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 Festival

or 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 day

The 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）。

情人节Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is on Februay 14th every year.On that day, people always give their lovers some roses and chocolate(巧克力）.Today, boys and girls look like sweet. They go to restaurants and have a big supper.Valentine's cards become more and more beautiful.

圣诞节Christmas Day

December 25th is Christmas Day. On Christmas Day, many people will have big parties. They like eating turkey（火鸡）, fruits and drinking some juice for supper. After supper, many people will go out for shopping and walking (walk) with their children. There are a lot of special things: Christmas trees, socks, Christmas card and some presents. So in Christmas Day, all the families are very happy.

父亲节Father's Day

Father's Day is on the third Sunday in June .

Some Americans thought that if we had Mother's Day,but we should also have a Father 's Day. On Father's Day, there is not any party. But children will give their father some presents and the best wishes.

成人节(日本，1月15日)-----ADULTS DAY 桃花节(日本女孩节，3月3日)-----PEACH FLOWER FESTIVAL

(DOLL’S FESTIVAL）

宋干节(泰国新年4月13日)-----SONGKRAN FESTIVAL DAY 银行休假日(英国, 5月31日)-----BANK HOLIDAY 仲夏节(北欧6月)-----MID-SUMMER DAY

啤酒节(德国十月节，10月10日)-----OKTOBERFEST

林肯诞辰（Abraham Lincoln's Birthday）, 每年2月12日，庆祝林肯诞辰，为大多数州的节日。

大选日(Election Day)，每年11月份的第一个星期一后的星期二，选举美国总统。

女孩节又称桃花节，是从中国传入日本的一种传统节日。每年阴历三月初三，日本女孩会穿着传统服饰在桃花树下赏花，是祝愿女孩子将来幸福的节日。这一天，人们模仿昔日宫廷的风俗，把漂亮的木偶和桃花摆在一起，喝糯米酿成的甜酒。“女孩节”在日本已有600多年的历史。

台湾当局自2013年起将10月11日定为“台湾女孩节”，促使民众更重视女孩议题的权益。

宋干"一词出自梵语，泼水节之所以命名为宋干，是因为东南亚居民相信，太阳转入黄道星座中的第一宫——牡羊宫，当天代表新一年开始。太阳入牡羊宫应该是三月，将节日订在四月中是计算错误所致，但人们都无意推翻约定俗成的观念，宋干是泰国的新年。

银行假日是英国的法定公众假日，于1871年被承认。英国这个国家和欧洲的其他国家相比，是公众假日比较少的国家(和中国更是没得比了)。这个公众假日就是那些除了周末外其他的假日，比如什么圣诞节之类的。

瑞典、芬兰等北欧国家靠近北极，冬季漫长，大部分地区几乎有半年时间不能见到太阳。仲夏节前后，这一地区处于一年中阳光最为充足的时节，仲夏节又是白天最长的一天，几乎没有黑夜。因此人们在这一天庆祝光明驱除黑暗以及万物争荣日子的到来。篝火晚会是节日的重要内容。按古老传统，篝火要由新婚夫妇点燃。

世界最具盛名的三大啤酒节是英国伦敦啤酒节、美国丹佛啤酒节和德国慕尼黑啤酒节，他们在国外家喻户晓，被欧美的啤酒专家们誉为是——每一个啤酒爱好者都该至少要去一次的狂欢。