The Traditional and Religious Meaning of Christmas and Easter

蘇二梅 張雪

【Abstract】The festivals mark culture， which is the soul of nation. In west， Christianity has a profound effect on shaping and developing of festivals， so the festival has a strong religious content. Christmas is to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Jesus birthday is celebrated on different ways. Easter is to remember the resurrection of Jesus. His disciple Judas betrays him and he is crucified on the cross， he predicts he would resurrect on the third day， and bodily resurrected on the third day， so it gets its name Easter. Through the research project， we can understand the western culture and religious relief better， which urge the communication between Chinese and Western culture.

【Key words】religious； Christmas； festival； culture

The Brief Introduction to Christianity

Christianity has a long history of 2000 years， which has countless followers. It has a great impact on economy， politics， culture， value， custom in western countries. If we want to research western culture， the Christianity is the key. Christianity has a very big impact on Western civilization. Humanist tradition， as the center of freedom， equality， and fraternity， enjoys “born equal” popular support. Media church has a strong constraint to royal power. Church authority is the spiritual level， and draws a clear boundary to secular kingship. This provides a guarantee to thought freedom and independence of personality. Christian classic is “Bible”. The Bible is accounts of Gods revelation， is the Christian general principles of faith and life skills standards， it is the eternal truth. It is called as classic of literature and has a great effect on western culture.

The Introduction to Christmas and Easter

The history of Christmas dates back over 4000 years. Many of our Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before the Christ was born. The 12 days of Christmas， the bright fires， the giving of gifts， carnivals with floats， carolers who sing while going from house to house， the holiday feasts， and the church processions and so on.

Easter is another important religious festival in west. It is to remember the resurrection of Jesus. His disciple Judas betrays him and he is crucified on the cross， he predicts he would be wake on the third day， and his prediction come true. So the festival gets its name Easter.

The Comparison of Chinese and western Festival Culture

Confucianism is the root of Chinese culture. It is about harmony with nature-the “unity of man and nature” .It is also promoted respect the old and love the young， and the estate idea and hierarchy occupy a dominant position. All these can be achieved rely on moral. The Chinese festival is deeply influenced by Confucianism， which is regulated by Confucian value and moral rules. Chinese festival is not for fun， which mainly to express wishes of worshiping the ancestors and driving evils， praying for harmony， peace and happy life. For example the Spring Day in Miao， before enjoying the feast， the people would first offer sacrifices to ancestors. Every festival in China shows the deep historical and cultural civilization.

Religious belief decides the western culture. Christianity has a profound effect on shaping and developing of festivals. Christianity has a long history of 2000 years， which has most followers. It has an important status in western countries. It has a great impact on economy， politics， culture， value， and customs in western countries. It is an important part of western culture. It plays an irreplaceable role for forming common values and traditions of west world. In Christian culture， we are all accountable for our own god， to win the gods forgiveness and support， achieve the wishes of going to heaven after death. Everyone is seen equal before God. So different from Chinese festivals—respect ancestors， the west respects the God.

Conclusion

Christmas means “celebration of Christ”， it celebrates the birth of Jesus. Jesus birthday is celebrated on different ways. Easter is another important religious festival in West. It is to remember the resurrection of Jesus. The festivals carry cultural information. In West， Christianity has a profound effect on shaping and developing of festivals， the festival has a strong religious content. With the study of the formation and development of Christianity， people can understand Christmas and Easter. Moreover It compares Chinese and western festival culture in some aspects， such as the origin and tradition and so on. Next， it pays more attention on the hot topic in recent years； it appears the Chinese West holiday hot phenomenon. Aiming at Chinese West holiday hot phenomenon， it analysis the reasons and effects of this phenomenon， which make people to think how we treat the Western culture correctly. Next， we should face our weakness， absorb the essence and discard the dross.

References：

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