In this day and age, Vietnam has experienced the increasing prevalence of Western festivals, featuring Christmas and Halloween, among the youth. A number of individuals concur with this trend, which is opposed to the concerns of others about the impact of exotic cultures. From my perspective, foreign celebrations, despite various social and economic benefits, are likely to detrimentally affect national festivities to a certain extent.
To begin with, transnational festivals appear to be great opportunities for cultural exchanges. That is to say, increasing exposure to new experiences and activities expands individuals’ knowledge of different cultures, traditions, or values around the world. To illustrate, Vietnamese children who celebrate Christmas may understand the significance of gift-giving and family gatherings, which bear resemblance to traditional Tet holidays, as well as stories of Christian faith in Western communities. In addition, the planning and execution of such festivals can generate temporary or permanent occupation for locals and various kinds of event merchandise. This may eventually boost the overall economy of local areas for ephemeral periods.
However, Western event celebrations can bring about a major problem that is loss of identity. With the rapid spread of the Internet and social media, Western cultures are consistently associated with modernity, technology, and progress. Therefore, young people tend to have a preference for foreign festivities over other national traditions, which further results in excessive promotion of such exotic cultural influences. Take the dilution of “cheo,” a Vietnamese traditional opera form”, due to the influx of Western media, as an example. Consequently, the development of local traditions can gradually disappear from their own nations.
In conclusion, while exotic festivities can offer a multitude of business opportunities and cultural exchange, loss of identity can be one of the consequences of foreign festival celebrations.