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What Is Culture?
Customs
Traditions
Beliefs
Language
“The sum total of ways of living
built up by a group of human beings and transmitted
from one generation to
another…”
Origin of Chinese Civilization
CreationGen 1 Fall of Man
Gen 3
Biblical Record:
Origin of Chinese Civilization
Great Flood & Noah’s Ark (Gen 6)
• 2348 B.C.
• Men’s wickedness
• Rain: 40 days
• Flood: 150 days
• 370 days in ark
• Mt Ararat (Gen 8:4)
• Rainbow
• Only 8 were saved
Origin of Chinese CivilizationGen 8:20… “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord… he sacrificed…”
Noah’s Sacrifice / Religion
Origin of Chinese Civilization
The Tower Of Babel (Gen 11)
• 101 yrs later (2247 B.C.)
• One common language
• Moved east and settled in Shinar (Babylon)
• “Let us build….”
• “… make a name for ourselves…”
Origin of Chinese Civilization
• Dispersion of people
• Beginning of nations
• “Let us go down…”
• Confusion of language
Origin of Chinese Civilization
Chinese records:
• China’s first dynasty, the Xia dynasty, started in c 2205 B.C.
• Tower of Babel incident: 2247BC.
• The time it took for the proto-Chinese to migrate to China from present-day Iraq (the site of the Tower of Babel): 42 years
Origin of Chinese Civilization
1. Record of Flood in Chinese history
2 historical facts:
Origin of Chinese Civilization2. Chinese Border Sacrifice
• Shu Jing, oldest Chinese History book
• In 2230BC, Emperor Shun “sacrificed to Shang-Di”
• “Supreme Ruler” or “Emperor Above”
“Present Day” Chinese Religion“Assimilation” of
• Taoism• Confucianism• Buddhism
“Original” Chinese Religion
• “Shang-Di-ism”
1. Chinese New Year2. Mid-Autumn Festival 3. Dragon Boat Festival4. QingMing Festival5. Winter Solstice Festival
- Religious & Demonic
- Cultural & beneficial
- Neutral
1. Chinese New Year2. Mid-Autumn Festival 3. Dragon Boat Festival4. QingMing Festival5. Winter Solstice Festival
Chinese New Year
• Reunion Dinner
1. Retain – cultural & beneficial
• Reunion Dinner• New Year visitation
1. Retain – cultural & beneficial
• Reunion Dinner• New Year visitation• Ang Pow
1. Retain – cultural & beneficial
• Reunion Dinner• New Year visitation• Ang Pow
Promote & strengthen family relationship
Respect & honour elders
1. Retain – cultural & beneficial
1. Retain – cultural & beneficial
2. Reject – religious & demonic
• All forms of idol-worship• Superstitious beliefs &
practices• Sweeping floor• Opening business• Inverted “Fú”• Lucky dragon bamboo
1. Retain – cultural & beneficial
2. Reject – Religious & demonic
3. Redeem – Neutral
• Couplets (Dui Lian)
1. Retain – cultural & beneficial
2. Reject – Religious & demonic
3. Redeem – Neutral
• Couplets• Yee Sang
1. Retain – cultural & beneficial
2. Reject – Religious & demonic
3. Redeem – Neutral
• Couplets• Yee Sang• Lion Dance
1. Retain – cultural & beneficial
2. Reject – Religious & demonic
3. Redeem – Neutral
• Couplets• Yee Sang• Lion Dance• “Shou Shui”• Family Tradition
• Represented by 12 animals, each for a year
• A person’s personality or events in his or her life is influenced by the person’s relationship to the cycle
• Begins with lunar new year
12-Animal Cycle
Four Animal Trines
Effect on Life:
• Love Compatibility
• Family relationship
• Business partnership
• Bad luck on own Chinese Zodiac year (本命年)… wear red every single day
• Birth of babies – couples shuns year of sheep babies; welcome dragon babies
Chinese Zodiac CalendarRM135 – RM1339
Chinese Zodiac Jade EarringUSD 119
Chinese Zodiac Chopsticks
Christian Response:• Our lives are not influenced by Zodiac… “In His
hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:10)
• Unscientific
• Superstitious; with possible undesirable consequences…
• Nurture vs nature… “self-fulfilling”???
• AVOID REFERRING TO CHINESE ZODIAC
1. Chinese New Year2. Mid-Autumn Festival 3. Dragon Boat Festival4. QingMing Festival5. Winter Solstice Festival
QingMing
Festival
• Family gathering
• Memory of ancestors
• Cleaning of graves
1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial
• Repair of tomb-stone
1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial
• Ancestral worship – at home and at grave-site.
2. Reject – Religious & Demonic
1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial
2. Reject – Religious & Demonic
• Food offered @ ancestral worship.
• Ancestral worship – at home and at grave-site.
1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial
2. Reject – Religious & Demonic
3. Redeem – Neutral
• Filial piety
1. Chinese New Year2. Mid-Autumn Festival 3. Dragon Boat Festival4. QingMing Festival5. Winter Solstice Festival
Dumpling Festival
Dragon Boat Festival
• Duānwǔ Jié -- 端午节 (Duān – opening; wǔ – 5th month in lunar calendar); summer solstice
• Rice Dumpling Festival• 5th day of 5th month (Chinese lunar
calendar)…. June 20, 2015• Commemorate Qu Yuan, a great patriot
and poet in China
Dragon Boat Festival
The Story of Qu Yuan
Dragon Boat Festival Custom & Practices
• Fore and stern of the boat is in a shape of traditional Chinese dragon
#1 -- Dragon Boat Racing
Dragon Boat Festival Custom & Practices
• Pyramid-shaped glutinous rice wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves
• Used to be home made
#2 – Eating Zongzi (Rice Dumpling)
Dragon Boat Festival Custom & Practices
#3 – Worship of Qu Yuan & Ancestral Worship
Dragon Boat Festival Custom & Practices
• Perfume pouches to decorate children’s clothing
• 5-Colour silk thread tied to wrists, ankles or neck.
• Protect children from evil
#4 – Perfume Pouch & 5-colour Silk Thread
1. Retain – cultural & beneficial
• Eating rice dumpling
• Promote values of patriotism and hatred towards corruption
• Family time
1. Retain – cultural & beneficial
2. Reject – Religious & demonic
• Dragon boat race
• Ancestral worship
• Perfume pouch & 5-colour silk thread
1. Retain – cultural & beneficial
2. Reject – Religious & demonic
3. Redeem – Neutral
• Non-dragon boat race???
1. Chinese New Year2. Mid-Autumn Festival 3. Dragon Boat Festival4. QingMing Festival5. Winter Solstice Festival
Jellyfish Porcupine
Jellyfish
• Not a fish, plankton• No brains, elementary nervous
system• 2 basic life stages: polyps &
medusa• “watermelons with tentacles”: 95-98% water• Box jellyfish can kill a person by stopping his
heart within 2 minutes• Not strong swimmers; at the mercy of ocean
currents
Porcupine
• Rodent with soft hair.• Mixed with sharp quills on
back, sides and tail.• Quills cannot be shot, but
will be easily released.
• Quills have sharp tips and overlapping scales or barbs; difficult to remove once stuck in another animal’s skin.
• Quills can be 30 cm long.• Embedded quill can be fatal.
Jellyfish Porcupine
“Let your light shine….”Matt 5:16
“Be prepared to give an answer… with gentleness and respect….”
1 Peter 3:15
Candle Oil Lamp
Oil Lamp
2015 - Year of Breakthroughs: Wholesome Living
Just knowing the Truth does not change lives. We need to apply the TRUTH. (Col 1:9 – 10)
Are you willing to invite the Holy Spirit to breakthrough in your life this CNY?
Putting God first above all that we do
Breaking away from Personal & Family sins & fleshly desires which are contrary to the Spirit
Restoring & Reuniting Family Relationships
Breaking forth to be Salt & Light to our families, relatives & friends. (Col 1:11-14) & Show love!