Abstract:The traditional festival are the significant carriers of a nation’s culture and they deposit each country’s long history. In order to understand and study the culture of a nation’s mystery, festival culture is an important way to learn cultural differences between Chinese and Western. In addition, the festival is a symbol of the national culture. It also plays an irreplaceable role in strengthening national identity as well as national cohesion. By comparing the origins and customs of Spring Festival and Christmas, their similarities and differences can be found. Firstly, Chinese traditional festivals are based on pantheism while western traditional festivals are religion-based. Secondly, Chinese traditional festivals emphasize collectivism spirit while western traditional festivals focus on the value of individualism. Thirdly, Chinese and Western festivals have different food habits and food cultures. This dissertation is to reveal the cultual differences between Chinese and Western for the purpose of a better understanding and further promotion in communication between the two nations.

Key words: Spring Festival; Christmas; cultural difference

摘要:传统节日积淀了各个国家悠久的历史文化，是民族的重要载体。要认识和研究一个民族的文化奥秘，节日文化是一个重要窗口。节日在社会生活中发挥着多方面的作用。节日又是民族文化的象征，在增强民族认同感，加强民族凝聚力方面发挥着不可替代的作用。这篇论文通过比较春节与圣诞节发现两者的异同。两者的起源和习俗具有相似性，但也有差异：中国传统节日具有泛神性与世俗性，而西方传统节日具有极强的宗教特征；中国的传统节日强调集体主义价值取向，西方的传统节日个性主义色彩浓厚；中西传统节日体现了不同的饮食内容与不同的饮食文化，从揭示中西文化的差异更好地进行交际和增进交流。

关键词：春节；圣诞节；文化差异