Festivals and Their Importance for Modern Culture Essay
A festival is an event that is characterized by celebration and removal from the daily routine: it is full of different rituals, artistic performances, and other actions that bring some deeper meaning. The roots of most festivals are in traditions, local and global cultures, and religious beliefs. Modern festivals are connected with modern mass culture, and their organizers are usually professional event managers: they can be considered commercial events. Festivals are an essential part of modern culture, and their meanings, rites, and rituals are still actual today.
Festivals are built on modern and ancient traditions; they consist of rites and rituals that can be considered “building blocks” of the festival; those are the ceremonial actions that have some more profound sense. For example, rites of passage symbolize the transition from one state to another; rites of reversal emerge as masquerades and shows; rites of consumption are feasts where people eat and drink together for the sake of something (Fallasi 4–5). Today, festivals are widely used for communication between different people and cultures: they are important events for socialization (Cudny 644). Traditional festivals, such as Latin fiesta, usually adopt elements of global Western culture, such as elements of pop music, in their conventional music performances (Martinez 02:00–02:30). Thematic festivals are trendy and vital for today’s culture: different music festivals, art and design festivals, and even sex festivals (Cudny 650-651). Thus, festivals are essential to contemporary culture; they bring new senses and purposes.
Modern-day festivals are widespread around the Earth, and they often combine the elements of local cultures and modern global culture. For example, as the immigrants from Latin America, such as Peru, migrate to the United States, they adopt the global culture associated with mass media and capitalism and bring it home (Martinez 34:57). International festivals became popular: they usually use the traditional elements and present them in a modern way, usually much more impressive and large-scale than original elements. The large fire shows and performances in Peruvian fiestas are awe-inspiring (Martinez 35:50–36:20). Traditional music played at such festivals combines elements of modern pop and rock music. Traditions became the marketing element: festivals are widely used to attract attention, promote goods, and connect people (Catherine M. Cameron 167–70). In that way, today’s festivals are much more than only traditional holidays of the past: they are organized on higher levels, are used for different purposes, bring different themes and senses, and connect other people.
The reasons festivals became widespread in the 20th century are the increased level of festival tourism, improved management methods of festival organization, and general sociocultural changes. In industrial societies, people are happy to escape from everyday routine to the festive and vibrant atmosphere (Cudny 646). Most modern festival organizers are professional marketers, project and event managers, and promoters, and they similarly organize festivals as any other commercial event (Catherine M. Cameron 170–71). Such commodification is often treated as “evil” and leads to the loss of deeper meanings and authenticity of the cultural heritage; in fact, it is the evolution of purposes and not losing them (C. M. Cameron 165–66). Thus, today’s festivals are large, bright, multicultural, and multipurpose events.
One can conclude that festivals are an essential part of modern culture and are widely used for recreation, socialization, connecting people, and self-expression. Contemporary festivals, developed from ancient ceremonial holidays, are bright, vibrant events that connect elements of different cultures. Different types of festivals are used for self-expression, enjoyment of music and other art, and other experiences. People love festivals, enabling them to escape the daily routine and plunge into a festive, vibrant atmosphere.
Works Cited
Cameron, C. M. “The Marketing of Heritage: From the Western World to the Global Stage.” City & Society , vol. 20, no. 2, 2008, pp. 160–68.
Cameron, Catherine M. “The Marketing of Tradition: The Value of Culture in American Life.” City & Society , vol. 1, no. 2, 1987, pp. 162–74.
Cudny, Waldemar. “The Phenomenon of Festivals. Their Origins, Evolution, and Classifications.” Anthropos , vol. 109, no. 2, 2014, pp. 640–56.
Fallasi, A. “Festival: Definition and Morphology.” Time out of Time , 1987, pp. 1–10.
Martinez, Wilton. “Transnational Fiesta – a Couple Attends a Traditional Festival in Peru.” Kanopy , uploaded by Documentary Educational Resources, 1992. Web.
Martinez, Wilton. “Transnational Fiesta: Twenty Years Later – the Evolution of Transmigrant Communities.” Kanopy , uploaded by Documentary Educational Resources, 2013. Web.
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