Meaning of Celebrating Holidays...

After Thanksgiving feeling thankful for everything we have, the Black Friday is the following day after thanksgiving from Thursday. It is also known as the "shopping day". A lot of retails and stores are open very early in the morning and have discounts on products such as clothing, electronics...etc. One organization had also made this day the Buy Nothing Day which is a day that people are not suppose to buy anything due to the issue of protecting the environment for producing less wastes. Although it sounds very helpful to have a day that people are not suppose to buy stuff and to protect the environment. But people do not really realize the consequence of buy nothing on just one day. As the media has send out the message of helping to protect the world we live in, in the other hand, it will affect the economic. To gain something is to lose something at the same time, you only can have one or the other.

The meaning of celebrating Thanksgiving is no longer based on the history although most of us learn that the Indians taught the Pilgrims how to grow pumpkins and corns. Back then in the history, the Pilgrims and Indians created this holiday is because the Pilgrims felt thankful for the help of the Indians. But in now a day, I don't think most of the Americans celebrate this holiday with the meaning of the history, but just gather together as a family and have big supper eating turkey, pumpkin, corns...etc. Most Americans ignored the history or the hidden message behind this holiday or not even realize the real meaning, but they just celebrate as what they been told since they were little. Since Americans will have a day off during this holiday, a lot of retails and stores have discounts on products for people to buy on the day after thanksgiving. Some people might choose to follow the traditions of the buy nothing day, but the majority will just keep buying luxuries that they might not even need. So I think this would balanced off the stability of the society. In one way the Buy Nothing Day might be helpful for the environment and just not consuming on one specifc day that most people buy more stuff than usual, but it will also hurt the economic because of earning less money from the costumers on that specific day. It might even end up with most of the stores are closing on that day as one of the impact of the buy nothing day. But one or the other will have pros and cons in either way.Overall, the meaning of celebrating this holiday to Americans are just like a traditional culture that they get through even though it really has no meaning to them.

Similar in China, Chinese celebrate the biggest holiday "The Chinese New Year". Specifically for this holiday from my own experience, we are suppose to clean up the whole house before the New Year came as to wash away the bad and dirty stuff from the old year. We also have to buy new clothes beforehand to wear on the new year. We also specifically have no school for a month with lots of homework from school that has to be done. Back then,we can play fire works for fun instead of really trying to scare away the evilness. But now, selling fire works and playing fire works individually are prohibit in China because every year people are getting hurt and even increasing deaths from playing. Thus, people are only allow to watch the fire works from parks or plaza. Every family are suppose to say good things to each other for red envelopes A.K.A."lukcy money" and only the elders who are married are the ones who suppose to give out these money. Many family will have their own planning during the Chinese New Year such as going on a trip or go to other people's family to celebrate...etc.

When I came to America, I stop celebrating this holiday and I do not do those things that I used to do, so I don't really know how people celebrate the New Year in China now. But one thing that will not change is giving out red envelopes. I think most of the Chinese does not really know the orgin of this holiday but they just celebrate it because they been taught to since they were little. Similarly as the Thanksgiving, people does not really celebrate these holidays based on history, but they live through with this culture and follow the traditions as usual. I don't think people really care about the meaning of celebrating it, but just celebrate it because it is the Chinese New Year. My family never told me anything about the history of this holiday, but I'm just born with knowing that I have to celebrate it. Thus, I don't think people really realize they are actually wasting a lot of things on this holiday from buying new clothes when they already have clothes that they can wear. Is similar to the issue of Buy Nothing Day, people will not really stop buying new clothes for the Chinese New Year because they have to save the environment from creating less waste. Also I feel like cleaning the house beforehand to wash away the dirty stuff from your house is a really superstitious thing that Chinese people believe.

By comparing one to another, my conclusion to the meaning of celebrating holidays was that these holidays don't really have a meaning for people to celebrate since time has passed. Back then in history, people celebrate these holidays bacause they made it for a purpose. But now a day, people twist the meaning of these holidays and just celebrate it based on what they been told and learn from their parents. In other words, people celebrate these holiday based on what they know and been taught to and not really based on history.