中西方部分节日介绍

春节Spring Festival,also called Lunar New Year,is the most important festival celebrated by all Chinese around the world.The celebration lasts from 1st of January till 15th of January on the Lunar Calendar.As the beginning of the year,it symbolizes another fresh start in one's life, and heralds fresh hopes for happiness and prosperity.It is an import- ant time to reaffirm family ties and reunion dinners,visitations among relatives and friends and exchange gifts – these activities serve to remind the Chinese of the central position of the family in the society.感恩节On every last Thursday of November is a special day.Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States. It is a day to commemorate the feast held by the Pilgrim colonists and members of the native people at Plymouth in 1621. On this day people express gratitude to God for his blessings and give thanks to dear ones for their love & support. Feasting with family is a most delightful part of Thanksgiving Day celebrations and the typical food include roast turkey, mash potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie, corn, salad and etc.中秋节The Mid-autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. It is an occasion for family members to get together over moon-cakes, fruits and fine tea and have "moon appreciation" sessions. With its association with moon-cakes and lanterns, it is also called Moon-cake Festival. It probably began as a harvest festival where Chinese agrarian communities celebrate and rejoice over their harvest.端午节Dragon Boat Festival is a day to commemorate the Chinese patriot and poet, Qu Yuan. Falling on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, it is a day to remind oneself of one's duties and obligations to the nation. Other than eating rice dumplings and participating in dragon boat races, this occasion ought to be used to commemorate the national patriots and to emphasize the importance of loyalty and commitment to the community.愚人节April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day, though not a holiday in its own right, is a notable day celebrated in many countries on April 1. The day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, enemies and neighbours, or sending them on fools' errands, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. In some countries, April Fools' jokes (also called "April Fools") are only made before noon on 1 April.[1]The origin of this custom are complex and a matter of much debate. It is likely a relic of the once common festivities held on the vernal equinox, which began on the 25th of March, old New Year's Day, and ended on the 2nd of April.复活节Easter, the Sunday of the Resurrection, Pascha, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year, observed at some point between late March and late April each year (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity), following the cycle of the moon. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred on the third day of his death by crucifixion some time in the period AD 27 to 33. Easter also refers to the season of the church year, called Eastertide or the Easter Season. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days from Easter Day until Ascension Day but now officially lasts for the fifty days until Pentecost. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter.Today many families celebrate Easter in a completely secular way, as a non-religious holiday.Easter is from 22nd March to 25th April. Easter is an important holiday in Western（西方）countries. Many children buy chocolate（巧克力）Easter eggs. They also make Easter eggs.哥伦比亚登陆节Columbus Day is a holiday celebrated in many countries in the Americas, commemorating the date of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World on October 12, 1492. Similar holidays, celebrated as Día de la Raza (Day of the People) in many countries in Latin America, Día de las Culturas (Day of the Cultures) in Costa Rica, Discovery Day in the Bahamas, Hispanic Day in Spain, and the newly-renamed (as of 2002) Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Day of Indigenous Resistance) in Venezuela, commemorate the same event.重阳节Double Ninth Festivalor Chongyang Festival. Chong in Chinese means "double." Also, as double ninth was pronounced the same as the word to signify "forever", both are "Jiu Jiu," the Chinese ancestors considered it an auspicious day worth celebration. That's why ancient Chinese began to celebrate this festival long time ago.The custom of ascending a height to avoid epidemics was passed down from long time ago. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called "Height Ascending Festival". The height people will reach is usually a mountain or a tower. Ancient literary figures have left many poems depicting the activity. Even today, people still swarm to famous or little known mountains on this day.母亲节Mother's dayThe second Sunday in May is Mother's day.Mother's day is a special day for everyone!On that day,children usually give their mother with cards,presents and flowers. But most of the people,like giving their mothers carnation（康乃磬）。