Nowadays, International festivals and traditions are being celebrated more often than local ones in many countries. This essay will discuss the upside and downside of this phenomenon.
Celebrating international festivals, such as the Valentine’s Day, and Halloween are becoming more common in many countries. These celebrations are considered fun and joyful, since people can do different activities on their day. For example, during Valentine’s Day, people would buy flowers or chocolate and gift them to the person they care about. The simple purpose of this tradition brings people together and give them a reason to express their love to others. Another example is Halloween, where people would dress up and go around the neighborhood with their friends. Through these traditions and celebrations, people are able to have an exciting day other than their daily routines. Therefore it makes sense why people celebrate these festivals so often.
On the other hand, local traditions are just as important. The customs and festivals a country have, are representations of what the nation stands for. For instance, Indonesians celebrate their independence day by playing family-friendly games in their local communities. These games often have regular themes, such as patriotism or history about the country. As a result, people feel connected to their homeland more than ever, and their cultural identity strengthens. This is why celebrating local festival is very substantial.
Personally, I believe there should be a balance between celebrating local and international traditions. Both clearly serve their own purposes and benefits. However, when one of them consistently gets more recognition than the others, people will be at a disadvantage. To illustrate this, we can look at Aceh, a province in Indonesia. People in Aceh acknowledge traditional customs all the time, yet they are resistant to international festivals. This leads to them missing out on festive days that are celebrated almost globally. At the same time, their perspectives on the world will not be as broad as those who celebrate it.
In conclusion, there should be a balance between celebrating international and national festivals.