festival-and-holidays

Many modern festivals and holidays originated in religious celebrations. These celebrations usually included sacred communal meals, from which term festivals, also called feasts, was derived. And the word holiday originally meant “holy day.” Holidays celebrating historic events and other occasions developed later.

Origin of Festivals and Holidays

Festivals and holidays have been celebrated since ancient times. The earliest festivals seem to have been connected with offerings to the dead. Later, people celebrated the change of seasons with festivals. Planting time and harvesttime were occasions for special rejoicing. The festivals of the ancient Greeks and Romans were elaborate affairs. These sometimes included athletic games such as the Olympic Games of Greece, which were revived in modern times. The Romans celebrated Lupercalia in February and Saturnalia in mid-December. Dances and eating or drinking were mingled with pagan religious rites.

Many modern festivals and holidays originated in religious celebrations. These celebrations usually included sacred communal meals, from which term festivals, also called feasts, was derived. And the word holiday originally meant “holy day.” Holidays celebrating historic events and other occasions developed later.

Current Festivals and Holidays in Other Countries

Special days in other countries are numerous as well. They include Independence Day (August 15), Republic Day (January 26), and Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday (October 2) in India. Indian citizens also celebrate many regional observances, such as Makara Samkranti in northern India in January and Diwali (Festival of Lights) in October or November. Among South Africa’s holidays are Workers’ Day (May 1), Youth Day (June 16), Women’s Day (August 9), and Day of Goodwill (December 26). In 2004 Russia dropped its November 7 holiday commemorating the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and added National Unity Day on November 4. This day remembers the liberation of Moscow from Polish soldiers in 1612.

Obon Festival, Japan

For more than 500 years, the Japanese have commemorated their ancestors during Obon, a three-day festival that’s usually held in August. It’s celebrated through Bon Odori folk dances, seasonal cuisine, and the lighting of bonfires. Some of the largest fires are in the hills surrounding Kyoto, with huge bonfires arranged in the shape of kanji, Japanese characters. It’s a time in Japan when people reunite to visit family graves and make food offerings at temples and shrines. At the end of the festival, communities gather around lakes and rivers to float paper lanterns that help guide their relatives back to the spirit world.

Venice carnival and the regata storica, Italy

Held across the two weeks leading up to Lent, Venice Carnival is renowned for its extravagantly decorated masks and bright costumes. Dating back to the 11th century, the carnival includes parades, live music, and other open-air entertainment focused around Saint Mark’s Square, as well as a contest for la maschera più bella (the most beautiful mask). You can also watch gondola and boat parades along the Grand Canal.

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