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1、Differences between Chinese and Western Culturein Terms of Wedding CustomsA Thesis Submitted toForeign Languages Department of Chenggong CollegeHenan University of Economics and Law in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for theDegree of Bachelor of ArtsByChen ZongyuSupervisor: Zhang WeihongApri
2、l 10 , 2012Abstract Different countries have different wedding customs because of the culture differences.The long history and splendid culture of China has a great influence on its wedding customs. In Western countries, due to various reasons such as history, geography, ethnic and religion, their w
3、edding customs have distinct colors too. So, comparing the two kinds of weeding customs can reflect extreme differences in culture. First, we can see the difference from the wedding color. In China the weddings main color is red, and the brides dress is also red, which is the representative of tradi
4、tional Chinese festive colors. In the West, however, the brides dress is generally white, which is the symbol of purity. It reflects their different attitudes to colors. Second, we can see the differences from the wedding place. In China, the wedding ceremony can be held at home. In the West, it is
5、more often than not held in the church. It reflects their different beliefs. Third, we can see the differences from the wedding banquet. In China, the newlyweds will entertain the guests hospitably, and will be very tired. In the West, the wedding banquet is quite free, even can be the buffet. It re
6、flects their different values. Forth, the Chinese wedding is festive while the Western wedding is sacred. It reflects their different concepts of marriage. The author of the thesis will explore the differences between Chinese and Western culture from the four aspects mentioned above.Key Words: cultu
7、re difference; wedding customs; marriage 摘 要不同的国家因文化不同婚礼习俗也有所不同。中国的悠久历史和灿烂文化对其婚俗产生了很大影响。西方国家由于历史、地理、宗教等各种原因，其婚俗也是别具特色。所以比较两种婚俗的不同可以反映出中西文化方面的差异。第一，可以通过婚礼颜色看出差异。中国的婚礼以红色为主色调，新娘的服饰也是红色的，红色代表着喜庆；而在西方，新娘的服饰通常是白色的，白色是纯洁的象征。这反映出中西方对颜色的不同认识。第二，可以通过婚礼的场所看出差异。中国的婚礼通常在家里举行；而西方的婚礼通常在教堂里举行。这反映出中西方对宗教信仰的不同认识。第三，
8、可以通过婚宴看出差异。在中国，新人需要热情的款待宾客，结果自己却很累；而在西方，婚宴很轻松自由，甚至可以是一顿自助餐。这反映出中西方人们不同的价值观。第四，可以通过婚礼的气氛看出差异。中国的婚礼喜庆热闹；而西方的婚礼圣洁庄重。这反映出中西方人们不同的婚姻观。本文正是从以上几个方面入手来探索中西文化的差异。关键词: 文化差异；婚礼习俗；婚姻AcknowledgmentsThis thesis is the product of the author and the supervisors three months of efforts. It has been repeatedly revise
9、d under the guidance of Lecturer Zhang Weihong. It was the joint efforts of both the author and the teachers in Foreign Languages Department. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Ms. Zhang and the teachers who have helped the author in the process of the thesis writing. I will also give my
10、 thanks to my classmates and friends who have helped me revise the thesis. Last but not least, I will give my heartfelt thanks to my parents who have been always supporting and encouraging me.Contents Introduction11 Different Attitudes toward Colors21.1 Different Attitudes toward Red31.1.1 Chinese A
11、ttitude toward Red31.1.2 Western Attitude toward Red31.2 Different Attitude toward white31.2.1 Chinese Attitude toward White31.2.2 Western Attitude toward white42 Different Beliefs42.1 Chinese Belief52.2 Western Belief53 Different Values63.1 Chinese Values73.2 Western Values84 Different Concepts of
12、Marriage84.1 Chinese Concept of Marriage94.2 Western Concept of Marriage10Conclusion11Bibliography12Introduction The wedding is a ceremony held by two persons in love in order to prove that they love each other and want to be together all their life in any situations. They want their relatives and f
13、riends to witness their happiness. Different countries, regions and ethnic wedding which all contain their own culture and customs are different. The wedding colors, wedding places, wedding banquets and wedding atmosphere are all showing the national cultures. Chinese wedding is different from the w
14、edding in the West. The entire weddings main color is red, which is also the representative of the traditional Chinese festivity color. This change will enable the wedding jubilation. In the traditional wedding, the bride wore red Luoyi and Fengguan with a red scarf on it, while the groom wore red l
15、ong gown mandarin jacket and a red hat. The groom on horseback rode in front and the bride in the red palanquin followed him, with matchmaking and Yingqing teams to the grooms house in three bows (Baitang). The entire wedding is presided over by the master of ceremonies. In his command, The bride an
16、d groom first bow to heaven and earth (BaiTiandi), secondly bow to parents (BaiGaotang), thirdly bow to each other (FuqiDuibai). At last they were sent into the bridal chamber. Spree bridal chamber is the climax of the wedding. Relatives and friends and neighbors, any one at the wedding in fact, can
17、 come in to play all kinds of tricks on the new couple, especially the bride. They make a lot of noise so that there is an extremely lively atmosphere in the room, which is believed to be an inseparable part of a jolly wedding. Though this seemed a little noisy, both of them dropped shyness and got
18、familiar with each other. Then the bride will wait for the groom in bridal chamber. The groom will entertain the guests outside until the banquet is over. In modern society, Chinese wedding ceremony is unceasingly changing, but the basic form and etiquette have not changed. Western wedding is a roma
19、ntic type: the whole wedding from the begging to the end is full of romantic. The brides dress is generally white and the groom is black dressed so that the whole wedding was the solemn seriousness. Marriage in the church is the most important link to the whole wedding ceremony. First, with the wedd
20、ing march rhythm, the bride will go into the church with her father, and then her father will deliver her hands to the groom. The pastor will ask the bride and groom on the other side to make a lifetime commitment, which is the climax of the whole wedding. Then they will exchange marriage rings and
21、kiss each other with the blessing of everyone. The kiss has a profound meaning. Through the kiss, a persons breath and part of the soul stay in the other ones body. Love makes them together. The flower ball in the hands of the bride is not ordinary furnishings. The bride will throw it to the female
22、guests at the scene. The one who received the curd will be the next to get married. Then there is the wedding banquet. Western wedding banquet is quite free. It can be the buffet, and also can be a dancing party with music.1 Different Attitudes toward Colors We can use two kinds of colors to describ
23、e the Chinese and Western wedding ceremony: red and white. In our country, the red symbolizes good fortune and joy. In our countrys wedding, red is the main color. Everywhere is plastered with bright red character. The brides traditional dress is also red. The candles, eggs, peanuts, red envelopes u
24、sed in wedding day, the bedding and adornment in the bridal chamber are all red. It symbolizes peoples blessing to the newlyweds. In Western countries, white is the first choice for the marriage adornments; therefore, both the bridal chamber and the church are decorated with white series of flowers,
25、 which make the atmosphere quiet and auspicious. The wedding dress that the bride wears is white, and the bride who wears white wedding dress is considered to be pure. In China, the whole white clothes will only be woren in mourning ceremonies. If white appears in the wedding ceremony, it will be ve
26、ry unlucky. Similarlly, red also wont appear in the Western wedding ceremony because they think that red is a symbol of fire, blood, and shows the radical, violence, danger and tension.1.1 Different Attitudes toward Red1.1.1 Chinese Attitude toward Red In Chinese culture, the the earliest perception
27、 of red is from the color of the sun, because people think the sun is like fire. Our ancestors had an instinctive worship for the sun. The ancients believed that the sun is the basic premise for all lives to live. Everything is sending out the vitality with the sunshine, so people had special attach
28、ment to the red sun. Red naturally became one of the most favorite colors, reflecting peoples pursuit of material and spirit. It symbolizes good fortune and joy. For example, when the Chinese New Year comes people hang red lanterns and paste red couplets. When holding a wedding ceremony people consi
29、stently use the red color. Of course red also has close connection with the revolutionary progress , such as red political power. It is also the symbol of success. For example, people who are very popular are called red people. The beautiful women are also called the red xiu. In 2010 World Expo in S
30、hanghai, the Chinese Hong Guan makes us more aware that red represents the festival and peace for Chinese people. 1.1.2 Western Attitude toward Red But in Western countries, red seems to be offensive, which is a symbol of fire, blood, and shows the radical, violence, danger and tension. For example:
31、 red battle refers to a bloody battle; red flag refers to exasperating things; a red rag to a bull means making people angry.1.2 Different Attitude toward White1.2.1 Chinese Attitude toward White In Chinese culture, white is a taboo word, reflecting that people want to get rid of the corrupt or bad
32、things in physical and mental aspects. For example, since the ancient times, families must wear white XiaoFu after the death of relatives; in the old days people also looked on the white tiger as a demon. They call the woman who brings bad luck to her husband BaiHuXing. White also symbolizes the dec
33、ay of an era and the reactionary power, such as the “white terror”. Besides, it also means failure, stupid and insignificance, like BaiMangHuo, BaiChi and BaiFeiLi and so on; in ancient times white also means learning shallow, and there is no fame, such as BaiMianShuSheng.1.2.2 Western Attitude towa
34、rd White In Western culture, the symbolic significance of white focuses primarily on its own color, such as new snow, fresh milk and the color of the lilies. They think that white is pure and elegant, so it becomes one of the most favourite colors for western people. It means pure and elegant, such
35、as a white soul (pure heart) and white wedding (bride wear white wedding dress). It also symbolizes honesty, such as a white spirit (upright spirit) and white hand (incorruptible and honest). White also has the lucky and legal meaning, like one of the white days of sbs life (one of the lucky days of
36、 sbs life) and white market (legal market).2 Different Beliefs In China, the wedding ceremony is generally held in the bridegrooms home. Now a lot of newlyweds choose to invite the professional MC to host the ceremony. The ceremony includes three bows: BaiTiandi, BaiGaotang, and FuqiDuibai. At last
37、they are sent into the bridal chamber. And to the married couple the three bows mean their ancestors and the parents have agreed to their marriage. It shows that the Chinese nation pays attention to ethics and morality, and they inherit the traditional cosmology of the harmony between man and nature
38、. In the western wedding, people have the choice of the peaceful church. The wedding ceremony is hosted by the priest with the recognition and blessing of God. They will pledge to each other in solemn atmosphere: from today on they own each other, support each other, whether it be good or bad, rich
39、or poor, in sickness or in health, to love one another and to cherish, till death do them apart. And there are mutual exchange of rings and kissing each other. It shows that the religion plays a very important role in Western culture. We all know that westerners believe in Christianity and Chinese b
40、elief is on the basis of ethics and morality. Westerners would accept religious baptism when born. we can see their religiosity from some from European and American movies. Due to the different cultural background, Chinese religious beliefs show different features.2.1 Chinese Belief Chinese traditio
41、nal culture follows the system of loving land, respecting the ancestors and advocating ethics and morality. Chinese culture develops from the agriculture near the Yellow River, and is also called the land culture. It is different from the ancient Greece culture that started direct from sea trade, wi
42、th maritime traffic as the foundation. Land and agricultural production are the foundations for the Chinese nation to live. So in order to develop agricultural products on land, people must handle the relationship between man and nature. All things appear because of heaven and earth, then men and wo
43、men appear, husband and wife appear, and at last father and son appear. People should keep harmonious relationship with nature. It is very prevailing to worship ancestors in China. Peoples devout heart is indescribable, so when getting married, which is one of the most important events of ones life,
44、 the newlyweds should worship god, land, ancestry and parents to thank them for giving food, clothing, spirit and body.2.2 Western Belief In Western countries, the tradition to go to church for the wedding is based on peoples religious belief. In western society, many people believe in Christianity.
45、 They regard god as the ultimate reason and almighty god. And god dominate the universe and everything including human. Although human beings have endless wisdom, it is impossible to get rid of great power of god, but to obey god. They think they must follow Christs meaning, and love what the god lo
46、ve. Humans material and selfish desire has to be restrained. If not, they will not escape the gods endless punishment such as flood, war, hunger, disease and so on. So no matter how many branches Christianity has been divided into by later generations, they without exception worship god. No matter i
47、n ancient times or in modern times, god always play an important role in western politics, economy, and literature. This belief plays an important role in their daily life. Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, the two branches of Christianity think that the wedding ceremony and the other six religious
48、 ceremonies are “seven sacred Ceremonies” formulated by Jesus, and they are very important ceremonies in Christianity. The Christians think unless they hold a wedding ceremony in the church under the chairmanship of the priest, they are still not married.3 Different Values In China, the wedding banquet, also known as a wedding feast, is a ceremonious feast held on the wedding day to thank guests. If the wedding ceremony is the climax of the whole wedding activities, the wedding banquet is the summit o
