Festivals have been organized for thousands of years.
A festival is an event celebrated by a
particular community, or the entire country, and it is centered on some particular tradition.
Most, but not all festivals serve to provide entertainment to the participants, so they tend to be
complemented with music or dance. The majority of festivals are religious or based on folklore.
Lantern Festival
Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All English Tenses
Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All Tenses
A Brief History of Festivals
Both ancient Greeks and Romans celebrated festivals, many of which were associated with
political processes and social organization. One such festival was Saturnalia, which Romans
organized in honor of god Saturn. Saturnalia was traditionally celebrated with a sacrifice at the
Temple of Saturn, followed by a public banquet and a carnival.
Another early festival was established by an ancient Egyptian pharaoh (leader) in order to
celebrate his victory over the Libyans.
Considering the importance of food for every community, many festivals originate as agricultural
ceremonies, initially organized to either celebrate a good harvest, or hope for it. In the Alps, for
instance, the return of the cattle from the mountain is celebrated at the Almabtrieb festival.
Recently, the arts festivals took over all other kinds of festivals, as now every major city has at
least one music festival, in addition to theater, literary, science and film festivals.
Nearly all modern festivals are not contained to the local community anymore, but are open for
guests and tourists, who are expected to behave as the locals do and respect their traditions.
Holi, India
One of the oldest Indian festivals Holi is celebrated as a symbol of good over evil, the arrival of
spring and the end of winter. Also known as the Festival of Colors, this event lasts for a night and a
day, starting in the evening of a Full Moon Day, normally in February or March.
Holi celebrations begin with a performance of religious rituals in front of a big bonfire, hoping that
the prayers will destroy the internal evil. In the morning, people smear each other with colors,
using powder, water guns and water-filled balloons. Holi has become so popular that it is also
celebrated in other Southeast Asian countries.
Rio de Janeiro Carnival, Brazil
The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is the biggest carnival in the world, dating back to 1723. With more
than 2 million people on the streets every single day, this carnival parade offers a real spectacle.
Held just before Lent starts, the festival officially lasts from Friday night until Wednesday morning,
but many Brazilians continue celebrating for a few days more.
A typical parade includes happy revelers, colorful floats, as well as performances by samba schools
– groups of local people dancing. The most famous dance is, of course, samba, a traditional
Brazilian dance influenced by African traditions. Each year, the Queen of the Carnival and up to
two princesses are pronounced publicly.
Pingxi Lantern Festival, Taiwan
Having started in 1990, this is a relatively young festival, celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first
month of the lunar calendar, at the very end of the Chinese New Year. Inspired by traditional
folklore, this ceremony lasts whole night, when thousands of sky lanterns light over the Pingxi
District in Taiwan. The lanterns are released to ward off the evil and let people know the town is
safe.
The main lanterns are always over ten meters tall and they normally reflect Chinese zodiac signs.
Each of them has its own theme music, which makes the whole performances even more magical.
In addition to the main lanterns, there are also hundreds of smaller ones, usually carried by
children. These lanterns portray images of historical figures or a specific theme.
La Tomatina, Spain
The biggest tomato fight you will ever see happens every year on the last Wednesday of August in
Bunol near Valencia, Spain. Since 1945, La Tomatina participants have traditionally been throwing
tomatoes at each other purely for entertainment purposes.
History suggests that the event started by accident – by youngsters attending the Gigantes y
Cabezudos festival with enormous figures with big heads. They grabbed some tomatoes from a
nearby stall and threw them at one of the giant figures who accidentally fell down.
The next year, these same young people came back with their own tomatoes and started a tomato
fight. Today, La Tomatina is so popular that tomatoes are delivered in big trucks for thousands of
people from all over the world.
Comprehension Exercises
Vocabulary Questions
What does "reveler" mean?
person disapproving of the party
person passing by
person enjoying themselves in a lively way
What does "Lent" mean?
period during which food is restricted for religious purposes
delicious vegetable dish made with lentils
traditional carnival season in South America
What does "stall" mean?
old house normally used as a museum
stand, compartment where goods are sold
giant figure
What does "sacrifice" mean?
dancing by the fire to honor the gods
offering something to the gods, normally killing an animal
religious ceremony held every year for Christmas
What does "smear" mean?
carefully distribute
mark something messily with a substance
fire a weapon from a long distance
Collocation Questions
Thousands of sky lanterns __light_______ over the Pingxi District.
light
shine
glow
The Queen of the Carnival is __publicly_______ pronounced each year.
nationally
universally
publicly
People throw tomatoes at each other for ____entertaiment_____ purposes.
entertainment
comedy
pleasure
Holi celebrations begin with a performance of religious ___rituals______.
observances
rituals
manifestations
The lanterns are released to ward ____off_____ the evil.
out
away
off
Saturnalia was celebrated in _honor________ of god Saturn.
glory
honor
merit
Holi is a celebration of good ___over______ evil.
above
over
on top of
Festivals are not ____contained_____ to local populations anymore.
restrained
held
contained
The lanterns often portray images of ___historical______ figures.
past
historical
bygone
A festival is an event _centered on________ some particular tradition.
centered on
circled around
pointed to
Wh Questions
Where do the participants of La Tomatina get their tomatoes?
from local kiosks
from trucks
from home
Why do people pray on the first night of the Holi festival?
they have health problems
they wish for a prosperous year
they hope it will destroy the evil
Who usually carries smaller lanterns at the Pingxi Festival?
musicians
tourists
children
When is the Rio Carnival held?
before Lent
on Christmas
right after Brazilian Thanksgiving
How was Saturnalia celebrated?
by walking on fire
with fireworks
with a sacrifice and a banquet
Evaluating Statements
Based on the information in this lesson, which statement is true?
Officially, the Carnival in Rio lasts for a week. t
Officially, the Carnival in Rio is less than a week long.
Based on the information in this lesson, which statement is false?
The Pingxi Festival was inspired by a similar festival in the U.S. f
The Pingxi Festival was inspired by Taiwanese folklore.
True or False?
Based on the information in this lesson, is the following statement true or false?
"La Tomatina started when a group of youngsters had a plan to sell tomatoes."
True
False
Based on the information in this lesson, is the following statement true or false?
"Although the Holi festival starts in the evening, people don't start smearing each other with
colors until morning."
True
False
