An Analysis of Cultural Differences between Chinese and Western Valentine’s Day摘要随着中国对外交流和合作的不断深化与加强，很多源于西方的节日受到越来越多的中国人的追捧和喜欢。
与此同时，一些中国的传统节日也受到外国人喜爱。
本文将以七夕节和情人节为例，对比其相同点和不同点，并得出结论。
对于相同点，作为最具浪漫色彩的节日，在节日期间人们会互赠礼物，举行各种各样的庆祝活动。
对于不同点，情人节的起源与基督教有关；而七夕节则起源于牛郎与织女的故事，更具有民间性和神话性。
本文通过对中、西方情人节的比较，了解两个情人节的相同和不同之处。
通过相关探讨，让更多的人了解本民族节日文化的内涵，让国人认识到他们的相似之处，更让他们看到二者的差异和不同。
只有这样才有利于中国传统节日和文化的弘扬与光大。
关键词：七夕节；情人节；异同点；比较研究ContentsIntroduction (1)Chapter One Literature Review (3)1.1 Domestic Studies (3)1.2 Foreign Studies (5)Chapter Two Differences of Origins and Customs (7)2.1 Different Origins (7)2.1.1 Origins of Qixi Festival (7)2.1.2 Origins of Western Valentine’s Day (8)2.1.3 Comparison of Origins (8)2.2 Different Customs (9)2.2.1 Customs of Qixi Festival (9)2.2.2 Customs of Valentine’s Day (10)2.2.3 Comparison of Customs (8)Chapter Three Differences of Cultural Backgrounds and Religious Concepts (12)3.1 Different Cultural Backgrounds (12)3.1.1 Cultural Background of Qixi Festival (12)3.1.2 Cultural Background of Valentine’s Day (13)3.1.3 Comparison of Backgrounds (8)3.2 Differences in Religious Attitudes (14)3.2.1 Religious Attitude towards Qixi Festival (14)3.2.2 Religious Attitudes towards Valentine’s Day (14)3.2.3 Comparison of Religious Attitudes (8)Chapter Four Conclusion (16)References (117)IntroductionFor many years, Qixi Festival and Valentine’s Day have always been compared, so the differences and the relationship between them are worth studying.The connotation of each festival is profound, and different festivals also contain a different culture. These cultures are truly reflected in people's lives. With the exchanges and cooperation between different countries, the cultural and daily exchanges between different countries are deepening day by day, and the development of world culture also shows diversity. The convergence of cultures brings rich connotations to the culture of the world. Western festival culture has been widely spread into China, Chinese traditional festivals and western festival cultures have been collided. As a traditional festival in China, Qixi Festival is a significant festival for ancient women, also known as the “Qiqiao Festival”. The folk custom of this day is also extended and developed with women’s skillful begging as the core, and accompanied by the tradition of begging for love. After Valentine’s Day, was popularized in China, Qixi Festival was gradually crowned with the title of “Chinese Valentine’s Day” with westernization effect. Although Qixi Festival and Valentine’s Day do not have any historical origins, they are also very popular in China today. There are differences and characteristics between the two festivals.Since the beginning of the 21st century, this has gone global. With the close exchanges between Chinese and foreigners, many western festivals have been spread to China (newspapers, news, videos and other channels). These festivals bring fresh feelings to the Chinese people and are gradually loved by the Chinese people. More and more Chinese people are celebrating Western festivals. They send gifts, sing songs and travel to celebrate Western festivals. As the most representative Valentine's Day in the West, it is popular among young people in China. Many young people will follow the example of Westerners to celebrate this festival. At the same time, Chinese traditional festivals have been impacted in this context. It is quite right that Qixi Festival has not received the attention it deserves. Many young people don't know much about the connotation of traditional Chinese festivals, let alone celebrate them. For this question, we need to think deeply: what is the reasonfor this situation? The answer is that many Chinese people lack a comprehensive and dialectical understanding of Chinese and Western festivals. Therefore, it is necessary to compare the two, so that Chinese people can recognize their similarities and differences. Only in this way can we promote the promotion and development of Chinese traditional festivals and culture.This thesis chooses Valentine’s Day and Qixi Festival as typical cases to study the spread of Chinese and Western festival culture, and attempts to study the differences between the two. By studying the current situation of Valentine’s Day and Qixi Festival in China, this thesis explores the cultural differences behind the festivals and their impacts. How to develop and promote the two festivals to carry forward the cultural connotation of our traditional festivals is also very important.Chapter One Literature ReviewThis research is based on the theme of scholars’ research on Valentine’s Day in China and the West in the context of globalization, focusing on consulting scholars’ research results, differences and comparative studies of Chinese and Western festivals on Valentine’s Day, including Western Valentine’s Day and China’s Qixi Day.From the early 1980s to the 1990s, research on the Qixi Festival gradually increased, but mainly focused on history, literature and art, anthropology, folklore and sociology. Most of the studies are the introduction of Qixi folk customs and the literary study of Qixi poems and songs. It was first published by Zhang Jun in “Exploring the Origin of Qixi Festival”. Luo Jing (2022: 44-48) pointed out that the Qixi Festival originated in the Warring States Period. By sorting out the evolution of the legend of Niulang and Zhīnǚ, the author creatively argues that the traditional female-centred celebrations contain the values that the ancient society expected from women. In the 21st century, with the development of the market economy and the growing prosperity of business, research on the Qixi Festival has also changed. The first report to publicly call Qixi Festival “China Valentine’s Day” was published in the Factory Manager’s Daily in September 2001 under the title of Calling China’s Qixi Brand.The article pointed out that Western Valentine’s Day had entered the Chinese market in a comprehensive way. If you want to get a share of the Qixi Festival, you have to build Qixi into a cultural brand with commercial value (Wang, 2016: 25-29). So far, many scholars have started to study from the perspective of economics. For example, in the article “Symbolic Economy and the Qixi Festival as an Intangible Cultural Heritage”, the author Jia Xiaofeng took the symbolic value of the Qixi Festival as an example to talk about how culture can be transformed into resources. In addition, the academic community began to have new thoughts about the survival status of the Qixi Festival. For example, the author of “Survival through Reconstruction —— Thoughts on the Fate of the Qixi Festival”, by analyzing the reasons for the plight of the Qixi Festival, suggested thatthe reconstruction of the Qiqiao Festival into a husband and wife festival might be a possibility for its survival (Yang, 2019: 12-16). Since 2005, academic research on the Qixi Festival has seen a tremendous growth. Many scholars have begun to think about Qixi Festival and “China Valentine’s Day” in different ways, and to reflect on and criticize the simple positioning of Qixi Festival as “China Valentine’s Day”. The modern transformation of Qixi Festival is mainly due to its untimely connotation of begging and the development of love connotation; another example is that people believe that there is a big difference between Qixi Festival in China and Valentine’s Day in the West. In order to save Qixi Festival, we should not blindly imitate Valentine’s Day. It is worth noting that since the beginning of this period, more and more researchers have begun to study the introduction of the Qixi Festival from the perspective of communication studies. For example, Ye Shuxian (2015: 23-28) points out in his article From Qixi to Chinese Valentine’s Day: The Reconstruction of Traditional Festival Culture by the Mass Media that the excavation, The packaging and repackaging of traditional culture by the mass media has become a new trend, and the author believes that the Qixi Festival is not the focus of the media, but only a necessary or dispensable background. In this reporting mode, the audience unconsciously accepted that Qixi is China’s Valentine’s Day, which ultimately led to the real reconstruction of Qixi culture and folklore.Using the Qixi Festival in two places in Zhejiang Province as a case study, it is suggested that the so-called “traditional” festivals have already gone through a series of cultural evolutionary processes of stability, variation, error, intertextuality and reconstruction, and that local traditions in the Chinese context have also evolved into modern traditions in the context of globalization (Li, 2018: 75-77). In Zhang Yonghui’s (2020: 111-115) Master of Folklore thesis, Festivals of Love: Probing into the Sequence of Contemporary Love Festivals in China, Through the horizontal comparison between Qixi Festival and Singles’ Day, the author shows many differences between Chinese people at different times in terms of love festivals.The author also conducts a field survey on the survival status of the contemporary Qixi Festival, which has certain reference significance for the study of this paper.1.2 Foreign StudiesThe The focus of foreign research on Western Valentine’s Day has changed over time. The 1989 paper “Saint Valentine’s Day in the United States” is the earliest available research on Valentine’s Day in the West. The title indicates that the author used the literal name of the holiday rather than calling it “Valentine’s Day”. After 1993, Valentine’s Day became popular in society (Bochow, 2017: 195-218). Research on Valentine’s Day mainly comes from English-language professional journals and magazines, which mainly introduce the history, customs and significance of Valentine’s Day in the West. At the beginning of the 21st century, economics and consumerism have become new perspectives of Valentine’s Day research. At this stage, the interaction between festivals and social economy, festivals and consumer culture have become the focus of research (James, 2015: 72-73). After 2005, the academic community began to re-examine and reflect on the impact of the spread of Western festivals on traditional Chinese folk festivals. Globalization has brought Western Valentine’s Day, while traditional Chinese festivals have been “shelled out”. Around 2010, more and more studies focused on the localisation characteristics of Western Valentine’s Day and its impact on the Qixi Festival. Western festivals in China, where there is no Christian soil, are more like rootless trees, carnival, open and playful emotional colors of capitalist social culture. Valentine’s Day is more popular than Qixi, and this paper explores the influence of Western Valentine’s Day on Chinese society through linguistic expressions of love and romantic consumption. Larry (2020: 21-23) in Folklore Thinking on the Development and Transformation of Foreign Festivals in Shanghai, from the perspective of folklore, examines the background and development of the spread of Western festivals including Valentine’s Day in Shanghai, and analyzes the causes and social effects of the “foreign festival fever”.In Valentine’s Day in Kumasi, Ghana: diversity and changes in international relations, Yusuf (2012: 372-375) noted that in Japan, Western Valentine’s Day as a widely accepted consumer ritual is the result of multicultural integration. He also explored the reasons for the widespread celebration of Valentine’s Day among young people in Ghana. The researchers found that this phenomenon is closely linked to the emergence of communication technology. Media and technology have changed intergenerational relationships and sexual attitudes in Ghanaian society, while spreading Valentine's Day culture.Stuart (2018: 78-80), in the second chapterof his book Representation, Cultural Representation and Signature Practice, made a study entitled “Love in the Age of Valentine and Pink Underwear: Media and the Politics of Intimacy in South Asia”. The author argues that images and media play a crucial role in the cross-cultural communication of love on Valentine’s Day, which has become a ceremony of self-display and self-creation for young couples in India. In celebrating “love”, this festival also emphasizes the fun of dating and eating. Consumption and public displays of emotion are “happiness”. In this festival, couples have established open and legal romantic feelings. The author explores Valentine’s Day and romantic love among urban youth in India, as well as the temporal and spatial boundaries between the private and public spheres in the celebration of the festival.1.3 SummaryLooking at the research of scholars at home and abroad on Valentine’s Day in China and the West, we can find a rule that scholars first introduced the two festivals, then described the phenomenon, and finally conducted critical research on Valentine’s Day On the whole, the academic research on Valentine’s Day in China and the West has shown the characteristics of the times.Compared with the research of Western scholars, the research of Chinese scholars on Qixi Day and Valentine’s Day mostly focuses on the superficial presentation of cultural phenomena and festival communication, and lacks a comprehensive discussion of the deep impact of Western cultural implantation from the perspective of media, culture, sociology, etc., and also lacks a comparison of the origin, customs, and connotation of the two.Chapter Two Differences of Origins and CustomsInfluenced by different regions and cultures, different festivals have different customs. In this section, the author will take the Qixi Festival and the Valentine’s Day Festival as examples and explore the differences in their origins and customs. 2.1 Different OriginsTo understand a festival, we must first understand its origin. This section will analyse the origin and background of the Qixi Festival and Valentine’s Day.2.1.1 Origins of the Qixi FestivalChina’s Qixi Festival has its origins in the love story between a cowherd and a weaver in the Han Dynasty. With the help of the cowherd, who fed the old cow, they fell in love, got married and had a son and a daughter. But all this was against the law of heaven. The Queen Mother herself forced the weaver girl to return to heaven. The cowherd put on shoes made from the hide of a dead old cow and took a pair of children with him to catch up. When she was about to catch up, the Queen Mother pulled off the golden hairpin on her head and waved it, and a Tianhe River appeared. The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl were forced to separate, and Weaver Girl could only keep crying. Their faithful love moved Magpie, so thousands of magpies flew to build a bridge for them. In this way, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl can meet on the bridge. The Empress had no choice but to allow them to meet on the Thousand Magpies’ Bridge every year on the 7th of July. The day they met was called the “Qixi Festival”.The Qixi Festival is also known as the Qiqiao Festival. Qiqiao(乞巧), Qizi(乞子) and Qishi(乞食) are the three traditional customs of this festival, and Qiqiao is the core of the “three beggings”. Threading a needle is the most representative begging activity on Qixi Festival. In the Tang Dynasty poem Qiqiao (《乞巧》) there is a sentence: “Every family looks at the autumn moon and wears tens of thousands of red silks.” The Qixi Festival in ancient China is not only a festival highly valued by the people, but also a festival of great importance to the court. In ancient China, on the night of the Qixi Festival, the palace maids in the imperial palace would go on stage to compete in needlework. The main object of the competition wascolourful silk thread with nine needles. The first palace maids to complete the competition were “Deqiao”, which was a great competition of ancient needlework skills. Through this skilful activity, the ancient working women showed their talents and expressed their love for life.Qizi is also one of the main activities of the ancient Qixi Festival, and the tradition of begging is still preserved in some southern regions of China. In the traditional concept of feudal society, in the social environment of clothing farming civilization, multiple sons mean redundant labour. The ancient working people generally believed that “multiple sons and multiple blessings”. Therefore, during the Qixi Festival, working women beg for more children.China’s agricultural civilization has for many years formed the tradition that “food is the most important thing for the people”. Therefore, Chinese festivals have always been inseparable from food. The custom of begging on Qixi dates back to the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The traditional food for begging on Qixi is mainly “Qiao Guo(巧果)” and carved “Hua Gua(花瓜)”. Qiaoguo is mainly made of flour, while Huagua is mainly made of wax gourd and watermelon carved into the shape of a gu or lantern. Planting and praying for children is also an important activity in the ancient Qixi festival. According to the traditional rules, soybeans, mung beans, wheat and other crops are dipped into bowls, waited for buds to grow and then bundled together, which is also called “Paoqiao(泡巧)” in some southern regions(Wang, 2016: 25-29).2.1.2 Origins of Western Valentine’s DayValentine’s Day is also known as St. Valentine’s Day. It is said that St Valentine’s name comes from a martyr called Valentine, who disobeyed the king’s order to marry young people in secret, was imprisoned and became the patron saint of lovers. However, there is no way of verifying this story. Some scholars believe that the name “Valentine” is a misuse of the French word for “lover”.At present, two explanations for the origin of this festival are generally accepted in Western academic circles. The first is that 14 February was chosen as Valentine’s Day because in ancient times people believed that hundreds of birds, from birds to humans, would fall in love and mate on this day, and that young men and women should also choose their spouses on this day or show their love to each other (Li,2018: 72-75). Another legend about the origin of Valentine’s Day is the Luper cal ia in ancient Rome. On 15 February of each year in the Roman calendar, people would sing and dance to celebrate, and married women would ask the Luper cal ia to sacrifice and whip them to cure infertility. Later it gradually evolved into a mutual blessing between lovers (Luo, 2022: 44-48).Although there are different opinions about the origin of Valentine’s Day, it is certain that the conquerors of Rome brought the customs of the festival to England and integrated them into Christian culture. With the discovery of the new continent of America, the British brought this festival of romance and love to America.2.1.3 Comparison of OriginsThe “three begging” custom of begging for tricks, children and food at the Qixi Festival reflects the ideal and aspiration of the ancient working people of the Chinese nation.In western culture, Valentine’s Day was originally a festival between young lovers. But now, on Valentine’s Day, some social organizations in Western countries will hold Valentine’s Day parties, and the participants will gradually become men, women, children, relatives and friends. Valentine’s Day has become a ceremony where people take the opportunity to express their feelings to each other.2.2 Different CustomsQixi Festival and Valentine’s Day have different and colorful celebrations. These different celebrations and customs highlight the differences and personalities of the two festivals from different aspects.2.2.1 Customs of Qixi FestivalThe author first analyzes some customs of festivals. For any festival, gifts are indispensable. In particular, Qixi Festival, as a symbol of love, presents on Qixi Festival represent the degree of love for each other. In ancient times, during the Qixi Festival, people used their hair to express their love and interest. For a long time, people have been used to using combs as a token of love between men and women. So in ancient books, the comb is a symbol of love. The comb also has a profound implication: we will make a commitment to life and are willing to live together and grow old together. Until now, some men will also carefully choose a comb to give to the girl they like on this holiday. The purpose is to express their feelings. In addition to combs, red beans are also a symbol of the Qixi Festival. In ancient times,because materials were not as developed as they are now, red beans became a gift for men to express their feelings. Red beans represent Acacia, so they are also called "Acacia beans". Generally, the person who wants to express his love will send some red beans to express his love.In addition to giving gifts, there are other celebrations on Qixi Festival. The other is to pray for good luck and good luck. It is recorded in ancient books that on the night of Qixi, people can see Niulang and Zhinu meet on the magpie bridge. In ancient China, people believed that a good marriage could largely determine the future life of a girl. Therefore, on the night of Qixi Festival, girls will put some fruits on the outdoor table for prayer. They hope that immortals can give them a good husband and a bright future.Begging is also one of the indispensable activities in the festival. In ancient society, girls were required to be diligent and intelligent. So for every girl, they need to learn some skills. Therefore, during the Qixi Festival, they will pray that they also have the qualities and characteristics of the Weaver Maid.2.2.2 Customs of Valentine’s DayUnlike Chinese holiday gifts, western Valentine's Day gifts are mainly roses and chocolates. At the roadside, a man was waiting for his beloved girl with roses. In the evening, the afterglow of the sunset falls on the flagstone road, and the melodious sound of the piano comes. There are lovers walking on this road. Roses add a romantic atmosphere to Valentine's Day. Of course, different colors of roses also have different meanings. Red roses represent strong love; The white rose represents that you are my only; Pink roses represent first love. These are popular gift colors. On Valentine's Day, men usually wrap red roses in wrapping paper, tie beautiful ribbons on the stems of roses and give them to their lovers. Besides roses, chocolate is also one of the gifts people often give on Valentine's Day. Chocolate represents sweetness and love. In addition to being a symbol of love, it can also be eaten. It can also be eaten because it is loved by people.Besides giving gifts, there are many other celebrations for Valentine's Day. For example, people will plant flowers on the morning of Valentine's Day. This is also an important event of Valentine's Day. Men and women in love put the two flowers that have not yet opened into flower pots. After a period of time, if the flowers bloom in half, it means that the lovers will grow old together; If the flowers can fully open, it means that they will live a happy life and have many children; If theflowers die, it means that a person may die young (Wang, 2016: 60-62).2.2.3 Comparison of CustomsThe author analyses the characteristics of the two festivals in terms of festival habits and customs. From the analysis, we can see that there are differences between the two festivals in this respect.Judging from the identity of the protagonist, China's Qixi Festival is all unmarried men and women. The purpose of their celebration is to find the other half. On Qixi Day, they held various prayer activities in the hope of finding a good husband and living a happy married life. On Valentine's Day in the West, there are not only unmarried men and women, but also married couples. The purpose of their holiday is to express their love for each other. Their love remains the same whether they are married or not. Married couples also give each other gifts and participate in many celebrations together. Because they believe that this is a holiday full of romance and love, which needs to be spent seriously.Therefore, Chinese and Western festivals are different in terms of specific ways of celebration and the main body of celebration.Chapter Three Differences of Cultural Backgrounds andReligious ConceptsHaving briefly introduced the origins and customs of the Qixi Festival and Valentine’s Day in the previous chapter, in this chapter we will compare the two festivals from a cultural and religious point of view.3.1 Different Cultural BackgroundsThe formation and development of Chinese national festivals are closely related to agricultural production. Therefore, agricultural civilization plays an important role in the formation and development of Chinese festival culture. Western countries are surrounded by the sea and have a good environment. These have had a great influence on Western culture.3.1.1 Cultural Background of Qixi FestivalWhen analyzing the origin and development of Chinese national festivals, we should first clarify the basis of China's economic development, namely agriculture and farmers. The ancient Chinese people depended on agriculture for their livelihood, and agricultural production played a key role in the emergence of festivals.Due to the influence of the geographical environment, many traditional Chinese festivals are based on agriculture. The agrarian society has several characteristics: first, the family is the basic unit. In ancient China, agriculture was carried out with families as production units. Second, the scale of production is small and basically family-based (Yang, 2019: 12-16).The Qixi Festival reflects the characteristics of Chinese agricultural culture. First of all, the story of the weaver girl and the cowherd is related to agricultural culture. After their marriage, the Cowherd herds cattle and cultivates fields; the Weaver Girl raises silkworms, weaves cloth and lives a happy life. Like other people in ancient China, they lead normal lives.In ancient China, cattle were closely related to the harvest of agricultural products and people’s livelihood. They have a great impact on production and life. There were many customs related to cattle in the past, some of which still exist in China’s ethnic minority areas. The folktale contained in the Qixi Festival embodies the cow. The man in the story is called the cowherd, which reflects the importanceof traditional cowboy culture. Even in modern society, cattle still play a very important role in people’s production and life. The place where Niulang and Zhīnǚ meet each year is called “Love Bridge”. This bridge has been built in many places. It is said that lovers will never be separated when crossing this bridge together. In ancient China, cattle were closely linked to the harvest of agricultural products and people’s livelihoods. They have a great influence on production and life. In the past, there were many customs related to cattle, some of which still exist in China’s ethnic minority areas. The folk tale included in the Qixi Festival embodies the cow. The man in the story is called the cowherd, reflecting the importance of traditional cowboy culture. Even in modern society, cattle still play a very important role in people’s production and lives. The place where Niulang and Zhīnǚmeet every year is called “Love Bridge”. This bridge has been built in many places. It is said that lovers will never be separated if they cross this bridge together. Therefore, crossing the “Love Bridge” is considered to be the oldest and most traditional custom.3.1.2 Cultural Background of Valentine’s DayIn this part, the author will analyze the cultural background of Valentine's Day. From a cultural perspective, the theme of Valentine's Day is passion and carnival. Most people in the West believe in Christianity. Religion requires people to be pious, abstinent, return to a stable heart, and not have too much desire. In fact, people have many troubles and problems in their lives that need to be vented and dismissed. Therefore, when there is a space to vent, people will choose to use festivals to relieve pressure and vent their emotions. Therefore, on Valentine's Day, Westerners will release their emotions and pressure, show their personality, and seek emotional and physical satisfaction.In addition, Westerners like a cheerful and lively atmosphere. Choosing to celebrate and celebrate Valentine's Day is also the result of people's character and choice. Valentine's Day is an entertainment-oriented holiday. The customs of the festival emphasize people's personality and attach importance to everyone's feelings. So Valentine's Day offers Westerners a chance to relax. The atmosphere of the festival is to encourage people to express themselves more.It can be said that Valentine's Day seeks a happy atmosphere and releases inner emotions. Its custom is to ignite the individual spirit, sublimate it and display personality (Ye, 2015:23-28). During the festival, there are many business and。
