中国和美国节日的不同
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 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 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
