Why do we celebrate festivals?
(celebrate) all around the world, festivals have a wide range of origins, such as the seasons of the year, religions, famous figures, and important events. Every festival has (it) different customs and unique charms. different they may seem, the spirit of sharing joy, (grateful), love, or peace is common in all festivals.
all the traditional festivals, the harvest festival can be found in almost every culture. This important agricultural festival (take) place after all the crops have been gathered in. People celebrate to show that they are grateful the year's supply of food. In ancient Egypt, the harvest festival (celebrate) during the springtime, (feature) a parade and a great feast music, dancing, and sports. Today, in some European countries, people decorate churches and town halls flowers and fruit, and get together to celebrate over a meal. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, families gather to admire the (shine) moon and enjoy delicious mooncakes.
Customs play a significant role in festivals, sometimes they can change over time. With the (develop) of modern society and the spread of new ideas, some traditions may fade away and others may (establish). One example is the typical Chinese Spring Festival custom of lighting firecrackers (drive) away the evil spirits and celebrate the new year. Nowadays, many big cites have given this custom in order to avoid air pollution. example is Halloween, slowly became an exciting festival for children, in spite of its (religion) origins. Festivals are becoming more and more commercial, with businesses (take) advantage of the celebrations. Online shopping websites and social media apps have made it much (easy) for the public to spend more gifts for their loved ones. Although some believe festivals should not be commercialized, others believe the increase spending is good for the economy and public happiness.
Festivals are an important part of society, (reflect) people's wishes, (belief), faiths, and attitudes to life. They are occasions we are allowed to relax and enjoy life, and forget about our work a little while. They help us understand where we came from, who we are, and to appreciate. And you study festivals carefully, you may be surprised to find that different cultures actually have a lot in common after all.
My amazing Naadam experience
It is the first time that I (experience) the Naadam Festival in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region . The festival (fall) on the fourth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, usually(last) for three days. Naadam means "games" in Mongolian, and it (represent) by three events: horse racing, wrestling, and archery, all of are all so exciting to watch!
On the first day, I set off to the games early with my friend Burin. I saw a lot of people (dress) in fancy Mongolian robes. Some were feeding their horses, some were practising archery, and others were (chat) or taking photographs. Mongolians travel every year from near and far to attend the festival, just as their ancestors had done for (century).
After the (open) ceremony and some amazing performances, the wrestling (compete) began. Mongolian wrestling is different from in the Olympic Games. There are no rounds and wrestlers are not separated by (weigh). The wrestler loses if any part of his body above his knee (touch) the ground. After singing some songs, the (compete) danced onto the green field, (wave) their arms in the air as if they were eagles. I was quite moved by their show of (strong) and grace.
I (absolute) enjoyed the archery, too, but the horse races were my favourite part. However, surprised me was that the riders were boys and girls! That is children are lighter and the horses can run faster and (far). At first, I was a little worried about the children's (safe), but Burin said, "Don't worry. They've been riding horses all their lives. They'll be just fine." That was the moment I started to understand why people say "Horses are at the heart of Mongolian culture". …
Before the Chinese Spring Festival, people usually do a number of things, one of is cleaning the house. Dust reminds people old or outdated things. Therefore, sweeping dust out of the house is a way of saying goodbye to old things welcoming new things. Another important custom for families is to decorate their doors red couplets. The phrases on the couplets express hopes for a prosperous new year. The most important custom is the big family dinner the eve of the Lunar New Year. This is usually a big reunion of grandparents, parents, and children. It reflects important family is to Chinese people around the world. That is millions of Chinese people travel long distances to get home before the eve of the Lunar New Year. Also, families typically eat certain types of lucky food at the family reunion dinner. Eating fish, for example, (suppose) to bring more wealth and prosperity than one needs, as the (pronounce) of "fish" in Chinese (yu) is also used for "surplus".
When the New Year (come), there are many interesting festival activities. Adults give children "Lucky money" in red envelopes. People greet family and friends "Xinnian Hao" or "Gongxi Facai" whenever they may meet. Another part of this custom of sharing good wishes is to pay visits relatives and bring them gifts. Commonly (exchange) gifts include food such as fruit, sticky rice cakes, and homemade desserts. In addition, friends and family go out to enjoy loud and (colour) fireworks, spend time at temple fairs, and watch exciting dragon and lion dances.
The Chinese Spring Festival symbolizes a farewell to the old year and a warm welcome to the brand new year. More importantly, it is a special occasion to return home and( grateful) reunite with family members. This deeply rooted tradition (be) an integral part of Chinese culture for a very long time, and will continue to live forever in the hearts of the Chinese people.
