The Origin of the Differences between Chinese and Western Superstitious Taboos

【Abstract】Different countries and nations have the different natural environment， social environment， and the mode of production， life style， the superstitious taboo in cultural heritage is quite different. This paper will analysis the origin of the differences between Chinese and Western Superstitious Taboos.

【Key words】superstitious taboos； Chinese and Western

【作者簡介】迟明辉，哈尔滨师范大学。

Introduction

In twenty-first Century， science and technology is highly developed， and everything seems to be able to explain with a scientific point of view. So the superstitious taboo seems absurd， and even should be criticized. But actually it has been deeply rooted in our culture and always influences our behavior， on a degree； it has become an inevitable part in our life. This paper is divided into three parts， the taboos ‘differences in cultural background， religious beliefs， and customs and habits.

1. The Difference in Cultural Background

Superstitious taboos exist in different countries， and actually it is also a kind of culture. We cannot deny its influences on our life and society， so this part will present the different cultures of superstitious taboos. The elements of a culture vary from country to country， but actually they also have some aspects in common， such as regional， nation and exclusiveness. The western culture which originated from the Greece and Rome and the Chinese culture that originated from the Yellow River and the Yangtze River Basin are considered to be the two major cultural origins and two great civilizations in the world. Both of cultures have a long history and wide influences， but they have different ways in the expression of superstitious taboo. Oriental culture is deeply influenced by Confucianism and emphasizes the monarchical power， patriarchy and seniority levels. In Chinese， there are many superstitious taboos in the appellation， because they fear those sacred things or people. Such as “national taboo” is refers to that the people cannot say or write the name of the emperor. In the Qin Dynasty， in order to honor the king， common people changed a lot of regulations. Westerners prefer to be called by personal preferences， and even share the same name with their grandfathers and their fathers. Westerners believe that children， who use other peoples names， represent the respect for them. For example， the third American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt used the same name with his son. Knowing the superstitious taboos is helpful for us to learn the cultures in different countries.

2. The Differences in Religious Beliefs

The origin of western culture predestinates the close relationship with religion. Christianity has a long history in the western countries， and it not only has a profound influence on its culture， but also plays an important role in the society. In a very long period， the power of religion in the west was beyond the imperial power， and its doctrines had become the main ideology of the country， affecting all aspects of society. Until now， the leaders of the English countries still hold the Bible when they take the oath. Westerners have a reverence for Christianity and its relevant words. So we can see that almost all of the Western superstitious taboos originate from religion， and they also closely relate to the culture of Greece， Rome and the Bible. In Chinese， even the royal highly advocated the Buddhism in a period， but religion also failed to override the imperial power. In China， Confucianism is more important than religion， so there are far less religious and superstitious taboos than the western countries. Different religious beliefs can generate different superstitious taboos.

3. The Differences in Customs and Habits

Due to the regional and exclusiveness of culture， there are great differences in the traditional customs and habits between Chinese and Western cultures. The formation of customs and habits is often related to superstitious taboos. China possesses vast territory， and there are a long distance between west and east， north and south. Though they are Chinese， north and south have quite different life styles and different customs. For example， there are a lot of taboos about eating fishes in China. The fisherman never turn the fish when they eat it， because it will be a symbol of capsize.

Because of the long term conquest in west， the nations and thoughts integrated with each other， and the customs and habits are roughly the same. As we all know， there are differences in thinking and understanding of things between eastern and western， and they have different thinking pattern， aesthetic values and national psychology， so the same thing for them will produce different associations. For example， Dragon is Chinese favorite， but in the west it is the symbol of evil. Chinese do not like the number “4”， because they think it has the same pronunciation with death and they prefer some double numbers， such as “6” and “8”. So the license plate number with “6” or “8”， like “88888”， will be sold at a high price. And westerns always regard “13” as an unlucky number； many buildings are built without the thirteenth floor. So we can see the original differences in customs and habits between Chinese and western superstitious taboos.

Conclusion

Most superstitious taboos appear for practical reasons， or for religious reasons， and actually all of them are man-made things， so it is practical and significant to explore the differences between Chinese and Western culture from the perspective of superstitious taboos.