Some people argue that we no longer remember the original meaning of
festivals, and that most of us treat them as opportunities to have fun.
While I agree that enjoyment seems to be the priority during festival
times, I do not agree that people have forgotten what these festivals
mean.
On the one hand, religious and traditional festivals have certainly become
times for celebration. In the UK, Christmas is a good example of a festival
period when people are most concerned with shopping, giving and
receiving presents, decorating their homes and enjoying traditional meals
with their families. Most people look forward to Christmas as a holiday
period, rather than a time to practise religion. Similar behaviour can be
seen during non-religious festivals, such as Bonfire Night. People
associate this occasion with making fires, watching firework displays, and
perhaps going to large events in local parks; in other words, enjoyment
is people’s primary goal.
However, I disagree with the idea that the underlying meaning of such
festivals has been forgotten. In UK primary schools, children learn in
detail about the religious reasons for celebrating Christmas, Easter and
a variety of festivals in other religions. For example, in late December,
children sing Christmas songs which have a religious content, and they
may even perform nativity plays telling the story of Jesus’ birth. Families
also play a role in passing knowledge of religious festivals’ deeper
significance on to the next generation. The same is true for festivals that
have a historical background, such as Bonfire Night or Halloween, in the
sense that people generally learn the stories behind these occasions at
an early age.
In conclusion, although people mainly want to enjoy themselves during
festivals, I believe that they are still aware of the reasons for these
celebrations.