A Comparative Study On The Festival Customs Of The Mongol And Han Chinese In Tumed Area

Mongol and Han have lived amongst each other in the Turned area for over a century. Because they have been variously influenced by historical circumstance, geographic situation and religious beliefs, the Mongols have established friendly relations with the Han, through political, economic and cultural cooperation and intermarriage. Because of this, their culture has undergone radical change. This thesis draws on fieldwork among the Mongols and Han of the Tumote region to examine the changes that Mongolian festivals and customs have undergone, and the reasons for these changes. There are three main aspects to the research presented here.A comparison of contemporary Tumote Mongol and traditional Mongol festivalsA comparison of contemporary Tumote Han and traditional Han festivals in Shanxi ProvinceA comparison of contemporary Tumote Mongol and Han festivals. This thesis will thus examine in detail the differences and similarities between the festivals of these two peoples. The writer has made use of contemporary materials and historical sources in their analysis. The thesis is divided into three parts:Part 1 Introduction. This part gives the reasons for the research and its contribution to academic understanding. It also sets out the research methods used and its sources.Part 2 A Comparison of Tumote Mongol and Han festivals. This part is a comparison of traditional festivals including Spring Festival, Tomb Sweeping Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival.Part 3 Analysis of similarity and differences of festivals and customs between Tumote Mongolian and Ethnic Han. It mainly describes the following sections, namely adaptation to the new living environment, the similarity of agricultural culture and Han-Mongolian festival culture, the differences of religious believes between Mongolians and Hans, the stability of tradition.Part 4 Conclusion:Mongolian and Han festival customs in Turned area have shown two main features. Firstly, they are keeping their distinct ethnic characters, and secondly, they have also produced some common elements.