Abstract

Chinese and British holiday cultures, both have the characteristics of inheritance and variability. Because holidays are relatively absolute and stable, they are inherited from generation to generation with ancient customs remained in spite of changed social conditions. Chinese and British traditional holidays are reflected in the two cultures of China and Britain, and they have big differences in many respects. This thesis studies and explores the similarities and differences between Chinese and British holidays by comparing the four important holidays of China and British. It also discusses the differences between Chinese and British holiday customs from the values, social structure, social relations and other parts. In the end, based on the theory of cross-cultural communication, it summarizes the roles of these holiday customs in cross-cultural communication between China and Britain.

Key words: holiday customs; contrast; analysis; China and Britain

Contents

摘要

Abstract

1. Introduction-1

2. Culture and cross-cultural communication-1

3. Chinese holiday customs-2

3.1The Spring Festival-2

3.2The Dragon Boat-3

3.3The Mid-Autumn Day-4

3.4The Tomb Sweeping Day-4

4. The British holiday customs-5

4.1The Christmas-5

4.2The Easter Sunday-6

4.3The Halloween-7

4.4The Saint Valentine’s Day-7

5. The comparison between Chinese and British holiday customs-8

5.1The similarities of Chinese and British holiday customs-8

    5.1.1 Aspiration and pursuit of a better life-8

5.1.2 Origins of holiday culture-9

5.1.3 Holiday’s religious origination-9

5.2The differences between Chinese and British holiday customs-9

    5.2.1 Differences in cultural background-9

5.2.2 Differences in the themes of traditional holidays-10

5.2.3 Differences in value orientation-10

6. Conclusion-11

References-12

Acknowledgments-13