigrant country, dependent mostly upon factories and technology in its production, so it does not have any agrarian holidays.

Because America is mostly made up of immigrants, there are many non-native born Americans, each bringing with them the customs and traditions of their native country. Since America is a democratic country, everyone has the right to carry on their own beliefs, thus America has become a melting pot of different religions, the most diverse religious country in the world. Among these religions are Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc. Of the many holidays celebrated by Americans, it is safe to say that the most important ones have something to do with organized religion – take Christmas, for example, which is arguably America’s most representative holiday. The government grants everyone a vacation on Christmas day.

China, however, is not a country with many religions, because its reigning party does not promote variety in beliefs. Of course there are many modern Chinese citizens who are religious, but when they celebrate their holidays they are not granted legal vacations from their other responsibilities. China does have a very traditional form of religion, ancestor worship. Every year on April fifth the Chinese celebrate QingMing Festival, where every family goes to the graves of their ancestors to offer sacrifices, burn incense, and bring flowers. The ancestors

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that Americans worship are not those of their own family, but rather the founders, leaders, and heroes of the nation. This is why Columbus, Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., and the soldiers who sacrificed their own lives for their country have holidays dedicated to them. Other than remembering their ancestors, the Chinese also memorialize days which have special meaning to China or the world at large, such as the day the nation was founded. In China, on October first of every year it is National Day, where the government organizes various cultural performances, events, parades, etc. In America, on July fourth of every year it is Independence day, which is also very festive with its performances and fireworks.

It is a sad reality that in modern times, many of these memorial-type holidays have lost their true meanings. For example, although China and many other nations celebrate Labor Day on March first, they do not remember the original cause for commemoration, which is the death of many factory workers in Chicago. Instead, they see it as a vacation day which they use for their own enjoyment. American holidays have also experienced many similar changes. Of course there are those who participate in memorial events every year, such as performances and speeches, but they are the minority. Most people take a day off to rest and relax, very few will really devote their time to keep alive the memory of those historical figures who made such a large impact. In both China and America, this problem is growing progressively more serious.

Another problem they are both facing is the commercialization of holidays.

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Both countries celebrate the solar new year, January first, and grant their citizens a day off from work, But the Chinese also celebrate the Chinese (or Lunar) New Year, one of the most important Chinese holidays. The New Year is a time of family reunion, enjoying dinner together and wishing eachother good tidings in the year to come. Another holiday in the same spirit is ZhongQiu Festival. These are both similar to Thanksgiving in America, which is also devoted to celebrating the family. But has the spirit of these holidays diminished? When we speak of the Chinese New Year, we think of red envelopes and gifts; when we think of Thanksgiving, we think of turkey. Are these reflexive associations indicative of the fact that the meaning behind these holidays has become commercialized?

Christmas is a holiday originally meant to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Those who practice Christianity attach a lot of importance to this holiday, but the non-religious members of society who also celebrate it turn it into an occasion for social interaction and the exchanging of gifts. Since the government gives Americans a Christmas vacation, they use the opportunity to invite guests out for dinner, give gifts, travel, etc. Many start to focus on who gives the most gifts, who gives the most expensive ones – they don’t even think about going to Mass. Even more striking are the many fashion conscious, trend-setting Chinese who celebrate Christmas. Of course there are those who really believe in Christianity, but most of them use it as an excuse for amusement, relaxation, and social interaction. If you ask them what Christmas celebrates, they will not be able to explain it clearly.

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However, the biggest problem is the emergence of holidays that have no real meaning, that are created by men solely for the purpose of commercial gain. Valentine’s Day is a good example. We all know that on Valentine’s Day, you are supposed to buy chocolate and flowers for your girlfriend, but we do not know why. This is a holiday celebrated by Chinese and Americans alike, but it has not true significance. It is said that in ancient Rome there was an emperor, Claudius II, who wanted to build an imposing army, but no one wanted to join him. He came to the conclusion that this was because the men of ancient Rome were restrained by the love of women, so he issued an edict prohibiting marriage. At the time there was a priest named Valentine, who believed that not even the emperor had the right to restrict love, so he secretly helped many young lovers get married. Because he broke the law, he was captured by Claudius and killed. Our modern society has taken this fairytale and turned it into Valentine’s Day. The tradition of buying candy and flowers is a complete societal fabrication. Merchants have used this opportunity to make profits, and due to the people’s willingness to follow trends, it has continued to exist and expand year after year.

Other types of trendy or socially created holidays include Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc. Every year when May rolls around, commercials on television start to advertise diamonds, perfumes, and the like, urging us to “Buy your mother this beautiful necklace, show her how much you care.” The problem faced by China is even more serious, in that it must not only beware of commercialization, but also of blindly submitting to the influences of western

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culture.

Above is a comparison of the five categories of holidays celebrated by the Chinese and Americans. Their holidays are a reflection of each countries individual character (agricultural and industrial, diverse religions and limited religions, etc.) as well as their similarities (Solar New Year, commemorating ancestors, emphasis on the family, etc.). Through these comparisons we can learn a lot of important information, specifically an ability to accept and tolerate the cultures of others. The most important thing that we have discovered are the similar problems faced by these two countries, namely the dilution of the meanings behind the holidays they celebrate, as well as the growing effects of commercialization. If they do not deal with these issues in timely fashion, holidays will gradually lose their value, and turn into nothing but occasions for gross expenditure. If we want to preserve the spirit of holidays and to continue to be able to treat them as an accurate reflection of the societies they represent, we must make an effort to find their original meanings and ensure that these meanings are passed down to the generations to come.

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