Festival is defined as a special occasion on which people may give thanks for a harvest, commemorate an honored person or event, pay respect to the dead, or celebrate a culture. Festival, as a cultural phenomenon, comes into being during the course of human development and historical evolution. Here, I would like to talk about some differences between the Chinese Spring Festival and the Western Christmas Day.
The Spring Festival is the most important holiday in China. The date for this annual celebration is determined by the lunar calendar, so the timing of the holiday (the 1st day of a lunar year) varies from late January to early February. On the New Year Eve, we would like to chat, watch TV, or even light the firecrackers with all the whole family. While the Christmas Day is celebrated range from December 24th to January 6th . However, on the December 24th , also known as the Christmas Eve, the western people usually choose to decorate a kind of evergreen tree with all kinds and colors of lights and gifts.
Although the means of celebration vary from one country to another, most people bear common feelings for the festivals, that is praying for happiness and health, fulfilling the good will, and showing the love of life. The New Year’s Eve is the last day of December in lunar year. At that night, all members in a family will get together to enjoy the ‘family reunion dinner’, implied meaning lucky and harmony. In the same way, western people value the reunion of the whole family. They have dinner together beside the Christmas tree and enjoy themselves in playing until late at night. It is worth mentioned that the most popular song during this period is ‘Jingle Bells’, praying for the gifts of Santa Claus.
Thirdly, the most difference between the Spring Festival and the Christmas Day is the traditional food, which also embodies their different values. In Chinese New Year, we usually have dumplings, noodles, New Year cakes, etc. Noodles symbolize longevity, while the New Year cakes pronounce ‘niangao’ in Chinese, which means that life will be better and better. Instead, on Christmas Day, western people usually to have a traditional Christmas dinner with turkey, roast goose, puddings, and fruit cookies, etc.
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