Most people have forgotten the meaning behind traditional or religious festivals; during festival periods, people nowadays only want to enjoy themselves. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Some
people
argue that we no longer remember the original meaning of
festivals
,
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apply
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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 practise religion. Similar behaviour can be seen during non-religious
festivals
,
such
as Bonfire Night.
People
associate
this
occasion with making fires, watching
firework
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fireworks
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displays, and perhaps going to large events in local parks; in other 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 religions.
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.

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Structure your answers in logical paragraphs

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A strong argument essay structure can be split up into 4 paragraphs, each containing 4 sentences (except the conclusion paragraph, which only contains 3 sentences).

Stick to this essay structure:

  • Paragraph 1 - Introduction
  • Paragraph 2 - First supporting paragraph
  • Paragraph 3 - Second supporting paragraph
  • Paragraph 4 - Conclusion

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • Commercialization
  • Globalization
  • Cultural dilution
  • Traditional values
  • Secularization
  • Festivity
  • Heritage
  • Individualism vs. collectivism
  • Consumer culture
  • Intangible cultural heritage
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