Understanding local culture helps to integrate into society. Overseas students watch "Foreign Festival"

Understanding local culture helps to integrate into society. Overseas students watch "Foreign Festival". Overseas festivals...

Overseas festivals, it is still difficult to pass

During their studies abroad, most overseas students will catch up with the festivals of the destination where they study abroad. So how do Chinese international students view festivals as cultural carriers, and how do they learn about local customs and culture by participating in relevant festival activities?

How to celebrate overseas festivals

When Li Nanqian was studying at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, she usually celebrated Christmas and occasionally "joined in the fun" on Halloween. Li Nanqian said: "These two festivals are basically carnivals for the whole people, and the atmosphere is very strong. The streets and alleys are full of holiday decorations. During Halloween, you can see many pumpkin lanterns and scarecrow decorations on the streets."

Compared with festivals that require grand celebrations, some small festivals with special significance are also favored by students. Jing Shan, who studies at Hitotsubashi University in Japan, usually chooses to celebrate some small festivals, such as Forest Protection Day and Respect for the Aged Day. She said: "The choice of celebrating these festivals is not intentional, but is influenced by the surrounding environment. During these festivals, stores will promote it, such as distributing pictures. The Civic Cultural Center will also hold activities, and local TV stations will also do special reports on the festival."

Shen Ying participated in summer festivals in Japan while studying at the University of Tokyo in Japan. The Summer Festival is a traditional festival in Japan. People usually wear kimonos and yukatas, participate in festival celebrations, and play games such as catching goldfish at temple fairs. Shen Ying also wore a kimono and yukata to watch the fireworks display during the summer festival. She said: "The Summer Festival is a very special event, with a strong festive atmosphere and a very romantic feeling."

Weiwei (pseudonym) spent St. Patrick's Day while studying in the United States. When celebrating this holiday in the United States, rooms are usually decorated with yellow and green colors, and celebrants also wear green clothes. Due to cultural differences, Weiwei said: "I will make some changes in my clothing when celebrating this festival. I will wear green clothes but not a green hat."

In addition, tasting local traditional festival food is also one of the ways to celebrate the festival. Shen Ying said: "There is a festival in Japan called Setsubun, and a special snack is eaten during the festival. Convenience stores will promote the delicacies one day in advance, and I will go and eat them, which is considered a festival."

Learn about local culture through festivals

Celebrating overseas festivals can enable students to enrich their understanding of local culture. Shen Ying said: "Before coming to Japan, I didn't know there was a festival like Setsubun. After passing this festival, I had a better understanding of Japanese festival culture." Ai Zi (pseudonym), who is studying in Canada, also has the same feeling: "Canada has a strong festival atmosphere. There are always crowds of people during every festival. This makes me feel that Canadians attach great importance to personal life and pay attention to rest and entertainment after work.”

Secondly, celebrating these festivals also provides opportunities for students to integrate into the local society. During the first lunar month festival, Jingshan’s Japanese friend invited her to his home. Friends prepared delicacies such as sushi and red bean rice to celebrate the festival with Jingshan. Jingshan said: "I think this is an opportunity to integrate into the local area. I can not only understand the real Japanese way of hospitality, but also make some friends."

Of course, wanting to integrate into the local culture is a prerequisite for international students to participate in festival celebrations. If students do not have enough sense of local cultural identity, they will not choose to celebrate local festivals. Ah Wei (pseudonym), who studies in Singapore, usually attends local festivals. "In addition to traditional Chinese festivals in the local area, some are religious festivals. I generally do not participate in related activities." Awei said. (Miao Tongxin)