Abstract: Traditional festivals are regarded as a kind of cultural celebration of a nation, which greatly reflect its social development, especially folk customs. Traditional festivals not only convey the heritage created by the ancient people, but also mirror the wish and the belief they pursued. Traditional festivals are the best breakthrough point to learn a nation’s culture. They play an important role in a nation’s culture. This essay mainly deals with the comparison between major Chinese festivals and British festivals, analyzing the origins, formations and details of the festivals as well as the interactions between Chinese festivals and British ones. With an eye to improve the quality of intercultural communication and help people develop communicative competence, this paper is dedicated to the study of the characteristics and the differences between Chinese and British festivals.
. Key Words: British Festivals; Chinese Festivals; Intercultural Communication
Introduction 1
1. The Role of the Traditional Festivals 2
1.1 Traditional Festivals in Culture 2
1.2 The Current Conditions of Chinese Festivals. 2
1.3 The Influence from British Festivals 3
2. Main Festivals in the Two Countries 4
2.1 Festivals in Britain 4
2.2 Festivals in China 9
3. Comparison between Chinese Festivals and British Festivals 11
3.1 Differences 12
3.2 Similarities 15
Conclusion 16
Acknowledgement 18
Bibliography 19
