People felt a strong and happy festive atmosphere in Beijing on Dec 24, and the Christmas Eve turned out to be another carnival for youths and kids just like the Halloween not long ago.
While the Western festivals are becoming increasingly popular, the Chinese traditional festivals seem to be losing their traditions and becoming less attractive to the young people in China.
Recently, the China Youth Daily conducted a survey on the Western festivals and the Chinese traditional festivals, with a total of 18,377 people joining the poll.
Among the participants, about four percent of them were born after 2000, 40.6 percent in 1990s, 38 percent in 1980s, 9.5 percent in 1970s, and 7.9 percent in 1960s or above.
According to the survey, Saint Valentine's Day, Christmas Day, and the Halloween are very popular among the participants.
Under the context of globalization, it's a good for people to have more choices and resources on celebrating the festivals, a folklore expert Yang Lihui told China Youth Daily, who is a professor at School of Chinese Language and Literature, Beijing Normal University.
Question: why do more and more kids start celebrating the western festivals?
58.4 percent, influenced by sales promotion activities in the shopping malls;
45.5 percent, influenced by the activities held at kindergarten and schools;
19.5 percent, influenced by media's publicity on west festivals;
15.5 percent, out of curiosity and kids think its fun.
Du Junqiang, a college teacher in Beijing, told China Youth Daily that communicating and exchanging gifts in the neighborhood are helpful for the children's growth. The Chinese tradition festivals are often associated with the ancestors worshiping and centered on farming and solar terms. While, for some Western festivals, though based on religion, they involve more of these elements and encourage children to join the interpersonal communications. For example, kids can experience an open and friendly atmosphere on Halloween in the neighborhood.
Zhou Xiaoyan, a professor on preschool education from Liaoning Normal University, told China Youth Daily that kids develop a strong curiosity for things that are fun. The games of the Western festivals suit them well. Moreover, Chinese children are under huge pressure and do not have many recreational activities, so celebrating a Western festival is an excuse for them to have fun.
Question: how to make the Chinese traditional festival more fun for children?
55.1 percent, to re-pick up the cultural connotation of the Chinese traditional festivals;
37.7 percent, to enhance the amusement atmosphere on Chinese traditional festivals;
20 percent, communities should organize more activities on Chinese traditional festivals;
15.5 percent; to make Chinese traditional festivals more influential to the young people;
13.5 percent; to tell people how to celebrate the Chinese traditional festivals on cartoon and television programs.
According to Professor Yang, in the past, the carnival atmosphere of Chinese traditional festivals was no less than the present Western festivals. The dragon dance and lion dance, as well as the temple fair on the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, were quite fun. However, nowadays the temple fair only sells some small commodities and gradually lost the feeling of freshness among people. Thus, how to preserve the feeling of freshness like the Western festivals is important, and there is much room for improvement in this aspect.
Besides, some respondents said that we are losing our traditions. During the Spring Festival, children loved to set off firecrackers and receive red packets. However, the red packets have become a way for them compare with each other to see who got more money. Because of air pollution, kids also cannot set off firecrackers in the city.
Some said that in their childhood the traditional festival used to be fun. For example, kids could carry their lanterns around the neighborhood to ask for candles on the Mid-Autumn Festival, and it was fun for them.
Professor Yang said that the Chinese traditional festivals focus more on the traditional culture and pay more attention to the family reunion, the nature, and the solar terms, but the Western festivals are more amusing. We can make the best of both Chinese traditional festivals and Western festivals.
According to some, although they don't mind their children celebrating the Western festivals, but they prefer them to enjoy the Chinese traditional festival and understand the culture.
Thus, how to make the traditional festival more attractive to young people and kids and make the festivals carry on the nation's traditions and culture should be considered seriously.
