Holidays are vital in showing how different cultures’ customs are different. Both America and China have major holidays that are central to their cultures. Recently, I was given the opportunity to learn about Chinese culture from two college students, Han and Heidi, who attend the Wuhan University of Technology in China. Through discussion with them, I realized that the United States’ and China’s holidays show specific aspects of their respective cultures. The United States’ most well-known holiday is Christmas, which is a celebration of the birth of Jesus. China, on the other hand, celebrates another major holiday, the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival. These two holidays have a few similarities, such as their focus on family and celebration. …show more content…
Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. It is a Christian holiday meant to show appreciation and thanks for Jesus’ birth. Christmas is also a holiday meant to celebrate being together with friends and family. During this holiday, many distant family members come back to their first homes in order to see their entire family in a central location. Also, friends who have not seen each other in a long time will often make plans to meet together in order to celebrate their friendship. The Chinese, on the other hand, celebrate many different values during the Spring Festival. One of the traditional values that they celebrate during the Chinese New Year is the concept of “fu.” Fu is the Chinese notion of good fortune, and the Chinese celebrate this concept by decorating their houses with the symbol for fu in order to spread good fortune throughout their homes for the coming year. The Chinese also celebrate the idea of the New Year bringing a “fresh start” to their lives. This is why they clean their houses and buy brand-new clothes before the Spring Festival begins; they want to symbolize the transition to a clean and fresh New Year. In these ways, the values and traditional reasons for celebration are very different between American Christmas and the Chinese Spring