Festivals Around The World

Over thousands of years, mankind has developed an inconceivable diversity. With different geographic and climate conditions, the spread of religious beliefs as well as the occurrence of historic events, the most diverse cultures have emerged around the world. And with their development, extraordinary festivals around the world evolved along the way to celebrate achievements, cultural particularities or gratefulness to their creators, among many other reasons.

These festivals are great means to experience and gain profound insights into the underlying cultures. Especially those traditional festivities that have been going on for centuries nicely showcase the beliefs, lifestyles, traditions and history of the respective communities. Most festivals involve the consumption of food specifically prepared for the celebration. Traditional festive garments or national costumes that might not play a role in everyday life anymore, are often worn with great pride during the festival period. Also specific decoration such as Christmas lights create unforgettable scenes. For travelers, festivals around the world provide once-in-a-lifetime experiences. These usually leave long-lasting memories and are more authentic than just visiting famous places and landmarks.

There is always a reason to celebrate festivals around the world

There is a wide range of festivals that have different reasons for celebrating them. Many festivals have religious origins with associated ceremonies or rituals. AMong these are Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali or Eid al-Adha. Others celebrate seasonal change or were developed for political reasons, be it military victory, the formation of nations or the independence of countries from their colonialists.

Apart from religion, agriculture is probably the most common origin of traditional festivals around the world. Food is such a crucial aspect of life that cultures around the world created festivities to celebrate certain dishes, ingredients or the act of harvesting them. Some have reached such a huge importance, that countries even officially turned them into regional or national holidays.

Festivals around the world often serve specific purposes for the communities that celebrate them. They often provide a sense of belonging to a certain group, be it religiously, socially or geographically. Still today, the entertainment factor of festivals plays a huge role of course. But before mass media was available to prevent boredom, the entertaining nature of local events even played a bigger role. At the same time, cultural celebrations are important means for passing down customs and traditions and informing about the communities’ roots.