Cultural Structure of Solar Terms and Traditional Festivals

Solar terms and festivals differ from and relate to each other in terms of application scope and cultural structure.The cultural association and application of the 24 Solar Terms are studied in the areas including philosophy,farming and society,and are exhibited in the natural convergence of views on space and time,life and customs,as well as the facilitation of agricultural practice.The connotations of traditional Chinese festivals concern basic areas such as beliefs,rites,language,symbols,diets and art,which are exhibited in the co-existent "festival tokens," "festival events," "festival messages," "festival symbols," "festival food" and "festival art forms." Festivals feature fixed and periodic occurrence and multi-channel cultural inheritance.

Major Traditional Festivals

Spring Festival is the most important and most celebrated Chinese traditional festival, and it is the only indigenous celebration with legal holidays. People have different opinions on the origin of the event. Many say it can be dated back to 4,000 years ago, when people sacrificed to

Will Traditional Festivals Disappear?

This year, January 29 is the lunar New Year's Day, which is the most popular and significant holiday of the year for Chinese around the world. However, some mainland residents feel perplexed about the festival. How should it be celebrated in this new era, when urbanization takes the upper hand?

Western Festivals and Their Influence on Chinese Culture

Traditional festivals are formed in the long-term accumulation of a nation's history and culture.They are the carriers of national culture.In recent years,with economic globalization,western festivals are becoming increasingly popular in China.They have been sought after by many young people in a form that people like,which impacts the traditional festivals in China and affects Chinese culture to a certain extent.In view of the current situation of western festivals in China,the author of this paper discusses the impact on Chinese culture and gives some suggestions on how to treat western festivals correctly,inherit Chinese traditional fes⁃tivals and develop excellent Chinese culture.

The East Asian Cultural Sphere of Time in Japanese Music Books

Ancient Japanese music books have been quite effective in preserving the way the Chinese culture of time evolved dynamically abroad.Studying the relationship of music and dance with the times and festivals revealed in Japanese music books can help restore the context of the rituals and customs of music lost in its Chinese homeland.Japanese Gagaku has succeeded in passing down the seasonal quality of ancient Chinese banquet music which echoed the cycle of times,seasons and phenology and produced a seasonal regularity under which the music corresponded to the season.Some more symbolic Chinese music and dance were selected as the standard music for festivals such as the Double Third Festival,the Double Seventh Festival,and the Dragon Boat Festival.The many aspects of the Chinese culture of time that were accepted by Japan were threedimensional:they included not only the calendar,solar terms,festivals,and other points of time and knowledge of the seasons,but also cultural customs such as sacrificial ceremonies,music and dance,literary narratives,meat and drink,and sports and games.The culture of time that originated from the Han and Tang dynasties not only sustains East Asian countries'identification with natural laws and time,but also shapes their societies'shared aesthetic perception of nature,time,and life.

A Festive Tradition

For the people of Beijing,no Spring Festival celebration would be complete without going to a temple fair.The outdoor events are a mixture of stage performances,tasty snacks and vendors selling toys in a festive and boisterous atmosphere.