Study Of The Aesthetics Of Traditional Chinese Festivals

Traditional festivals, as the important cultural phenomenon of classical society, are the object of study of this dissertation. And the complete and profound investigation of traditional festivals will be carried on in the visual field of philosophy and aesthetics. First, the work of study goes along with profound investigation of cultural connotation of traditional festivals. Traditional festivals are not the simple aggregation of folk customs, which, on the contrary, are deeply founded by the basis of nature and season, by the basis of concept of culture. Circulation of nature and alternation of season are natural basis of traditional festivals, on which specific cultural connotation supporting traditional festivals are fostered: concept that everything has soul, concept of nature worship, concept of ancestor worship, and so on. Second, on the basis of probing into cultural connotation of traditional festivals, the dissertation gets to the bottom of philosophical basis of traditional festivals in the view of ontology. Finally, the dissertation observes the transformation of traditional festivals emerging during the course of modernization, and discusses possible way by which traditional festivals can go along continuously.The dissertation is divided into four chapters, and the main content of which is following:Chapter One: Investigation of Chinese traditional festivals. This chapter makes a exhaustive study of phenomenon of traditional festivals. During the course of the study, the chapter chooses 14-15 important traditional festivals as main object which will be investigated. And the investigation involves some main points as follows: origin of traditional festivals, transformation of traditional festivals, period of traditional festivals, folk custom of traditional festivals. On the basis of the investigation about these points, cultural connotation embodied by traditional festivals and transformation of traditional festivals are discovered. The investigation of phenomenon and connotation of traditional festivals is the basis of research with the view of philosophy and aesthetics. Therefore, the chapter uses many sections to deal with the foundational work, in order that a general picture of traditional festivals can be revealed, and in order that aesthetic study of traditional festivals may have a details base as objective and detailed as possible. During the course of patient investigation of traditional festivals'phenomenon, the general picture of traditional festivals is discovered, and three general points of view connecting with the main idea of the dissertation are summarized: First, most of traditional festivals have a objective base of nature and season which are circulated and alternated; second, the main cultural connotation embodied by traditional festivals is nourished in existence of human life, which contains the concept that everything has soul, the concept of natural worship, and the concept of ancestor worship, the concept of procreative worship, and the consciousness of taste and entertainment; finally, there is a common rule which suits most traditional festivals: the period of each of main traditional festivals is becoming shortened, original connotation is shrinking, but new-arising connotation is reinforcing the period, during the course of process, festivals full of magic and sacred color transform into the festivals full of joy and lightness.Chapter Two: Philosophical naissance of traditional festivals. Based on chapter one's probing into phenomenon and cultural connotation of traditional festivals, this chapter discusses the logic process of traditional festivals'naissance in view of philosophy. Period and custom are two essential composed elements, probing into their reason arouse the question of philosophical naissance of traditional festivals. Time has an essential effect on traditional festivals logic naissance, and traditional festivals come into being on the foundation of dual-movement of time, that is, formalization of time and time-rization of time together cause the naissance of traditional festivals. Formalization of time ensures festival fixed in a immovable period, which is inherent foundation of period of festival; time-rization of time ensures temporality of festival's period outstanding, which is inherent foundation of folk custom and connotation. Dual-movement of time gives prominence to rhythmization of existence of human being. From the view of experience, dual-movement of time also gives birth to festival feeling which is another subject of the chapter. On the dual-action of formalization of time and time-rization of time, festival is separated from normal dates, and becomes a period of specific time which connects tightly with existence and meaning of human life. In the time, people acquire a kind of experience different from everyday life which is festival feeling. Festival feeling is a special kind of sense of time and a special kind of sense of existence. As a kind of sense of time, festival feeling is tightly connected with existence; as a kind of sense of existence, festival feeling is tightly connected with temporality. Festival feeling is born when human being encounters to its existence, and also is caused by encountering of past, present and future, thus it is not stale forepassed experience, but fresh experience of human lifeChapter Three: Aesthetic connotation of traditional festivals. In this chapter, festival feeling is the main object which will be investigated. From the angle of sensibility, the investigation is comprised of three parts: ontological foundation of festival feeling, form expressing festival feeling, meaning to human life of festival feeling. First, ontological foundation of festival feeling consists in following: existence of human being is a kind of rhythmized existence giving prominence to temporality which gives birth to festivals, and the real experience of rhythmized existence gives birth to festival feeling. Thus the problem why people have festivals is fundamentally resolved. Second, festival feeling is expressed by means of special manner which is ceremony and ceremonial folk custom. Ceremony is the mode of festivals, ceremony expresses certain cultural connotation, ceremony forms and expresses festivals feeling. Third, festival feeling has irrational character different from normal experience. In festival circumstance, utilitarian ingredients and moral ingredients of normal life are overpassed in a certain extent by play, bash and celebration of festivals. Thus a critiqued relationship between festivals and normal dates is formed, and people so could be elevated from normal trivial life to a complete bourn.Chapter Four: Transformation of traditional festivals in modern society. The chapter probes into the changes of traditional festivals emerging in modern society, and discusses the possible way of traditional festivals'transformation. Traditional festivals are production of traditional society which has an character of pre-modernity. During the course of modernization, traditional festivals encounter unique crisis. Modernization provides an unique experience of culture and time which is modern experience. In modern experience, time is separated from being, and time is sufficiently formalized, so modern festivals are short of meaning, which causes the decline of traditional festivals. While the decline of traditional festivals does not mean that traditional festivals die out. The history of traditional festivals'evolution supports its continuous development in fact, and discovery supports its modern transformation that time is separated from being and that original time is forgot in the visual field of phenomenology. The way traditional festivals nurture much significance and meaning in modern society is that original relationship between being and time is renewed, that is, new type of festival narration must be renewed.In summary, the dissertation makes a profound study of traditional festivals with a new angle, visual field of philosophy and aesthetics, and mainly completes some work as follows: have a deep study of traditional festivals'phenomenon, discover the connotation of traditional festivals; explain the philosophical naissance of traditional festivals, analyze the dual-movement of time and its essential function to the logic process of traditional festivals'naissance; unfold the ontological foundation of traditional festivals, search out headstream of festival feeling which is rhythmized existence and experience of actual life, discuss the mode, character and significance of festival feeling; narrate the changes of traditional festivals in the process of modernization, explore the possible way of traditional festivals'transformation in modern society.