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Here, we have defined the term ‘festival’, identified some common festivals in the world, and described some words related to festivals.

by Chinyere Nwosu

Festival and words

We are about words and how they affect us. So we are looking at festivals and considering them through the lens of words.

What are Festivals?

Festivals are events celebrated by a community. They are usually centered on the traditions, culture, and religion of the people. Festivals come with fanfare and unique cuisines, dance, prayers and oblations, dresses, songs, and so many other unique displays and acts. Festivals are often marked as a holiday – local, national, or international.

Can you think of a popular festival?

Importance of festivals

1. Festivals play a role in the development of cities. According to Popescu and Corbos (2012), festivals have an impact on strategic development. Urban areas gain importance after organizing these festival events. Think about sports festivals like FIFA World Cup or the Olympic Games. Cities that host these events attract a very large number of people and experience a boost in trade which helps their GDP. The countries become more popular as more people get to know about them and the host city within the country become more developed with enhanced urban lifestyle.
2.  Festivals help us build a sense of community and place. Culture identifies us and helps us develop a sense of place. Think about how you feel when you see someone in your traditional attire in a city far away from home. Light in you goes on and you are instantly attracted to the person even though you may not know who he is. Festivals help us learn and appreciate where we come from. It also aids our understanding and appreciation of the change that has gone on over the years. Festivals have roots to aid our growth and sense of purpose. Community-based festivals grow over time to reflect people’s values, aspirations, and interests (Ros 2003).

Share your thoughts about the importance of festivals in the comment box below. You can also click here to send your views and feedback. Your views will be shared in subsequent posts.

Some Festivals and the countries that host them

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Words Associated With Festival and How They Affect Us

Calabar Carnival

Words associated with festivals.

When you hear ‘festival’ some words pop up in your mind. You suddenly get excited and begin to count some things you have to put in place. Or you feel sad because something or someone was not there. If you are unfamiliar with most festivals, then, think of some of the popular holidays and religious celebrations we all partake in every year. What do you think about when you hear the word ‘Christmas’?

Festivals are accompanied by certain rituals and special events. For this reason, there is a long list of words that suggest celebration to different people given the diversity in culture and the festival in question. Just as many words suggest a celebration, there is also a list of emotions that swell in different individuals when they hear or think about those words. The feelings spur us to action and serve as one of the main drives of what we do and how we enjoy each festival season.

These effects are totally in line with our belief that words have power and they influence us.

How do you feel just before Christmas?

Here is a list of words associated with festivals.

Send us more festival words or simply leave a comment below. We will share your list.

How words associated with festivals affect us, and examples.

8 words associated with festivals and how they affect us

Dance

Many festivals come with music, singing, and moving our bodies rhythmically with the sound. This rhythmic movement of the body is called dancing. India has many dance festivals. Here are some of them – Bamnia Chhau Dance Festival, Khajuraho Dance Festival, and Mamallapuram Dance Festival. These are just a few to mention.

  Food

Most festivals come with some unique cuisines. The New yam festival in Nigeria is celebrated with yam porridge, pounded yam, and white soup with lots of meat, fish, and egusi moulded into balls.

  Feast

When you hear the word ‘feast’ you begin to salivate. Feasts come with so much food such that everyone will eat to his fill and they will still be more left. Feasts come with lots of music, dancing, acrobatic displays, clowns, jesters, and so much more. Feasts get us excited and spur people to dress in their best attires. Feast says surplus food and wine with music, singing, and dancing.

  Dresses and costumes

Every occasion has its dress code. If you are invited to a black and white ball, you will not show up in a green shirt even if green is your best colour. You will make your killer look black and white. Reason: The words -black and white ball – awaken the idea of a particular look in your mind which you do your best to satisfy when you dress for the occasion.

Imagine someone in carnival costume on New Year’s Eve. As fun as the night is, the costume will still look odd. For many, New Year’s Eve is a time to give thanks for the year that is ending, and pray for the coming year to be blessed. It comes with gratitude and humility.

Another example is the famous Dragon Boat Festival in China which is celebrated as a reminder of the battle over the choice of sweet and sour dumplings by the northern and southern regions of China. It is a day to showcase ancient Chinese clothing like the tang suit and cheongsam. If you find yourself in China during this festival, you do not want to show up in an English evening gown or tuxedo.

  Worship, praise, and prayer

These words speak to us about the deity we revere. They remind us of our service of respect, submission, and fear of higher intelligence and authority. Worship, praise, and prayer connote kingship and the place of his lordship in providing our supplication and inhabiting our praise.

The words remind us to prostrate, to lift hands, to close our eyes, to be humble. They tame our aggressiveness, oil the cogs of our ego, and keep us within the bounds of respectable behaviour while breeding hope for tomorrow.

These words when associated with festivals scream a time of consecration, a time of sacrifice, a time of purification, a time of abstinence.