Almost all traditional festivals inevitably fall into the dilemma of existing in name only. Is this inevitable?
For many years, people have been lamenting that the taste of festivals is getting weaker and weaker. When the concept of "festival" was replaced by "holiday", the festival economy and the resulting frenzy of holiday consumption among the public It has become the most magnificent landscape of the times. "Political correctness" in the concept of festivals often leads our thinking to the court of national salvation with unoriginal justice verdicts. It seems that the decline of local festivals is caused by foreign festivals. Therefore, around Christmas in 2005 There are some heyday threats like "defending the Spring Festival" that pop up. People have been debating how to protect local national cultural values ??for at least 100 years, and they will continue to do so at the same level, which obscures the crux of the issue.
In fact, almost all important traditional festivals, whether in China or Europe, are facing a great crisis. As cultural identity rituals, festivals have too many commercial imprints in the era of globalization. In the 1990s, European countries, including France and Denmark, were troubled by the penetration of consumer culture in the era of globalization represented by the United States, and tried to resist it by promoting local cultural values ??- the results were as everyone said See, little effect.
On the surface, the popularity of Western festivals in contemporary China is indeed highly suspected of "cultural self-colonization." It is indeed incredible that a yellow-skinned Chinese who speaks Chinese is keen on celebrating Christmas without any religious reasons. However, as our numerous interviews show, for most young people who ignore local festivals and admire foreign festivals They have no idea why Christmas, like Hollywood blockbusters, Coca-Cola, LV and NBA, is actually just a fashionable consumer product from the West. The specific meaning of Western cultural symbols itself has been confused beyond recognition by the desire of consumerism.
We are becoming less and less aware of why we celebrate the holidays. What we know and look forward to may just be a good sleep or vacation to relieve stress, just a good reason for a shopping spree or consumption, just an excuse to party all night long, or even just a symbol to show your fashion attitude. Of course, it goes without saying, Festivals are also a good opportunity for business promotion or a lever to stimulate domestic demand... All of these have made the cultural atmosphere of our festivals very thin, and the ritual function of festivals in strengthening people's awareness of cultural identity is increasingly diminishing. loss.
So, if the traditional Chinese festivals represented by the Spring Festival need to be protected and defended, then its imaginary enemy is not imported festivals like Christmas, but all those in the era of globalization that have suffered a fatal blow to traditional values. something.
Let’s have a good holiday and be ourselves seriously.
18 Opinion Leaders’ Views on Festivals
Looking back at tradition, the local festivals of the Chinese people mean commemorative activities, or reunions, or celebrations, or sacrifices, and the “Earth Festival” after the Spring Festival There are Lantern Festival, Dragon Head Head, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese Valentine's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival, Laba Festival, Xiaonian, etc. Gregorian festivals are generally commemorative days, such as Arbor Day, Labor Day, Children's Day, Army Founding Day, etc. Day, Teacher's Day, National Day, New Year's Day, etc. In addition, Chinese people have also been keen on celebrating "foreign festivals" in recent years, including Christmas, Valentine's Day, April Fool's Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, Easter, Halloween, etc. . A survey by the China Social Survey Office showed that 53.6% of young people celebrate "foreign festivals" to "find a reason to be happy"; as for "what is the difference between foreign festivals and traditional Chinese festivals", 57.1% of men think that " Chinese traditional festivals focus on material enjoyment such as food and clothing, while foreign festivals pay more attention to spiritual exchanges." 60.7% of women believe that "foreign festivals are relaxed and comfortable, while traditional Chinese festivals are tiring."
In China today, there are an average of two festivals per month. How do people treat these festivals? This investigation involves Confucian scholars, religious professors, private school teachers, former ambassadors to Germany, media commentators, professors at study abroad institutions in China, young directors, musicians, foreign company executives, beautiful writers, international supermodels, magazine editors, and people in China. Foreigners, partygoers, professional pastors, mountain climbing fans, overseas Chinese scholars, modern artists, etc. (Coordinator/Dong Wei)
Zhang Yang: "I don't know when the Dragon Boat Festival is."
"Sixth Generation Director", one of the most sincere young film artists of the contemporary era.
He is faced with two major events recently, and he is probably in a delicate mood: First, his film "Sunflower" won two awards in Spain last October, and second, the new film was released in China, and the box office was dismal. Regarding the topic of festivals, Zhang Yang behaved quite indifferently.
“Festivals often mean that people get a period of freedom and happiness, and those of us who make movies have more free time than ordinary people. For me, festivals are a day of joy.”
< p>Zhang Yang believes that the real festivals are mainly Spring Festival, New Year's Day, May Day and National Day. Christmas is more like a time for young friends to get together, while during the Spring Festival, many people have to go home. On the second and third day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Yang often goes to Yunnan to get together with friends in Dali and other places. Zhang Yang is basically just "Valentine's Day". He thinks this is a holiday that young people under the age of 20 care about.Zhang Yang believes that festivals are related to people’s growth experience. Valentine’s Day and Christmas only appeared after the 1980s. People born after the 1980s have more memories of these “foreign festivals”.
Zhang Yang knows when Qingming and Mid-Autumn Festival are respectively, but he doesn’t know when Dragon Boat Festival is. Zhang Yang does not think that the "Foreign Festival" is a "cultural invasion." "In fact, it just gives Chinese people a reason to party. Its function is to provide an opportunity and does not change people's ideas. It will not happen again in the future." We only celebrate Christmas but not the Spring Festival, because people have a historical heritage.” (Interview/Wu Wei)
Mianmian: “Valentine’s Day is so holiday-y and formal!”
When I contacted the famous beauty writer Mianmian, she was having dinner with her friends. The noise coming from the microphone set up a vivid background - it seems that Mianmian should be like this, always surrounded by a large group of friends, always the focus of everyone's attention . Such a party animal must be very interested in celebrating holidays. Every holiday for her should be Colorful Days——
Mianmian actually said that she planned to stay at home on Christmas Eve, but she is known as the female version Xu Wei's singer Jiang Xin invited her out for dinner, so they went to "Happiness Garden" together. Later, they went to say hello to the famous DJ at Beijing Music Station. When they came out and passed by "BABYFACE", Mianmian followed her hunch and went in to find her. The boss, who rarely showed up, opened two more bottles of champagne... In this way, Mianmian, who had planned to stay at home quietly, spent a noisy Christmas Eve. She said she didn't feel much about Christmas, but her younger daughter was very passionate about Christmas because she would go abroad to spend Christmas with her father every year, just like a standard foreign child. At this point, she mentioned Valentine’s Day gifts, but she didn’t expect Mianmian’s answer to be “Never!” She said that if she wanted to cancel a holiday, it would be Valentine’s Day. “What’s the point? It’s so fake and formal! I don’t think so. Are you bored?”
The most impressive holiday in the past year, Mianmian thought about it for a long time, and seriously said it should be the Spring Festival, “because I can be with my family.” What are her plans for the upcoming Spring Festival? It’s also about “staying with mom and dad.” As for the festivals she had the most fun with, Mianmian said one was the world’s top DJ party she held on the Great Wall two years ago, and the other was the rock music festival in the Netherlands not long ago. Regarding public festivals, Mianmian can neither tell the origins of foreign festivals nor remember any impressive traditional festival celebrations. "I am a person who has no sense of festivals." (Interview/Han Feng)
Wang Dashan: "Our Christmas should be the birthday of Saint Confucius."
A "Letter to the Chinese on the So-called Christmas Issue" was published on major forums And Wang Dashan, who has attracted countless enemies, is Wang Yong, a doctor of philosophy from the National People's Congress. The so-called three virtues are that the benevolent do not worry, the wise do not be confused, and the brave do not fear. These are the three virtues of Confucianism. Wang Yong said that this is his goal and ideal, "I want to name these three." The scholar's spirit came to his face.
Wang Yong insisted on using "Christmas" to call "Christmas". He said: "Holy, it is the holy of Christians, not ours, so it is not 'Christmas', but 'Christmas' '." He called the "Bible" the "Jeremiah Bible" or "New Testament" or "Old Testament" in a natural and decisive tone.
There was a Christmas party in his daughter's kindergarten. He was very dissatisfied with the kindergarten's arrangement, so he did not let his daughter participate. He even submitted a letter of opinion to the kindergarten, but nothing happened. He was quite helpless.
"Why should we celebrate other people's festivals? We have our saint Confucius, and Christmas should be his birthday; we have our Cowherd and Weaver Girl, and Valentine's Day shouldn't be Valentine's Day in February," he said. In the past, I would exchange gifts with my lover on Chinese Valentine's Day and smile shyly.
As a defender of Confucianism, he still holds a tolerant attitude towards other religions. In the past, no one thought there was anything wrong with a temple where Confucius was enshrined in the middle, Lao Tzu was enshrined on the left, and Sakyamuni was enshrined on the right.
“One more Christian does not mean one less Chinese,” he said. “Confucianism is a spirit and thought that has penetrated into the bones and blood of the Chinese people. It is not another culture. It will collapse in a few decades." As he said this, he still showed a worried vigilance, "This is a kind of national unconsciousness." Behind the customs and habits is the sense of cultural identity and nationality. sense of belonging. “Intellectuals must speak out loudly,” he said, taking the lead.
Wang Yong is planning to spend the upcoming Spring Festival in the most Chinese way: cruising on the train, going back to his hometown, kowtow to his parents, having a family reunion dinner, and visiting the graves of his ancestors. His hometown is not too far away in Shandong, which is also the hometown of Confucius. (Interview/Yu Yanan)
Jin Yijiu: "If Christmas becomes a day for Chinese people to revel every year, shouldn't our Mid-Autumn Festival also be introduced abroad?"
When McDonald's just celebrated its 15th birthday in China, Professor Jin Yijiu of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences stood up and said: "If you blindly support McDonald's, this nation will be doomed!" Happy birthday is not over yet. McDonald's was put on trial as a representative of imported culture.
Mentioning this inference that caused a great sensation, Professor Jin Yijiu chuckled: "This sentence is not my original creation. It is the words of an old teacher next to me, but I am more famous than him." A little bit, so I brought it up, and got a little more attention and response." His gentleness is no different from that of many 70-year-old professors.
Because he often flies around the world, Jin Yijiu feels that the festival is very vague. Earth festival? Foreign Festival? It’s all a matter of course. Even the upcoming Spring Festival, in Professor Jin’s view, is just an ordinary day.
While he was researching and studying abroad, during Christmas, he was only invited to a friend's house for a casual meal. In Jin Yijiu's concept, the so-called festivals are always celebrated with family members. After being away from his hometown of Shanghai for so many years, the concept of festivals has long been lost in his mind. Only when he talked about the Spring Festival when he was a child did he get slightly excited. He talked about how when he was young, his family wore robes and went to relatives' homes to bid farewell to the New Year on New Year's Eve. He also talked about the Mid-Autumn Festival when the family made mooncakes and what kind of fillings they put. In front of you. "Actually, these traditional festivals in China are very good. They have their own culture, but people nowadays don't know how to cherish them." A long sigh.
Professor Jin used "cultural penetration" to replace "cultural invasion". He magnanimously understood young people's curiosity about foreign festivals. As a person who doesn't like to celebrate festivals, he doesn't really care what kind of festivals are the most popular nowadays. He just hopes that the ones that shouldn't be forgotten will not be forgotten. In his paper "Islamic Culture and the West" he mentioned: "Human society is constantly developing and advancing in the cultural blending between different nations."
In Professor Jin's view, if Christmas is The Mid-Autumn Festival has become a day of carnival for the Chinese every year, so should we also promote our Mid-Autumn Festival abroad? "Integration is mutual." (Interview/Yu Yanan)
Cai Jiahe: "Whether it is the Dragon Boat Festival or Halloween, we will hold activities to celebrate."
Nanjing University and The "Chinese and American Cultural Research Center" co-founded by Johns Hopkins University in the United States recruits 50 Chinese students and 50 American students each year: among them, Chinese (including mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao) students are recruited by Nanjing University, and American students (including a few other international students) ) is recruited by Hopkins University. Students receive interdisciplinary and cross-cultural education and training in a Chinese-English bilingual environment.
“Whether it’s the Dragon Boat Festival or Halloween, we will hold activities to celebrate.” Professor Cai Jiahe, deputy academic director of the “Chinese and American Cultural Research Center” said, “In such an environment, celebrating festivals is one of the most important things for students. A major way of emotional communication between people.
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Professor Cai, who was busy preparing for the dinner, claimed to be a very enlightened new-school person. He was very enthusiastic about the Western festivals that are popular in China. “For today’s young people, these Western religions Festivals, such as Christmas and Easter, no longer have much religious connotation, but serve as an opportunity for cultural exchange and emotional communication. True religious believers naturally have different ways of celebrating holidays than the general public, such as going to church. "The first traditional festival held by the "China-US Center" every autumn is the Mid-Autumn Festival Party. Professor Cai said that the celebration is held to allow Western students to learn more about China and integrate into local customs.
Just passed Christmas is also a festival celebrated enthusiastically by the Sino-American Center. The center specially organized Christmas dinners, parties, Christmas movies and other activities, and Professor Cai participated in the celebrations one by one, “Because I also like to see young people The students are so enthusiastic." Speaking of the not-too-distant Spring Festival, Professor Cai affirmed that they would still spend it in the most traditional way: visiting relatives and friends, having a reunion dinner, etc., "Of course, setting off firecrackers. "He added with a smile. (Interview/Yin Beibei)
Bao Yifeng: "When there are many festivals, the happiest thing is the merchants. ”
Bao Yifeng, general manager of Linjie Fashion in Shanghai, is a senior party planner. He is a “aviator” who flies around. After going to an art exhibition in Miami, USA, he went to attend A Dior brand press conference in Beijing, and I was interviewed by our reporter shortly after returning to Shanghai.
The Christmas package was not deliberately designed, it was made at home, and there were more than a dozen people at first. Friends came over to drink and eat, and later more than 10 people came, and it was like a party. Xiaobao missed the "local festivals" he spent in the small alleys in Shanghai when he was a child. "We Chinese must first pay attention to our own traditions." The inheritance is good. " He mentioned that Hong Kong people give citizens holidays during traditional festivals, such as the Winter Solstice, Tomb Sweeping Day, and Dragon Boat Festival, which are very humane, but not in the Mainland.
Among the traditional festivals, Xiaobao attaches the most importance to the Spring Festival because he is fulfilling his filial piety. On the first and second day of the Lunar New Year, Xiaobao will go to visit relatives and visit elders. After the third and fourth day of the Lunar New Year, he may travel abroad and go to a warmer place for vacation. "Due to the inertia of festivals, Chinese people usually go to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Only then can I return to work. If I stay at home during the entire Spring Festival holiday, I may not be able to bear it. "Valentine's Day is Hu Bing's birthday, and Xiaobao and the others often celebrate Hu Bing's birthday.
Xiaobao noticed that the prosperity of "foreign" festivals was actually touched by businessmen, "They wish that people all over the country would celebrate the festival. This way they can do more business." Xiaobao mentioned the example of Shanghai. "On December 25, it was said that 800 people dined at the Hilton Hotel, basically all of them Chinese (many foreigners returned to China for Christmas), and the sales volume was 100 Tens of thousands, a record. Other five-star Western restaurants are said to be full. When everyone goes there, they probably think they can eat authentic Western food. ”
There are so many holidays now, and I heard there is also a Secretary’s Day. “When there are so many holidays, the happiest thing is the merchants.” Xiaobao said that China Mobile will make a lot of money from SMS revenue during every holiday. One method used by operators is to hire some text message writers to write some fun text message blessings, and then let these blessings be spread among mobile phone users. In this way, the information fees will roll into their pockets (interview). /Wu Wei)
Chen Qing: “Chinese festivals are also celebrated by many people abroad. ”
The principal oboist of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra is a handsome guy who often performs all over the world. Oboe masters Maurice Bourgue (former principal of the Paris Orchestra), Hansjorg Schellenberger (principal of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra), Anthony Camden (former oboe principal of the London Symphony Orchestra) was his mentor.
As in previous years, Chen Qing spent his Christmas Eve in performance again. Standing on the stage during most festivals, he said: "The Spring Festival is the festival I look forward to most. This Spring Festival, we will go back to my wife’s hometown of Dalian. ”
Like him, Chen Qing’s friends don’t have much time to celebrate the holidays, but they all value traditional Chinese festivals. To them, Western festivals are just a ritual for everyone to join in the fun together. On Christmas 2005, Xinghai Concert Hall also held an outdoor reception. He said: "The concert hall itself is a Westernized place.
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Chen Qing also had time to take a break from his busy schedule. On May Day in 2005, he and his wife went to the Philippines for a trip. "The holidays are just an excuse. Being able to stay with family or travel is a good choice. . "Chen Qing, who has studied abroad, said: "Chinese festivals are also celebrated by many people abroad. One year, my wife and I spent the Spring Festival in Japan. Chinatown was very lively at that time, and the Japanese were particularly interested in this foreign festival. Chinese restaurants were doing very well, and Chinese handicrafts and food were selling particularly well. "
"The most touching holiday story," Chen Qing said without hesitation, "is the story of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Chang'e's flight to the moon is full of warmth and poetry, and also expresses longing for her loved ones. "Although there are so many festivals, Chen Qing believes that none of them should be cancelled. "Every festival has its own reason for existence. As long as it is a festival or a holiday, I have loved it. " (Interview/Sun Linlin)
Shiyilang: "We must celebrate the Double Ninth Festival. ”
He likes mountain climbing and almost turned his hobby into a career. Fortunately, he understood it early and now works for a charity education foundation, thus releasing part of his vigorous love. The name I am most satisfied with : Assistant to the commander-in-chief and member of the Mount Everest Climbing Team in 2003. He is also a member of the Outdoor Sports Committee of the China Mountaineering Association and the vice president of the Shenzhen Mountaineering Association.
Shiyilang works in Beijing. His home is in Shenzhen. He has many friends. During Christmas 2005, he spent time swimming, playing billiards, eating, playing cards, and singing with a large number of familiar netizens.
He couldn’t rest anymore. But he must go home. He attaches great importance to the Chinese Festival. During the Spring Festival, he must keep his family together, and the Mid-Autumn Festival also requires family reunion. He recalled: "When I was a child, we celebrated the Lantern Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival, but now they rarely do. However, the Double Ninth Festival must be celebrated. The end of September and the beginning of October are prime times for mountain climbing. Find a mountain with a group of mountaineering friends that is one or two kilometers away to play. Before and after the Spring Festival, I might choose some surrounding places to spend four or five days, ice climbing or skiing. ”
After so many lively festivals, the one that left the deepest impression on Shiyilang was Mother’s Day in 2003. He was climbing Mount Everest at the time, and he wrote a postcard at the Everest Base Camp the day before departure. For Mom, this Mother’s Day is especially meaningful to him
“The Spring Festival is a good time, the holiday is longer, giving people time to repair and plan better for the next year. Originally, celebrating the holidays is an excuse to add some changes to everyone's lives. Many holiday stories are nonsense, but this is not important. What is important is to have a lively atmosphere. Don’t be too impetuous during the holidays. You must live a solid, happy and comfortable life. "
In addition, Shiyilang said: "Christmas and New Year's Day can be combined because they are too close. ” (Interview/Sun Linlin)
The cultural connotation of Chinese and Western festivals has been taken away from the consumption trend and the warmth of the festival has been diluted
Whether it is a traditional Chinese festival or a variety of foreign festivals, its cultural connotation has been Take the time. We can't live without festivals, and we can't bear to see all festivals reduced to shopping and eating festivals. We need to find the confidence to communicate with each other in tradition.
Text/Wang Jian
Most of our traditional festivals are closely connected with ancient agricultural production. When we bid farewell to the agricultural society and went to the industrial society, traditional festivals were closely related to industrial production. The function of the times began to decline, Western learning spread eastward, and Western festivals quickly flourished in this land, and even tended to dominate the scene. Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, and Thanksgiving seemed to have become glorious "Chinese festivals". ”, the shrewd campaigning of businessmen and the blind following of the younger generation have added fuel to the fire - traditional festivals are gradually drifting away, and Western festivals are becoming more popular.
Western festivals are coming fiercely, but it is hard to say that they are like the strong ships of the past. It may be an exaggeration to say that sharp guns are so terrible. Although the festival culture in the Western world began to sprout before the birth of Christianity, its real growth came after Christianity came to the world in the 10th year of Wanli (1582 AD). Counting the spread of the Bible in China, it has been more than four centuries since Christianity came to China.
In contrast, China’s traditional festivals have not been effectively protected. After 1949, most festivals are regarded as feudal remnants. As for the abolition, only the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival survived. Among them, only the Spring Festival was included in the statutory holidays.
Since 1949, our national holidays have only been seven days, and it was not until 1999 that the State Council issued the "National Holidays and Memorial Days Holiday Measures" to increase it to 10 days. This level is obviously too low compared with the 69 days in the Song Dynasty of China, the 15 days in Japan, the 16 days in South Korea, the 22 days in Macau, and the 23 days in the United States. The derogation of traditional festivals and the arrogance of foreign festivals constitute the most dramatic scene of this era.
People who were born more than 20 years ago still vaguely remember the dates of seasons and festivals marked in detail on the old imperial calendar that turns the pages every day. Looking at many current calendars, the only traditional festival left is the Spring Festival. Important festivals such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lantern Festival, Qingming ancestor worship, Dragon Boat Festival mourning, Qixi Festival begging, respecting the elderly during the Double Ninth Festival, Shangsi (March 3), Summer Solstice, Zhongyuan Festival, Winter Solstice, Laba Festival, Stove Sacrifice, etc. have all disappeared from the calendar. At the same time, special rituals such as agricultural sacrifices, ancestor worship, god worship, exorcism and disaster relief disappeared. Can future generations only experience those rituals that have been glorious and romantic for thousands of years in ancient books?
It cannot be denied that traditional festivals are indeed acclimatized nowadays, but if we regard them as weak and immediately throw ourselves into the embrace of foreign festivals, it is tantamount to wielding a knife in the palace. Festivals are not only an adjustment to daily life, but also a bond to maintain national identity. What’s interesting but also annoying is that UNESCO’s World Teachers’ Day, Teachers’ Day in the United States, Teachers’ Day in Taiwan and Hong Kong are all set on the birthday of Confucius, that is, September 28, but we ourselves deliberately avoid it. This day.
Why are foreign festivals so popular while traditional festivals are deserted? Scholars believe this is cultural self-contempt and self-colonization. Modern history has left the Chinese people not only with endless resentment, but also with deep-rooted inferiority. Being backward and beaten has become people's habitual summary of modern history, and numbness, inferiority and even hatred have become the attitude of most people towards their own culture.
Humanity itself is just an accidental fork on the evolutionary tree. The iron-clad laws behind human history are just a hobby governed by the anthropocentric theory. The modernization process cannot be an inevitable destination in human history. , let alone become the "City of God" that saves mankind. On the contrary, the aggressiveness of the modernization process may have a devastating impact on human "cultural ecology". In this seemingly doomed situation, whether it is traditional Chinese festivals or various foreign festivals, they have actually been taken away and become superficial decorations that have changed their taste. For example, when Christmas comes to our place, it is just a consumption day or a fashion label, which will not pose much of a threat to traditional Chinese festivals. The real danger comes from ourselves. A warm festival like the Mid-Autumn Festival has become a show for mooncake merchants to show off their skills and a channel for unscrupulous politicians to engage in corruption and speculation.
Fei Xiaotong once proposed that as a world power and an ancient civilization, China should have such a cultural mind and cultural aspirations: "Everyone appreciates his own beauty, the beauty of others, the beauty and beauty, and the world is unified." Such an ideal can also be used to express our attitude towards festivals, neither humble nor arrogant. Today, when there is a serious lack of cultural identity, instead of trying to make money and consume under the banner of festivals, we should live our own traditional festivals seriously and with piety. This may be our duty. .
The carnival of the gods under the mask of festivals
Festivals are a part of culture, and they are an extremely important part. They define a person’s cultural identity and use ritualized methods to Maintain the relationship between people and tradition. Under the imaginary community of globalization, many human values ????are converging, and festivals may be the last barrier to maintain people's cultural identity. Maintaining traditional festivals is not about resisting the "invasion" of foreign festivals such as Christmas and keeping foreign festivals outside the country with a simple and exclusive stance of cultural conservatism, but it is about preventing the consequences of the wave of globalization. The hollowing out and commercialization of national cultural values.
Text/Li Guoqing
Even if we have already had enough food and clothing and are running on the road to prosperity, we no longer look forward to eating and drinking during the Spring Festival. We can even kiss the European air at any time, Tokyo Trends in New York, Disney in Hong Kong, but our thirst for festivals is still in a certain state of hunger - Christmas, New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, Lantern Festival, Halloween, Mid-Autumn Festival, Spring Festival, April Fool's Day, Double Ninth Festival... .... Nowadays, there are so many festivals that it can be described as a scourge, but people's love for festivals has not diminished because they entered the carnival era of the gods who "entertained them to death".
We still have an absolutely hyper-global attitude, and we are always happy to embrace traditional, imported, and customized festivals.
What makes sociologists uneasy is that, at least on the surface, traditional festivals are on the verge of collapse, while imported festivals are becoming more and more popular. Such a decline will naturally lead to confusion. The activists made a deafening declaration of "defending the Spring Festival"!
Celebrating the Chinese Festival
“The so-called festival is a day when everyone puts down their work and worries, and gather together happily. Sing, dance, and more It’s indispensable to eat and drink. Of course, for people like me who don’t like to join in the fun, the festival is a good day to read.” Shen Hongfei wrote an article “Celebrating the Festival”, which started by talking about the spiritual significance of the festival.
This kind of interpretation is as plain as water, singing and dancing, and has gorgeous spiritual meaning. It only lacks the material meaning that is facing the impact of desire and consumption. It is difficult to penetrate the core of the festival in China. For Chinese people who like the new and dislike the old , the meaning of the festival is not static, but also changes with the times, accompanied by the inarticulate singing of National Super Girl or Jay Chou.
The meaning of the festival before the reform and opening up is absolutely different from its meaning today. If you look for any old man over sixty years old, he will tell you that the meaning of the Spring Festival is to wear new clothes and eat big fish and meat. Ask people born in the 1960s and 1970s, and they will tell you that the meaning of the Spring Festival is to set off firecrackers, have a Spring Festival Gala, and go home to celebrate the New Year. If you ask people after the 1980s, they will tell you that the meaning of the Spring Festival is to relax, travel, play games, and collect New Year's money.
When the whole world wears a funny Santa hat, it also symbolizes that the Chinese Festival is in decline. There are 20 important Chinese traditional festivals that I searched on Google, including Zhonghe Festival (February 2), Shangsi Festival (March 3), Tiankuang Festival (June 6), Summer Solstice Festival, Qixi Festival, and Winter Solstice Festival. Etc., I believe that many people have rarely heard of the names of these festivals, let alone participate in them. Every festival is a must-have.
So, experts are very anxious and feel that modern people have lost their traditions. Because these festivals are inherited by our generation of Chinese descendants and the descendants of the dragon, such as the Spring Festival, the Beginning of Spring, the Lantern Festival, the Zhonghe Festival, the Shangsi Festival, the Qingming Festival, the Tiankuang Festival, and the Summer Solstice, which are related to the seasonal intersection of the sun and the moon. Festival, Chinese Valentine's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival...and the "Human Victory Festival" on the seventh day of the first lunar month, the "Buddha Bathing Festival (Sakyamuni's birthday)" on the eighth day of April, and the "Hungry Ghost Festival" on the fifteenth day of July (Ghost Festival)" and the "Xiayuan Festival (the birthday of Emperor Shuiguan)" on October 15th are derived from Chinese legends, myths and religions.
From this analysis, the origin and even the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese festivals are rooted in the millennium of farming civilization, and are also in line with the three characteristics of the experts’ generous remarks: China serves agricultural production. The lunar calendar depicts specific seasonal nodes for it; the philosophical thought of "harmony between man and nature" that is highly respected by the Chinese eliminates the externality and contingency of these seasonal nodes to the ancients.