A Cognitive Representation And Behavior Study Of Chinese Festivals

Festivals has always been the major object of Folklore, Sociology and Anthropology, butthe study in Psychology is very weak. Because of the guideline “cultural development boom”,the cultural construction has been flourishing. Festivals, as an important symbol of culture,especially the revival and the cherish of the traditional festivals, the introduction and thefashionable of some western festivals, make Chinese culture present a better situation of risingprosperity. Different phenomenon of festivals shows important national traits and value pursuits.This study intends to explore one aspect of the folk culture from the perspective of Psychology,that is the festivals, to describe how people build the thoughts festivals give them, and to explorethe potential psychological mechanism and behavior.The study has two parts, the first part discusses the cognitive representation of the festivals,including the study1and study2. By using the card and Cluster Analysis, study1shows that:(1)Chinese cognitive representation of festivals embodied in five clusters: Traditional FolkFestivals, Anniversaries of China, Anniversaries of the Word, Trendy Festivals, who comes fromWestern religions, ethnic characteristics and web culture, and the last Calendar Festival.(2) Thefive clusters shows the most important value, ethnic characteristics and the spirits of the age.Study2shows that:(1) Cognitive representation system shows the diversity of both Chinese andWestern characteristics: the first twenty festivals that people like has10Chinese festivals, andthey are Traditional Folk Festivals and Anniversaries of China; the other10is western festivals,and they are Anniversaries of the Word and Trendy Festivals.(2) People prefer to the seasonspring and autumn, in which people has an appropriate temperature and are full of hope andharvest.(3)Favorite festivals (the top20) has significant differences in gender and areas, andmaybe the differences contains the different value pursuits and the emotional appeal betweenareas and gender.(4) The Chinese traditional values are fully recognized and inherited,traditional cultural elements (such as home, nature and humanity, ancestor worship, etc.) aremore stable; the value of "gratitude" and "filial piety" is rising; construction of the culturegestates new cultural representations; if individuals (group) contact certain culture frequently,then he will enhance the awareness of cultural differences; to deal with the new situation, peoplehas responded in their own way to the new festivals.The study3is the second part, this study mainly uses qualitative method to explore Chinesefestival behavior, take Spring Festival and Christmas for example. The study shows that:(1)People usually has a happy and excited mood in festivals.(2) Spring has a specific ceremonyalong with the rich culture, which can be seen in some aspects, such as time, mood, clothes,foods, and behaviour; otherwise, Christmas is only a day that makes people happy, without richculture in China.(3)The function of the festivals is the reason why people like them,and the comprehensive function of the Spring Festival in China is much bigger than that of Christmas.(4)People are willing to get a good knowledge consciously of the traditional culture, inherit itand promote its’construction.(5)The ceremony of the Spring Festival conveys some valueswithout consciousness, which is the strong power of Chinese people; and Christmas can’t troubleus, because it is only a form.The government should take an inclusive cultural attitude, not only develop local Chinesefestivals, but also allow foreign culture to emerge and develop; they can promote targeted theconstruction of the culture and cultural industries to enrich the cultural diversity of the Chinesepeople, and build a powerful cultural country, according to the different cultural values offestivals.