中美传统节日的文化内涵分析_英语论文

An Analysis of Cultural Connotations from Traditional Festivals in China and America 

摘要

传统节日是一个民族的发展产物，它是世界各国的宝贵文化遗产，无论是在历史悠久的中国还是在新生的美国，它都是不可或缺的存在，大多数的传统节日都来自人们在生活中对于美好生活的向往，对天地神灵或是对自然的崇拜，或是对历史人物的怀念。中国自古以来就是农业大国，农耕文化深深的留存在人民的思想中，而美国却是以宗教为主，其中最具影响力的是基督教，美国的传统节日在日后的发展中都成了宗教性的节日。不同国家的节日反映着不同的文化背景。本文将从两国有着相似文化内涵的节日出发，探究这些传统节日在节日起源，习俗等方面的异同，并分析产生异同的原因及其中文化的异同。

关键词：传统节日；文化内涵；根源；异同

Abstract

Traditional festival is a valuable cultural heritage of the world and is the product of a nation both in China, a country with a long history and in the newborn United States, it has become an indispensable part of our life. Most of the traditional festivals are from people’s longing for a better life, or the worship towards gods of heaven and nature, or the memory of historical figures. China is a large agricultural country since ancient times, farming culture deeply retained in people's minds, while the United States is based on religion, among all, the most important is Christian, traditional American festivals have become festivals that related to religion in the future development. Festivals in different countries reflect different cultural background. This paper will start from the two countries which have similar cultural connotations of the festival and will explore these differences and similarities from festivals origin, customs and other aspects, and analyze the similarities and differences, also will discuss the reasons for the similarities and differences in culture.

Key words: traditional festivals ; cultural connotations ; origin ; similarities and differences

Contents

Introduction 1

1. The typical Chinese and American Traditional Festival 1

1.1 Spring Festival VS Christmas 2

1.1.1 The Origin of the Spring Festival 2

1.1.2 The customs of the Spring Festival 3

1.2.1The origin of Christmas 4

1.2.2The customs of Christmas 4

2. The differences between Chinese and American traditional festivals 5

2.1. The traditional Chinese festival originated in the farming civilization 6

2.2 The traditional American festival originated in religion 6

3.The different celebration activities between Chinese and America in traditional festivals 7

3.1 Chinese traditional festivals are based on diet 7

3.2 American traditional festivals are based on amusement 8

4. Typical Similarities Between Chinese and American Festival Cultures 9

Conclusion 11

References 12