It is ridiculous to say that "Chinese Valentine's Day" is Valentine's Day
Reporter (hereinafter referred to as reporter): This year's Chinese Valentine's Day seems to be particularly popular, and some businesses are intentionally or unintentionally adding new features to this festival. definition. As far as you know, is everyone’s current understanding of the Chinese Valentine’s Day different from its original meaning?
Feng Jicai (hereinafter referred to as Feng): There are deviations and misunderstandings. The Chinese Valentine's Day is a traditional Chinese festival, but many businesses like to call it "Chinese Valentine's Day" and force our own festival to resemble a Western festival, which is ridiculous.
Journalist: What is the true meaning of Qixi Festival?
Feng: The Chinese Valentine's Day expresses our nation's love values ??- to stay together for life, to grow old together, and to be loyal. These can also be seen in our idioms, poems and legends, such as "If love lasts for a long time, how can it last day and night". This festival is also a time for people to express these emotions.
In addition, the Chinese Valentine’s Day is actually a women’s festival. In ancient China, girls would hold "begging for skills" activities on this festival and participate in some needlework competitions, hoping to be as clever, beautiful and intelligent as the Weaver Girl.
Note: The legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl expresses these emotions, so it has become a classic, right?
Feng: Yes, in fact, the reason why the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl has become the support of everyone’s emotions has two meanings. One is to express the pursuit of ideal love; the other is that transportation was inconvenient in ancient times, and men rushed to take exams or go on business trips. , I have very little time with my wife, so I have to express how much I miss each other. This legend is loved by everyone because of their persistence in love.
Reporter: It sounds like the Chinese Valentine's Day and "Chinese Valentine's Day" are somewhat reliable. Why do you say "absurd"?
Feng: Valentine’s Day in the West is a festival for unmarried men and women to express their feelings, but the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are married! (Laughs) The love between them is lifelong, so it doesn’t make sense to call it “Chinese Valentine’s Day.” In fact, what is closer to Valentine's Day in the West is the traditional festival of the Li people in my country, "March 3". It is also a festival for unmarried men and women, but it is not the same.
Traditional festivals also need to be transformed
Note: I just watched a TV series yesterday. The Chinese Valentine's Day and the Lantern Festival in it are similar. There are also lantern riddles and so on, and then men and women The protagonist makes secret glances...
Feng: Lantern riddles are not a special activity during the Chinese Valentine's Day. When I was a child, celebrating the Chinese Valentine's Day was a very natural thing. This festival is more family-oriented and quiet, unlike the Mid-Autumn Festival and Dragon Boat Festival, which have large-scale activities. On Chinese Valentine's Day, the whole family looks at the Milky Way and the stars together, and a few good girls get together to "beg for luck". These are not necessary activities. Some families have it, some families don't.
Journalist: Well, since I was born, I have only seen such activities in books and costume films, and I don’t pay much attention to this festival.
Feng: You young people cannot be blamed for this. This is mainly caused by social changes.
Now that society is changing, there are very few traditional customs of Qixi Festival that have been preserved, and girls are not good at needlework. Therefore, I think that in addition to retaining the original emotions of traditional festivals, we should also find new carriers, and traditional festivals must also be transformed.
Reporter: But Qixi Festival is sold as "Chinese Valentine's Day", which makes me feel a little helpless.
Feng: The impact of foreign culture has been great in recent years. Our nation is unwilling to lose itself in the trend of globalization, and has begun to emphasize its own things. However, we are afraid that others will not understand, so we give our own I feel like giving a traditional festival a Western title is a bit of a sales promotion.
In fact, we should promote our nation’s traditions and culture and not label everything as foreign. If you write well, you will be called "China's Tolstoy" or "China's Shakespeare"; if you sing well, you will be called "China's Pavarotti"... but it is not good.
Journalist: There is also a view that we Chinese young people should not celebrate Valentine’s Day in the West. That is worshiping foreign things.
Feng: That doesn’t make sense. Nowadays, Western Valentine's Day is popular among young people. Some people think this is wrong and advocate using "Qixi Festival" instead, which puts Qixi Festival in opposition to Western Valentine's Day.
Holidays are not created out of hand. Whether a day can become a conventional holiday depends on whether everyone can recognize it.
You can celebrate any festival, including Chinese Valentine's Day and Valentine's Day. But foreign and our own traditional festivals cannot be in conflict.
In fact, many of our Chinese festivals are foreign, such as "Women's Day", "Children's Day", "May 1st Labor Day", and New Year's Day as well.
Reporter: You have been busy protecting China’s traditional culture. In 2004, you proposed the establishment of a "World Heritage Day", and this year your wish came true. Moreover, traditional festivals such as Chinese Valentine's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival have also been included in my country's first batch of intangible cultural heritage lists. What else do you think is needed to protect traditional festivals?
Feng: First of all, I think we should pay attention to the education of traditional festivals. This content must be included in primary school culture classes, and we must explain to children from an early age why we celebrate this festival and plant the seeds in their hearts.
Secondly, we need more public welfare activities for traditional festivals. I still remember that during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1980s, poets and writers would gather together to eat mooncakes, write calligraphy, and paint. Now it is rare. Now communities and units can guide people to pay attention to traditional festivals. Of course, businesses also have to work hard.
Reporter: Merchant? Merchants like to use the concept of "Chinese Valentine's Day" for promotions.
Feng: So merchants should stop focusing on selling roses and the like. We need to use a better way to package our own festivals.
Note: Please give our merchants some advice!
Feng: During the Spring Festival, aren’t there markets for new year’s goods? I think that one is particularly festive, and we can think more about ways that suit us. During the Chinese Valentine's Day, we can make some "female red" products, and we can also make a fuss about the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Last year, a company launched something like "red beans", which I think is quite meaningful.
Reporter: Some places hold blind date activities and kissing contests during the Chinese Valentine's Day. Do you agree?
Feng: Disagree! Too blunt! "Chinese Valentine's Day" is originally a natural and gentle festival, so it doesn't necessarily have to go to such an extent to be taken seriously. This will ruin the traditional culture! I am opposed to the business media's forced matching of good people, which will vulgarize traditional culture.
In fact, the charm of traditional culture mainly lies in its charm. The current handicrafts of Korea and Japan have their own cultural charm, and we must also learn to enjoy the charm of our own culture.
Journalist: Can you give us some specific examples?
Feng: Last time I went to Japan to participate in the Cherry Blossom Festival, I felt very deeply. The girls all wore traditional clothes on that day, which was really beautiful. In order to make it easier to see cherry blossoms on rainy days, the Japanese make umbrellas transparent. One time it was raining lightly, so I held the transparent umbrella they gave me to see the cherry blossoms. It was so poetic!
Talking about us, don’t many people go outing during Qingming Festival? This is also very beautiful and charming.
Reporter: Do you have any special plans for this year’s Chinese Valentine’s Day?
Feng: (laughing) "Chinese Valentine's Day" is a festival for girls! However, I would like to buy a "tangram" for our children, but I don't know where to buy it.