This week’s column topic is Summer festivals, so today I would like to share some ways to talk about the meaning or purpose of festivals and holidays in English.

First, we can simply say that a festival celebrates something. For example, Toronto’s Taste of the Danforth street festival celebrates Greek culture and food. We can also say that it is celebrated (using passive voice) on a particular day, by a certain group of people, or in a specific area.

When a festival celebrates a particular time of the year, we can say that it marks that time. For example, for many people, the Canadian National Exhibition (which I posted about recently) marks the end of summer. In many countries, there are festivals that mark the seasons, the  solstices, the harvest, and other historically or culturally important times of the year.

We can also say that a festival symbolizes, represents, embodies, or even captures a particular aspect of culture or religion (or, in some cases, everyaspect!). Brazilian Carnival, for example, embodies the combined culture, history, and religion of Brazil, and in different parts of the country, different ways of celebrating represent the unique local culture.  

Finally, we can say that a festival commemorates or honours a historically or culturally important event or person, which means that its purpose is to help us remember that event or person. For example, for Christian people, Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus. Also, in many countries, there is a special holiday or festival to commemorate the independence, unification, or founding of the nation.

What are some of your local (or national) festivals and what do they celebrate?