Festivals are important in the maintenance of the indigenous cultures across the globe. These lively celebrations are a way through which the various communities show case their cultures, languages and arts making them feel unique and wanted.
Festivals are also used to pass cultural information from one generation to the other. This is because elders are known to pass information and important values of a society through stories, songs, dances and ceremonies. For instance, the Powwow in North America is cultural occasion that includes dancing, artistic performance and storytelling among the various tribes, and hence enhances unity among the participants.
In addition, festivals bring in people of different ethnicity, which creates a platform for people to learn from each other. Unlike the other festivals where the main purpose is to celebrate the Incan sun god, the Inti Raymi in Peru is also meant to educate the public on the farming methods used by the Incas. This exposure is beneficial in highlighting the issues of the indigenous people and enhance the recognition of their inputs to the world.
also, the festivals are employed to combat cultural imperialism meaning ‘the process by which the culture of the dominant group replaces the culture of the subordinate group’. They use parades to show their ethnicity and to combat prejudice. Cultural celebrations like Gawai Dayak Festival in Malaysia is a celebration of the indigenous people’s culture and enhances the morale and togetherness of the people.
Thus, festivals are of great significance in the promotion of the local cultures in the society across the world. They are centres of culture, education and resistance that assure that these multitudes of cultures will continue to be part of society.