Festivals around the world

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?