IELTS Speaking Part 1 Festival
What is your favourite festival?
Although there are numerous festivals in my country, and I celebrate most of them, Diwali is my favourite because it is celebrated with pomp and shows worldwide. People from all walks of life have no stone on turned to have extreme joy and happiness. During this day, people forget their worries and rub shoulders together to engage in various rituals.
How do you celebrate Diwali?
There are a lot of things which I would do. I do at this festival. First of all, in the morning, before this festival, we buy new clothes, and we wear them at the festival. We explore the market, buy some things for the house, and decorate our homes with lanterns, lights, and flowers. And in the night, we crack fire, we crack fireworks. So that’s how we celebrate Diwali.
Do you like Western festivals?
Yes, I have little taste in Western festivals except Halloween and Christmas because I like Christmas. Because I live in Canada, Christmas and Halloween are our most famous festivals. So these are the only festivals I like in Western.
Do you think festivals are essential for preserving cultural heritage?
We learn a lot of things through festivals, which are related to our past, cultures, and customs. So yes, festivals are necessary for keeping our culture safe.
Have you ever participated in organizing a festival? If so, which one and what was your role?
Yes, there is a local festival in my town that happens every July, in the last of July. So, during this festival, we devote our culture to the deity, which we also call the Kuldevta. So we organized a festival where we donated something to needy people and celebrated with each other. My role is to guide the people who want to devote their religion.
What are some traditional foods associated with festivals in your culture?
There are some foods which are related to our particular occasions or festivals. There is one we call Gujiya. It’s a sweet dish we mostly prepare during Holi’s celebration. Apart from that, we also made some foods like Jalebi and Laddu on Diwali. And apart from that, we also made some chaat and chaat papdi. We call it a traditional dish for the Shara.
Have you ever attended a festival in another country? If yes, what was your experience like?
Yes, I recently took part in the festival called the Oridia Parade. It’s a parade where people prepare for different colours and characters. It could be anything like Mickey Mouse. It’s just like a customary parade for the welfare of society and the children. So yes, I participated in that, and my experience was excellent.
Are there any festivals that you used to celebrate but no longer do? And why did you stop?
There is one festival in India we call Holi. It’s celebrated in March. So, during this festival, we usually use colours to celebrate Holi. But I stopped celebrating this festival because all the colours are made of chemicals and harmful products unsuitable for human skin. For that reason, I stopped celebrating this festival.
Do festivals play a role in bringing people together?
Definitely yes. Festivals are playing a massive role in globalization. As I see here in Canada, there are unique shops and markets for Diwali. It’s a good idea to bring people closer to our culture and festival.
Apart from that, many people are now celebrating Christmas in India. It’s a Western festival, but many people now attend it. So definitely, culture is increasing, and people are engaging in each other’s culture through the festivals.
