Nowadays, western festivals are popular in china, especially among teenagers who are interested in fresh things. That western festivals are more and more popular arouses hot discussion.
Some people take it for granted that this kind of phenomena is not good. It can bring much bad effects which we can not realize. They think we, as teenagers, are curious about western festivals and prefer spending time and money celebrating these foreign festivals rather than chinese traditional festivals. If we all focused on western festivals and ignored chinese festivals, our traditional festivals would not be developed further. However, there are some people holding that celebrating western festivals is beneficial to cultural communication. Not only can it enrich the life of our people, but also it can help us learn more about the world. Besides, when people celebrate western festivals, we can make comparisons between western and chinese festivals. By this way, traditional festivals may be developed into multilateral festivals which can attract more people.
As far as I am concerned, celebrating western festivals may be good, which can contribute to cultural communication and expand our horizons. But we can not despise chinese traditional festivals. We all know that Chinese festivals are the crystallization of Chinese culture. As a Chinese, should we drop our own culture? So, we need pay attention to our festivals. At the same time, we can celebrate western festivals to improve our styles.
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No one can have failed to notice the fact that Western festivals gain ever-increasing popularity in China. An increasing number of Chinese are fond of celebrating Western festivals today. On Valentine’s Day, many people, especially the young, give flowers or chocolate to the one they love; when Christmas approaches, nearly every store put on decorations like Santa Claus, snowflakes and even Christmas trees, not to mention the millions of people immersed in the thrilling atmosphere of festival on Christmas Eve; even such holidays as Halloween and the
Easter Day are becoming known and celebrated by more and more Chinese. In comparison, such traditional Chinese festivals as the Spring Festival, the Festival of Lanterns and the Mid-Autumn Day seem to be losing their attraction.
In view of such a situation, many are worried that Chinese culture will be ignored or even ruined by the invasion of Western festivals. Personally, I believe that we needn’t be over worried. Actually, the increasing popularity of some Western festivals in China is nothing accidental, but some thing justifiable.
First, it is a part of cultural globalization. With the development of communication science and technology and along with more and more nations opening up to the outside world, the world today has turned into a global village, with many national things becoming international. China is no exception. While we are absorbing advanced science and technology from foreign countries, we are also taking in different cultures.
Secondly, it is a sign of China’s rejuvenating. As a nation boasting a civilization of 5,000 years, Chinese have been known for their spirit of accommodation or open-mindedness. China used to be a melting pot of cultures as the U.S. is today. In the prosperous Tang dynasty, China was host to travelers and settlers from over the world. Actually, being accommodating is a sign of any thriving nation. Therefore, we should be pleased rather than upset to see Chinese people embracing foreign festivals.
It is true that some traditional Chinese festivals are losing their appeal to many people, but this does not necessarily the ruin of Chinese culture. Actually, a closer inspection reveals that most Chinese celebrate Western festivals merely out of the wish to seek novelty, to find a new way to entertain themselves or to express their identity in the face of the older generation. On the other hand, most Chinese have not ignored their native festivals. A convincing proof is that the Spring Festival still sees the largest flow of population in the world as most Chinese rush to their homes for family reunion.
In a word, while we are giving priority to the preservation and development of traditional Chinese culture, we needn’t worry too much about the inflow of foreign culture.