What is the importance of festivals in life?

FESTIVALS

Across the world, people celebrate festivals for a range of reasons. Though many form part of religious worship, others were created to mark a change in seasons, to focus on cultural traditions, or to celebrate an important milestone in history. Some festivals take place on the same day every year; others are based on ancient calendars or a new moon, so the dates change. Special food is almost always a part of each festival.

  • CHRISTMAS

This Christian festival celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, and is celebrated in most countries on 25 December. Traditions include decorating fir trees, exchanging gifts, attending church, and waiting for a visit from Santa Claus.

  • DAY OF THE DEAD

During this Mexican festival, held on 1 November, families believe that the souls of dead relatives are able to return to the land of the living for one night. They decorate altars in homes and cemeteries with candles and flowers.

  • THANKSGIVING

This North American festival is held on the fourth Thursday of November in the USA and the second Monday in October in Canada. Families get together to give thanks for the first good harvest of the European settlers more than 400 years ago.

  • DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

This festival is celebrated in East Asia. According to legend, when a Chinese official named Qu Yuan drowned in a river, people rowed out on boats with dragon-head prows and dropped parcels of rice wrapped in bamboo (zongzi) into the water to divert the hungry fish away from his body.

  • MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL

This East Asian celebration, which dates back more than 3,000 years, falls near the traditional harvest, when the Moon is at its lightest and brightest. Family and friends gather in the evening to eat mooncakes, rich rounds of pastry with lotus-seed fillings.

  • FEAST OF ST LUCIA

Each year, on 13 December, people in Sweden and Norway celebrate the feast of Saint Lucia (a Christian girl who died for her faith). Early in the morning, a young girl dressed in white (often the youngest daughter in the house) takes a tray of hot saffron buns to her family.

  • EID AL-FITR

This Muslim festival marks the end of Ramadan, a month-long fast. The celebration lasts for three days, starting with the sighting of the new moon. People dress in their best clothes and go to the mosque.

  • DIWALI

Also known as the Festival of Lights, Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil. Hindu families light oil lamps and put them on ledges and balconies. They also send cards with wishes for a good year.

  • PASSOVER

In March or April, Jews celebrate Passover to remember when Moses led the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Passover lasts for seven or eight days and includes a special meal called a seder. Each part of the meal has a symbolic meaning.

  • EASTER

The Christian festival of Easter recognizes the resurrection of Jesus on the third day after his death. It falls between late March and April each year. People attend church and exchange Easter eggs.

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