A Research On Suzhou Seasonal Festivals Of The Qing Dynasty

As the link between the past and today, seasonal festivals reflect the national culture and the life of our ancestors. Moreover, these feasts enhance people's sense of national identity and cohesion. Recommended as Must Be Read literatures, QingJiaLu & WuJunSunHuaJiLi, substantial and informative in content, are the monographs on Suzhou seasonal festivals of the Qing Dynasty.Results from case study on 5 festivals, there are some features of the Suzhou seasonal festivals of the Qing dynasty. First of all, these feasts featured with strong geographical & ethnic characteristics. They not only follow unique folkways of Suzhou regions, but are also different from common festivals of the Han nationality. Secondly, with utilitarian nature, these festivals are influenced profoundly by religions & beliefs in ghosts and gods. Thirdly, it has been commercialized. For instance, as people strongly believed in God of Fortune, some new business and services closely related to festivals sprang up and developed. The last but not the least, festival ceremonies were highly developed in quantity, scope & procedure.To further explore causes of above festival features, the research started from three aspects. Firstly, the content of seasonal festivals was strongly influenced by the unique geographical characteristic as riverside towns of Suzhou. Secondly, with a good background of prosperous commercial economy in the Qing dynasty, festivals there got well developed. Finally, as the rich cultural deposits in Suzhou, feasts also featured with elegance.