淺析中西方情人節(jié) --畢業(yè)論文

1、【標題】淺析中西方情人節(jié) 【作者】程 耀 【關鍵詞】情人節(jié)；七夕節(jié)；文化相同性及差異性 【指導老師】程 瓊 張 婕 【專業(yè)】英語 【正文】I. IntroductionNowadays, more and more Western festivals land in China, which bring the impact on our traditional festivals and lead to a controversy about “observing western festivals”. In the social fact that Chinese and Wes

2、tern cultures are exchanging unequally, this would directly affect the young persons approbation of the traditional culture and affect the national destiny and development, which we must pay more attention to. To a new social phenomenon, facing directly is much better than blenching. 1 This thesis w

3、ould think deeply about the St. Valentines Day and Chinese Double Seventh Festival.This thesis is divided into six parts. And the most important parts are the similarities and differences between St. Valentines Day and Chinese Double Seventh Festival.In China, our traditional festivals are facing bi

4、g challenges from the Western festivals. On one hand, we are ignoring our traditional festivals gradually, and do not pay enough attention to these important national culture; on the other hand, the youth generation know rarely about the traditional cultures, and they think the western culture is mu

5、ch more interesting and more attractive. In their mind, our traditional culture is the symbolization of outmoded. 2In order to understand intercultural communication, it is necessary to have a way of talking about how cultures differ. But how can we compare one culture with another to find out their

6、 similarities and differences when there are so many dimensions in which cultures may differ? 3According to these problems, this thesis not only introduces the differences and similarities between St. Valentines Day and Chinese Double Seventh Festival, but also reminds us that we should pay more att

7、ention to our tradition culture when we absorb foreign culture. The Significance of These Two FestivalsSt. Valentines Day is a very important festival in Western countries. During that day, people will express their great thanks to St. Valentine, because he is the pioneer to guard love. Although he

8、is an ancient Rome person, he did not fear the might and dare to pursue love. His actions had changed peoples attitudes towards love. And on St. Valentines Day, most of the lovers are very happy to enjoy themselves. They would probably think what gifts to give, where to meet, what to do to make the

9、day more romantic than any other day. This is the most important day for lovers. They all go mad in love on this day and can think nothing but how to please their beloved, how to love him/her deeply. St. Valentines Day offers a new day to appreciate the people you surround yourself with. This is a c

10、hance to show them you love them.Chinese Double Seventh Festival is a very important traditional festival in China. The festival takes the beautiful romantic love myth as a root, praises the loyal love, and expresses the young mens and womens great yearn for free love and happiness. On this day, you

11、ng people can express their love to the one they loved. And the lovers also spend a lot of time to stay together to share their love with their beloved one. Generally speaking, Double Seventh Festival is a dispensable festival for lovers. The Similarities between St. Valentines Day and Chinese Doubl

12、e Seventh FestivalAlthough St. Valentines Day and Chinese Double Seventh Festival come from different countries and have different cultural backgrounds, there still exist some similarities between them. Those may be the culture common traits.A. Coming from the Sad Love StorySt. Valentines Day is com

13、ing a story about St. Valentine, who was a priest in Ancient Rome. He had disobeyed Emperor Claudius II. And he was sent into prison, where he fell in love with a young girl  who may have been his jailors daughter  who visited him during his confinement. They fell in love with each other d

14、uring the days that Valentine was in the prison. But they could not stay together for Valentine was a prisoner and would be killed some days later. However, before his death, he sent a love letter to the girl he deep loved to show her his love. Even they couldnt stay together; they expressed their l

15、ove to each other.Like the same, Double Seventh Festival also told a sad love story. The story is about the cowherd and the weaving maid. The cowherd was an honest man and once he met the weaving maid in a lake. He loved the weaving maid at the first sight of her. And so did the weaving maid. They f

16、ell in love with each other. But the weaving maid is an angel from the heaven. And her mother, who was the Jade Emperor, strictly forbade their marriage. And the weaving maid was taken away by her mother. To find his wife, the cowherd decided to go to the heaven. But the Jade Emperor made a milky wa

17、y to stop them to reunite their family and only allow them to meet each other once a year.B. Creating a Romantic AtmosphereBoth St. Valentines Day and Double Seventh Festival, they make the day much lovelier and surrounded with romantic atmosphere. On that day, you may absolutely be intoxicated by t

18、he atmosphere and people exciting expressions.When St. Valentines Day is approaching, there will be always a warm and love atmosphere. Every heart of lovers is filled with deep love. Every St. Valentines Day, businesses will also create a romantic atmosphere of love for lovers. Advertisements for se

19、lling romantic presents are existing everywhere. And the streets are filled with fragrant incense of roses and chocolates, which become the most wonderful incense in St. Valentines Day. Besides, the warm and romantic environment in restaurants or coffee shops has attracted a lot of couples to spend

20、the day with their beloved. Under such circumstances, everyone would be intoxicated in this romantic and joyful environment.On Double Seventh Festival, the atmosphere is also surrounded by warm love. Lovers are planning to give a big surprise to their beloved one. And their actions are full of deepl

21、y love. The environment is sweet and romantic. Everyone is excited and happy in this lovely environment.C. Sending Meaningful Gifts to the Other HalfThat lovers send gifts to each other on both St. Valentines Day and Double Seventh Festival is an unchangeable rule. Sending gifts is not only giving g

22、ifts, but also sending their love and care to their beloved ones.On St. Valentines Day, loves always will prepare a gift for the other half. This is not only a tradition on St. Valentines Day, but also demonstrates the love and care to the lover. And on this day, there are a great many gifts for the

23、m to choose, Such as: flower, necklace, bracelet, perfume, tie and many other things. There are just too many kinds of gifts. They all have one thing in common, the embodiment of love.Among the uncountable gifts, rose is the most popular one, because in peoples eyes, rose is the symbolization of fie

24、ry love. Of course, rose is the hottest merchandise on St. Valentines Day. Usually on St. Valentines Day, people like to send a red rose to express love between lovers. Rose is one of the worlds main flowers as gifts. The rose has dark red, pink, yellow, white and other colors. And the number of ros

25、es represents different meanings. For example, a rose represents love loyal and steadfast, and three roses represent I love you. And chocolate is also a kind of hottest merchandise. Since the chocolate has been born, it has the very complicated relationship with love. People who fall in love ex

26、press their deeply love with sweet chocolates.Like the same, on Double Seventh Festival, lovers choose roses, chocolates, adornments and other gifts which can express their love to their beloved ones. But in China maybe the roses are more popular. All in all, no matter what you send, the gifts must

27、express love, deeply love.The Differences between St. Valentines Day and Chinese Double Seventh FestivalSt. Valentines Day and Chinese Double Seventh Festival come from two different cultural backgrounds and different countries. There must have some differences between them.A. Their Different Histor

28、ical Origins1. The Origin of St. Valentines DayHistorical archives talk of at least three different individuals known by the name of St. Valentine and associated with St. Valentines Day celebration of February 14. Some scholars even talk of the presence of as many as seven St Valentine all of whom l

29、ived in the Third Century and apparently died on February 14.One of the most popular St. Valentine associated with St. Valentines Day festival is said to have lived in Rome when the country was under the reign of Emperor Claudius II. It is said that Emperor Claudius was hard-hearted king who continu

30、ously engaged Rome in bloody battles. But in order to keep fighting, he needed to keep recruiting soldiers. However, to his disappointment Claudius found that men were not willing to join army because of their attachment with their wives and families. In order to get rid of the issue, Claudius passe

31、d a callous decree that banned engagements and marriages in Rome. He also said that any priest who married a young couple would be put to death.However, Valentine stood against the unjustified order and secretly arranged marriages with the help of St Marius. When Claudius finally found out about Val

32、entines defiance, he was brutally beaten up and put to prison. Later, Valentine was put to death on February 14, about 270 AD. For his martyrdom and service towards lovers Valentine was named a St after his death.By Middle Ages, St. Valentine had become the patron St of love and lovers in England an

33、d France. So, when Pope Gelasius decided to put an end to pagan celebrations of Feast of Lupercalia, he declared in 498 AD that 14th February be celebrated as St. Valentines Day. Since then lovers began to express their love on the martyrdom day of St. Valentine. 42. The Origin of Chinese Double Sev

34、enth FestivalThe legend holds that an orphaned cowherd was mistreated by his elder brother and sister-in-law, who eventually gave him an old ox and chased him out. The cowherd worked hard, and after only a couple of years he owned a small farm and house. He was lonely, however, with only the company

35、 of that faithful old ox.The cowherd met the weaving maid in an accident and they quickly fell in love with each other. And then they stay together. The cowherd and the Weaving Maid lived happily together and had two children before the Queen of Heaven discovered the Weaving Maid's absence. She

36、was so annoyed she had the Weaving Maid brought back to heaven. Seeing his beloved wife flying back to the sky, the cowherd was terrified and sad. But he cowherd decided to find his wife. With the help of the cowhide, the cowherd was able to follow the Weaving Maid into heaven. He was about to

37、reach his wife when the Queen showed up and pulled off her hairpin to draw a line between the two. The line became the Silver River in heaven, or the Milky Way. The Weaving Maid went back to the heavenly workshop, going on weaving the clouds. But she was so sad and missed her husband across the

38、 Silver River so much that the clouds she weaved seemed sad. Finally, the Queen showed a little mercy, allowing the couple to meet once every year on the Silver River on the double seventh. Magpies were moved by their true love and many of them gathered and formed a bridge for the couple to mee

39、t on the evening of Qixi. Its said that its hard to find a magpie on Chinese St. Valentines Day in China, because all magpies fly to make the bridge for the Weaving Maid and the cowherd. The one thing to prove that is the feathers on the head of the magpies are much lesser after the Chinese St.

40、 Valentines Day. And if it rains heavily on Qixi night, some elderly Chinese will say it is because the Weaving Maid is crying from happiness over meeting her husband on the Milky Way.5B. The Different Customs1. The Customs of St. Valentines DayRomantic festival of St. Valentines Day is celebrated w

41、ith enthusiasm and fond regard in several countries around the world. Most commonly observed St. Valentines Day tradition and custom is expressing ones love with an exchange of cards, flowers and gifts. Pampering ones beloved and making a romantic proposal to ones sweetheart is the other popular tra

42、dition of the festival that celebrates love.There are several other St. Valentines Day customs and traditions associated with festival but these vary in different countries because of the social and cultural differences. What remains the same everywhere though is celebration of love by lovers? Here

43、we will discuss some of the most commonly observed ways of celebrating St. Valentines Day.One of the most popular customs of St. Valentines Day observed worldwide is to go on a date with sweetheart. Those without a date start looking for one day before the festival. The custom originated from the po

44、pular English belief that birds chose their partners on February 14. For this reason, Valentines Day was called “the Birds Wedding Day” in parts of Sussex.In the beginning, St. Valentines Day was associated with romantic couples only but in recent times the festival is seen in much larger persp

45、ective. Now, people take opportunity of the day to wish “Happy St. Valentines Day” to anyone they love, for example, father, mother, teachers, siblings, friends, co-workers or just anyone special to them. The idea behind this tradition is to celebrate love, get love and give love to everyone ar

46、ound us.One of the most commonly observed St. Valentines Day customs is the exchange of love notes called “Valentines”. Initially people used to exchange handwritten notes but starting with the 19th century, the practice of sending hand written notes was replaced by the exchange of mass-produce

47、d greeting cards. Gradually, St. Valentines Day cards came to be gifted to teachers, siblings, parents, friends and dear ones along with sweethearts. Today, St. Valentines Day festival is estimated to be the biggest card-sending occasion after Christmas. Most commonly used pictures in Valentine'

48、s Greetings include images of popular St. Valentines Day symbols like red roses, hearts and Cupid - the pudgy, winged son of Venus, the goddess of love. These days, there is also a tradition to club Valentine's with tiny candy hearts with affectionate messages printed on them.There exists a

49、 strong tradition of indulging ones beloved with gifts of love. Some of the most popular gifts exchanged between lovers on St. Valentines Day are fresh flowers - mainly roses, chocolates and teddy bears. Fine jewelry is increasingly becoming a popular St. Valentines Day gift for women due to th

50、e rigorous marketing campaign by diamond industry. Candies, showpieces besides several other things are also gifted to dear ones including grandparents, parents, siblings, teachers and friends. This is because St. Valentines Day is increasingly being regarded as the festival that celebrates love bet

51、ween two individuals and not just lovers.The other most traditional way to celebrate St. Valentines Day is to go for romantic candlelight dinners with ones Valentine. Many also choose to propose their dates in such a romantic setting and say the golden words, “I love you”. The other most emergi

52、ng tradition is to participate in St. Valentines Day balls and dance parties organized by various societies, clubs and restaurants. Many people also organize St. Valentines Day Couples parties in their homes where lovers have a blast in the company of friends. Those without a partner organize St. Va

53、lentines Day Singles Party and have a good time dancing and playing games with other friends who are single.In several countries including United States and Canada there is a tradition to organize St. Valentines Day classroom parties in schools. In such parties children exchange chocolates and St. V

54、alentines Day cards with their friends. British children sing special St. Valentines Day song and receive candies and chocolates as reward. Senior school children usually organize St. Valentines Day dance parties and have fun with friends. 62. The Customs of Chinese Double Seventh FestivalThe Double

55、 Seventh is the only Chinese festival devoted to love in the lunar calendar. Actually, in ancient China, Qixi was not only a special day for lovers, but also for girls. As early as the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), girls began to celebrate Double Seven Festival in China. What was behind their cele

56、bration was their desire for the mastery of knitting, cooking, and home making, each of which was a must to be a fair lady at that time. As a result, girls would make tables, light candles, and present fruits in their courtyard in the hope of being blessed with these skills from the Weaving Maid. So

57、 the festival is also known as the “Begging for Needlecrafts Festival” or “Daughters' Festival.” Although later the festival became associated with a love story, these activities survived.A girl will be more attractive to a suitor if she has talents of one kind or another in addition t

58、o being beautiful. In the old days of China, needlework was necessary as part of a girls dowry. Since the Weaving Maid is also an excellent seamstress, on the double seventh in ancient China, girls would hold weaving and needlework competitions to see who had the best hands and the brightest mind, b

59、oth prerequisites for making a good wife and mother at that time. Just imagine, against the blue sky where the bright moon smiles, a pretty girl would thread the needle deftly.The methods of keeping the skin fair and glowing by using blossoms have never been a secret to Chinese girls. On the double seventh, girls would put blossoms into a copper basin of water. The water, which would absorb the essence of the blossoms, was said to be good to girls skin when they washed their face. On the double seventh, girls would not forget to gather and sing a so