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 practice religion. Similar behavior 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 the 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 religious. 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.