Festival facts for kids

Musikfest, a big music festival in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It's the largest free music festival in the United States!

The Hindu festival of Holi, celebrated in Utah, U.S.

A festival is a special event celebrated by a group of people. It often focuses on something important to their religion or culture. Think of it like a local or national holiday. Festivals are a mix of global and local traditions.

Many festivals are linked to agriculture because food is so important. People often celebrate during harvest time to thank for good crops. For example, Halloween in the northern part of the world and Easter in the southern part both happen in autumn.

Festivals help communities in many ways. They can honor gods, goddesses, or saints, like patronal festivals. They also offer entertainment, which was super important before movies or TV. Festivals that celebrate culture teach people about their traditions. Older people often share stories, bringing families closer. People go to festivals to have fun, meet new friends, and feel like they belong.

What does 'Festival' Mean?

The annual Met Gala in Manhattan celebrates the global fashion industry.

A country festival in Swabia.

A 1903 painting showing the ancient Egyptian Navigium Isidis festival.

The word "festival" started as an adjective in the late 1300s. It came from Latin and Old French. In old English, a "festival dai" meant a religious holiday.

The first time "festival" was used as a noun was in 1589. The word "feast" came earlier, around 1200.

The word gala comes from an Arabic word, khil'a. This word means a special robe of honor. "Gala" first described fancy clothes. Later, in the 1700s, it became another word for a festival.

A Look Back: History of Festivals

A festival in Antwerp, Belgium, in the 1600s.

Festivals have always been a big part of human history. You can find them in almost every culture. They are important in both private and public life, and for both everyday and religious events.

Ancient Greek and Roman societies had many festivals. These were important for their communities and governments. For example, the Roman festival of Saturnalia likely influenced Christmas and Carnival. People celebrated social events, religion, and nature.

Some festivals have been around for centuries. For instance, some traditional festivals in Ghana are older than European colonization in the 1400s. Festivals really grew in popularity after World War II. The Festival d'Avignon and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, both started in 1947, helped shape how modern festivals work.

Art festivals became even more popular by the early 2000s. Today, many festivals are seen as ways to attract tourists. However, most are still public or non-profit events.

Festival Traditions

Many festivals began with religious beliefs. They mix cultural and religious meaning with traditional activities. Important religious festivals like Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali, Eid-al-Fitr, and Eid-al-Adha help mark the year.

Other festivals, like harvest festivals, celebrate the changing seasons. Events from history, such as big military wins, can also start a festival. An early example is the festival created by the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses III. He celebrated his victory over the Libyans.

In many countries, royal holidays celebrate events about kings and queens. Just like harvest holidays are about crops. Festivals are often celebrated every year.

There are many types of festivals around the world. Most countries celebrate important events with cultural activities. Many festivals end with eating special food, showing the link to "feasting." They also bring people together. Festivals are often connected to national holidays.

Different Kinds of Festivals

Festivals can be big or small. They can be local events or draw people from all over the country. For example, music festivals often bring together different groups of people. This makes them both local and global.

However, most festivals are local, small, and popular with everyday people. There are so many festivals that it's hard to count them all! Festivals are very different from each other. They are not just sacred or everyday, or only in cities or the countryside.

Religious Festivals

In many religions, a feast is a series of celebrations to honor God or gods. Historically, "feast" and "festival" meant the same thing. Most religions have festivals that happen every year. Some, like Passover, Easter, and Eid al-Adha, are "moveable feasts." This means their dates change based on lunar cycles or the calendar.

The Sed festival in ancient Egypt, for example, celebrated a pharaoh's 30th year of rule. Then it happened every three or four years after that. Among the Ashantis, many traditional festivals are linked to sacred places. These places are believed to have rich natural resources. Celebrating these festivals each year helps protect these natural sites and their plants and animals.

In the Christian calendar, there are two main feasts: Christmas and Easter. But smaller festivals honoring local saints are celebrated in many Christian countries. The Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican churches have many smaller feasts throughout the year. These remember saints, holy events, or beliefs. In the Philippines, almost every day has a religious festival. These come from Catholic, Islamic, or local traditions.

Buddhist religious festivals, like Esala Perahera, are held in Sri Lanka and Thailand. Hindu festivals, such as Holi, are very old. The Sikh community celebrates the Vaisakhi festival. This marks the new year and the birth of the Khalsa.

Arts Festivals

Arts festivals celebrate creative achievements. These include science festivals, literary festivals, and music festivals. There are also specific types like comedy festivals, rock festivals, jazz festivals, and buskers festivals. You can also find poetry festivals, theatre festivals, and storytelling festivals. Some festivals, like Renaissance fairs, even re-enact history.

In the Philippines, February is known as national arts month. This is when many art festivals across the country come together. Modern music festivals began in the 1960s and 70s. They have become a very successful global business. Some music festivals, like the Three Choirs Festival, have been around since the 11th century!

Film festivals show many different movies. They usually happen every year. Some of the most famous film festivals are the Berlin International Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival, and the Cannes Film Festival.

A food festival celebrates food or drinks. These often show off what local producers make in a certain area. Some food festivals focus on one specific food. Examples include the National Peanut Festival in the United States. Or the Galway International Oyster Festival in Ireland.

There are also festivals just for drinks. The famous Oktoberfest in Germany celebrates beer. Many countries have wine festivals too. One example is the global celebration of Beaujolais nouveau. This new wine is shipped worldwide for its release every third Thursday in November. Both Beaujolais nouveau and Japanese rice wine (sake) are linked to harvest time. The Philippines has at least 200 festivals just for food and drinks!

Seasonal and Harvest Festivals

Seasonal festivals are based on the sun and moon. They follow the cycle of the seasons. This is especially true because seasons affect food supply. Because of this, there are many ancient and modern harvest festivals.

Ancient Egyptians depended on the seasonal floods of the Nile River. This natural irrigation made the land fertile for crops. In the Alps, in autumn, farmers celebrate the return of cattle from mountain pastures. This is called Almabtrieb.

A well-known winter festival is the Chinese New Year. Its date is set by the lunar calendar. It is celebrated from the second new moon after the winter solstice. The Dree Festival is celebrated by the Apatanis people in India. It happens every year from July 4 to 7. They pray for a big crop harvest.

Midsummer or St John's Day is another seasonal festival. It is linked to a Christian saint's feast day. It also celebrates the summer solstice in the northern part of the world. It is very important in Sweden. Winter carnivals let people enjoy creative or sports activities that need snow and ice. In the Philippines, every day has at least one festival. These celebrate the harvesting of crops, fish, and other local goods.

Festivals and Communities

Experts say that festivals help spread important community ideas. They can show who "owns" a place. Festivals can also help people achieve "certain ideals." These include ideas about identity and what a group believes in.

Festivals can make a city look better. Because festivals are temporary, their impact is often about memory and how people see the city. By changing daily routines, festivals can also strengthen social, cultural, or economic traditions.

Learning About Festivals

• Festive ecology is the study of how plants, fungi, and animals are linked to cultural events. This includes festivals and special occasions.
• Heortology is the study of religious festivals. It first focused on Christian festivals. Now, it covers all religions, especially those from Ancient Greece.

See also

In Spanish: Festival para niños