"will we introduce the meaning as well as the forms of the Western festivals we celebrate with them?"
Depends on their willingness to learn the meaning and how the information is presented to them. Since I came in China, every year I get Happy Thanksgiving greetings even though I am not American and, if like me, you have no tact and act like like a douche with the way of telling them what it actually celebrates, they'll refuse to know.
Unless it initially was part of the meaning of the celebration, form isn't very relevant, since like tigertiger mentioned, it would differ or evolve from place to place. Chinese New Year is celebrated in different ways around the world, but its meaning stays the same and people are aware of that meaning while celebrating it.
The Celtic harvest festival was called Samhain. Hallowe'en however is a contraction of All Hallows Eve, which was a vigil leading up to All Hallows (Saints) Day, to commemorate the saints & martyrs. If people are celebrating the Celtic New Year festival rather than the Saints one, that would be called Samhain not Hallowe'en.
Chinese people have tragically been stripped of much of the traditional meaning of their festivals through a traumatic period of history. It would be a pity if we Westerners voluntarily stripped our own cultural festivals of their meaning ourselves!
Of course if our Chinese friends are not interested, that is their choice. We can perhaps be more influential by example, by celebrating the meaning of our festivals.
"Chinese New Year is celebrated in different ways around the world, but its meaning stays the same and people are aware of that meaning while celebrating it" - Even Spring Festival's meaning has been a bit elusive to me; when I ask the 'why', people usually say the 'what', like family gathering together & kids getting red packets. Perhaps the meaning is looking forward to the year of the rat/pig etc?
Quester, im sure you're either Australian or American, because you totally lack comprehension for the evolution of culture. Its not meant as a criticism, just an observation. And that mindstate is totally acceptable, even predictable, for countries-slash-cultures that started from scratch just a few hundred years ago.
The Christian "All Hallows" was moved from April (I think, though could have been may) to 1st November some centuries ago. Do you honestly think Christians came up with the idea of dressing up as ghosts and goblins? Really? The christians have a long legacy of moving their feastdays to steamroll over other cultures. And you, through your ignorance (again, not a criticism, merely an observation), help them along with that while simultaneously expressing regret at the loss of culture in China..
Actually I do consider an inaccurate accusation of ignorance to be a criticism.
I am completely aware that the medieval church did have the practice to re-name & absorb pagan festivals. For Westerners today, we can decide what meaning we wish to attach to our festivals. I just think if someone wants to celebrate Oct 31/Nov 1 as the Celtic New Year harvest festival and not All Hallows (Saints) Day, that's fine but to retain the name Hallowe'en yet repudiate the Hallows part doesn't seem right. If they are celebrating the original Celtic meaning why wouldn't they use the original Celtic name?
Yes I am Australian. Feel free to elucidate your theory of evolution of culture. Does evolution of culture equate to festivals losing their meaning? Sounds more like a devolution to me. All festivals devolve into stuff-your-face? No thanks. I don't have to live that way.
Even though my country had many Irish & Scottish immigrants, Hallowe'en did not really take off Down Under. However some of the Christmas traditions passed down from the British Isles, such as reindeers & snowsledding, and a fat guy in a fluffy red suit, are not so relevant to those of us celebrating a summer Christmas. So the forms adapt (perhaps you would say evolve) but it is the meaning that is constant.
"reindeers & snowsledding, and a fat guy in a fluffy red suit, ", these images are swedish, less than 100 years old.
Wherever they come from, the European forms are separate from the meaning of the festival.
By the way Quester...to answer your relevant question "If they are celebrating the original Celtic meaning why wouldn't they use the original Celtic name?"
The answer is, because "they" (i.e. we) are speaking english. Celtic languages (i.e. gaelic) today DO call it by the original celtic name, more or less : "oiche shamhna" (with some tonemarks).
We call "oiche shamhna" Halloween.
We call "zhongqiu jie" Mid-Autumn festival.
..because..
..we are speaking english. And so, red-faced, I conclude that a lacking in my own language is the culprit responsible for the separation in the modern perception of these two identical feasts.
Interesting. So what forms do Celts now use to celebrate the Celtic New Year?
Celts used a VERY complicated calendar, I havent understood it fully. But one half of the year was solar, and the other half was lunar. Like most of the western world however, the celtic nations today use the Gregorian calendar, so "New Year" is on January 1 and celebrated in the usual western fashion, fireworks etc.
So what then is the meaning of the Oiche Shamha festival to Celts today?
