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Festival
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For other uses, see Festival (disambiguation).
"Festivity" redirects here. For the ship, see MV Festivity.
Village Feast. Facsimile of a woodcut of the Sandrin ou Verd Galant, facetious work end of 16th century
(edition of 1609)
Procession in Honor of Isis depiction of the Egyptian Navigium Isidis festival by Frederick Arthur
Bridgman (1903)
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic

aspect of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or
national holiday, mela, or eid. Next to religion and folklore, a significant origin is agricultural. Food is
such a vital resource that many festivals are associated with harvest time. Religious commemoration
and thanksgiving for good harvests are blended in events that take place in autumn, such
as Halloween in the northern hemisphere and Easter in the southern.
Festivals often serve to fulfill specific communal purposes, especially in regard to commemoration or
thanking to the gods and goddesses. Celebrations offer a sense of belonging for religious, social, or
geographical groups, contributing to group cohesiveness. They may also provide entertainment,
which was particularly important to local communities before the advent of mass-produced
entertainment. Festivals that focus on cultural or ethnic topics also seek to inform community
members of their traditions; the involvement of elders sharing stories and experience provides a
means for unity among families.
In Ancient Greece and Rome, festivals such as the Saturnalia were closely associated with social
organisation and political processes as well as religion.[1][2][3] In modern times, festivals may be
attended by strangers such as tourists, who are attracted to some of the more eccentric or historical
ones. The Philippines is one example of a modern society with many festivals, as each day of the
year has at least one specific celebration. There are more than 42,000 known major and minor
festivals in the country, the majority of which are specific to the barangay (village) level.[4]
Contents
 1Etymology
 2Traditions
 3Types of festivals
o 3.1Religious festivals
o 3.2Arts festivals
o 3.3Food and drink festivals
o 3.4Seasonal and harvest festivals
 4Study of festivals
 5See also
 6References
 7Further reading
 8External links
Etymology[edit]
A Festival at Antwerp, Belgium, 17th century
Country Festival in Swabia
The word "festival" was originally used as an adjective from the late fourteenth century, deriving
from Latin via Old French.[5] In Middle English, a "festival dai" was a religious holiday.[6] Its first
recorded used as a noun was in 1589 (as "Festifall").[5] Feast first came into usage as a noun circa
1200,[7] and its first recorded use as a verb was circa 1300.[8] The term "feast" is also used in
common secular parlance as a synonym for any large or elaborate meal. When used as in the
meaning of a festival, most often refers to a religious festival rather than a film or art festival. In
the Philippines and many other former Spanish colonies, the Spanish word fiesta is used to denote
a communal religious feast to honor a patron saint.[citation needed]
Traditions[edit]
Many festivals have religious origins and entwine cultural and religious significance in traditional
activities. The most important religious festivals such as Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali, Eid al-
Fitr and Eid al-Adha serve to mark out the year. Others, such as harvest festivals, celebrate
seasonal change. Events of historical significance, such as important military victories or other
nation-building events also provide the impetus for a festival. An early example is the festival
established by Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses III celebrating his victory over the Libyans.[9] In
many countries, royal holidays commemorate dynastic events just as agricultural holidays are about
harvests. Festivals are often commemorated annually.

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Festival

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic

A Festival at Antwerp, Belgium, 17th century

Country Festival in Swabia

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