ACTIVITY 1
Before reading, watch the pictures next to the text and answer:
1. Do you know which festivals they depict?
2. Do you celebrate any of the festivals shown in the images? Which one?
Read the text and then answer the questions below.
What is a festival?
A festival is an event celebrated by a
community, centring on some unique aspect of that community and
its traditions, often marked as a local or national holiday.
These
celebrations offer a sense of belonging for religious, social, or geographical
groups. Festivals that focus on cultural or specifically ethnic topics also
seek to inform members of their traditions, sharing stories and experience. Apart from religion, and sometimes
folklore, another significant origin is agricultural. Food (and agriculture) is
so vital that many festivals are associated with harvest time.
Types of festivals
Religious festivals
Among
many religions, a fest is a set of celebrations in honour of God or gods. Most religions
have annual festivals . In the Christian calendar, for instance,
there are two principal feasts: properly known as the Feast of the Nativity of
our Lord (Christmas), and the Feast of the Resurrection (Easter).
Hindu festivals, such as Holi, are very ancient.
Arts festivals
Among
the general arts festivals, there are also more specific types of festival,
including ones that present intellectual or creative achievement, such as
science festivals, literary festivals and music festivals. Sub-categories
include: comedy festivals, rock festivals, and jazz festivals. There are also poetry festivals, theatre festivals, storytelling
festivals, and re-enactment festivals (such as Renaissance fairs).
Film
festivals involve the screening of several different films, and are usually
held annually. Some of the most significant film festivals include the Berlin
International Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival, and the Cannes Film
Festival.
Food and drink festivals
A food
festival is an event celebrating food or drink. These often highlight the
output of producers from a certain region. Some food festivals are focused on a
particular item or food, such as the National Peanut Festival in the United
States. There are also specific drinks festivals, such as the famous
Oktoberfest in Germany, for beer. Many countries have festivals which celebrate
wine.
Seasonal and harvest festivals
Seasonal
festivals are determined by the cycle
of the seasons, especially because of its effect on food supply. Due to this,
there is a wide range of ancient and modern harvest festivals.
Winter
carnivals also provide the opportunity to celebrate creative or sporting
activities requiring snow and ice.
Answer:
1. Why do people celebrate the different festivals?
2. Do all festivals have religious purposes?
3. Make a list of the traditional festivals celebrated in Argentina that you know.
4. What type of festivals are they?
5. What do those festivals celebrate?
6. Do you participate in those festivals? Do you like them? Why/why not?
