Comprehensive Guide to International and Chinese Festival Etiquette

Author: Zhou Xiumei (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: Etiquette refers to both courtesy and rituals. Ancient China had the concept of the "Five Rites," including auspicious rites for sacrificial ceremonies, joyous rites for weddings and coronations, guest rites for entertaining visitors, martial rites for military affairs, and inauspicious rites for funerals. In folk customs, etiquette is believed to encompass the four life ceremonies of birth, coming-of-age, marriage, and funeral. In reality, etiquette can be divided into two major categories: political and daily life. Political rites include sacrificing to heaven and earth, ancestral rites, rites for honoring teachers and sages, the teacher-student banquet, greetings, and military rites. The origins of daily life etiquette, according to Xunzi, are rooted in the "Three Foundations": "Heaven and Earth as the foundation of life," "Ancestors as the foundation of lineage," and "Rulers and teachers as the foundation of governance." Among all rites, funeral rites emerged earliest. For the deceased, funeral rites serve to console their spirits, while for the living, they become a means to distinguish age and status, fulfill filial piety, and uphold social norms. During the establishment and implementation of etiquette, the Chinese patriarchal system (see Chinese Patriarchy) was nurtured. The essence of etiquette is the governance of people, a derivative of beliefs in ghosts and gods. People believed that everything was controlled by unseen ghosts and gods, and performing etiquette was a way to appease and seek blessings from them. Therefore, etiquette originated from beliefs in ghosts and gods and also served as a special manifestation of such beliefs. The emergence of the "Three Rites" (The Rites of Zhou, The Book of Rites, and the Rites of Zhou) marked the mature stage of etiquette development. During the Song Dynasty, etiquette merged with feudal ethical teachings, becoming one of the effective tools for implementing ethical education. Etiquette served to promote virtue, with elaborate rituals reaching their peak. It was not until modern times that etiquette underwent true reform. Both national political rituals and people's daily life rituals were transformed into new content devoid of belief in ghosts and gods, evolving into modern civilized etiquette. This book is divided into five parts and twenty chapters: Interpersonal Etiquette, Social Interaction Etiquette, Love and Friendship Etiquette, Workplace Etiquette, and Comprehensive Etiquette. It comprehensively elaborates on various forms of etiquette in China and abroad, serving as an encyclopedic guide for readers to study and draw inspiration from.