The advantages of festivals in cultural development are discussed here in this article. The time you bring out that fancy dress and pair them with the jhumkas you told yourself you’d wear on a special day has come. The week when the entire family goes on a cleaning spree. The moment when you get to see new bedsheets and towels you didn’t ever know existed in the house. But it is also the time, when not only the house is lit up but also our hearts. These are the times we call festivals.
India has always been a country of heterogeneity and unity. It’s a place where every 50- 100 kms we can see the language and culture change. The various cultures along with them, bring various occasions to celebrate on. Each culture has its own festival of importance. We have Onam in Kerala, Durga Puja for the Bengalis, the festival of lights- Diwali, Holi- the festival of colors and many more.
Around the year, we have different festivals which are occasions that are celebrated on a yearly basis marked by a national or state wide holiday.
These are occasions of celebration and enthusiasm.
10 Advantages of festivals in cultural development
The 10 Benefits of Cultural Festivals are given below:
1. Unity
The protagonist in the movie “Evan Almighty” says that when a person asks God for ‘Familial Love’ he doesn’t give them love. Instead he creates opportunities for the family to strengthen their bond with each other. When someone asks God for Courage, he doesn’t give them courage instead he gives us them opportunity to be courageous. Similarly, these festivals are moments, opportunities that bring us together. It’s a famous quote ” Friends who travel together stay together”, similarly when you celebrate together with people belonging to different cultures, speaking varied languages, pertaining to different heritages our respect and understanding towards each other grows. As a country we feel proud of being a nation which is home to a great diversity of people and on days and occasions like these do we get to truly experience it.
2. Knowledge
These are frequent remarks we’ve gotten by our elders, parents and teachers. Despite that, textbooks are not the only way to learn and grow. Festivals teach us a great deal about our community. We get to know the reasons behind the why and the how. For example, Christmas tells us that it has been celebrated for being the birthday of the Jesus Christ, the religious leader of the Christians.
Baisakhi whereas is celebrated to mark the end of harvest season, to thank the lord for a great harvest and also remembering the Sikh origins. It tells us how Diwali is celebrated to commemorate the day when lord Rama came back to his kingdom after being in exile for 14years. It is a reminder of the divine power as Durja Puja is celebrated for the Goddess Durga having defeated the Mahishasur, a devil trying to terrorise the people of Earth. And so each festival has its own story to tell.
3. Entertainment
Festivals help us to enjoy ourselves. We have fun while celebrating, forgetting about our worries. These are times we break out of our mundane, monotonous routines. These festivals help us break out of our daily regimes and truly enjoy without having to worry about work or chores. Each festival is famous for being celebrated in different ways according to tradition. People go to parties on New year’s Eve to count down till the next year. Children enjoy the pleasure of dressing up in extravagant costumes and going to trick and treat on Halloween. Families come together to light up and decorate the Christmas tree during Christmas.
4. Family
Lovers come and go but family stays forever. They are our well wishers, they help us make decisions and see clearly when we’re not so sure, they rejoice in our achievements and feel sorrow in our loss. But many a times, from school to work to moving out, we forget to prioritize them, to give them our time. We may tend to forget to forget to call them every once in a while but they are still the first people who come to our minds when we’re in trouble or in a rut. Festivals give us the chances to come together and relish in each others company.
We get to spend time with the relatives we haven’t met in a long time, stick back and tell each other stories or simply have a good time. Families come together to mark the end of a month long fasting during Eid. Parents silently buy gifts and keep them for their little ones pretending they are from Santa Claus. Lohri marks the end of winter as families come together to sing and dance in each others company.
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5. Heritage
As we continue to modernize, adopt various cultures, move to places, we may forget where our origin lies. Festivals are the reminders of what we stand for, where we belong to and what our values our. We learn about our own culture and how it came to be, the struggles our forefathers had to undergo to give us the freedom that we now enjoy. It’s a time to connect and reconnect with those forgotten heroes and their stories of valour. Holi marks the end of the evil as Prahlad, the worshiper of Lord Vishnu survived while Holika, the symbol of evil died in a fire intended to kill Prahlad.
6. Opportunity to standby
Working around the clock, trying to complete those tasks even when it’s a weekend, that’s how our days pass by. But festivals give us the time to stop, put our lives on standby and relax for a while. Many people plan their vacations around festivals as they can enjoy without having to worry about work. These are times, the entire place is booming with celebration and joy. Not going out and spending beyond your economic and physical means is also a way to spend your time while festivals. You can also sit back and enjoy the holiday while you treat your body and mind. A day when you can sleep in, have breakfast in bed, go for a walk, order home delivery for that freakishly cheesy pizza can also be away to spend your time.
7. Splurge that money
Usually we may be very strict with our own-selves or our family, restricting the expenditure. But during festivals we allow ourselves the liberty of dressing up our house as well as our own selves. It acts as an excuse to go buy that expensive dress that you always wanted to, to have that expensive dinner in the restaurant with the beautiful decor.
8. Social welfare
Festivals don’t only mean spending endlessly on our own selves these are also times when many people around the world come together to help those in need and help brighten the days of those who live in a bleak world of poverty. There are many pandals, organizations which donate and help the people on such occasions. When people buy diyas from the small street vendors than the big fancy shops then they are just not lighting their own house but someone’s life as well. Gurudwaras and committees hold langar for people who can come eat and drink for free.
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9. Economy
During festival season, our economy experiences a huge boast. There are many people looking to spend and so are the shop keepers who are ready to sell. The flight or airlines ticket prices sky rocket as people wish to go home and celebrate with their families. The service industry enjoys as people enjoy in hotels during their vacations or decide on holding parties to celebrate. The sweet stores appeal to the sweet tooth of the mass as people like to start to any festival this way. The economy is directly linked to the demand and supply. During festivals the demands reach heights as stores try to bring in customers with lucrative sales and discounts.
10. Rediscovering
Festivals not help us learn about our past heritage and culture. They also help us discover our own selves, we come to realize our interests. You might never know how much fun you have being an organizer till that family function you organize when your mom grills you for it. Cooking might never seem appealing to you if you don’t cook with your mother for dinner with family.
As a whole, these are beautiful times in our lives which leave us memories to cherish forever. The main teaching of every festival is in being present and enjoying while remaining in the company of those that truly wish for your happiness. We must remember, that it is not only about cleaning our house, or looking beautiful on the outside but also about cleansing ourselves from the inside. You can always make up your own personal tradition for any festival, one which doesn’t change the meaning of the holiday but helps you find joy and peace.
