Cultural festivals are important across the world and often celebrated with great enthusiasm. It is pertinent to mention that there are diverse sorts of cultural events in the world. Some are modern cultural events including modern music festivals and art exhibitions and others are traditional cultural events including annual ceremonies, folk festivals and traditional music performances. Modern cultural events often incorporate technology and contemporary themes and attract the young generation more, while traditional cultural events tend to focus on preserving and showcasing historical customs and practices and attract older generations, who value the preservation of heritage more. Though modern and traditional cultural events focus on different cultural aspects, they are integral and observed all over the world.
It is pertinently notable that cultural events — both modern and traditional—have cultural, economic and other significance across the world. They definitely provide a platform for people to come together to celebrate cultural events, promote cultural diversity and understanding among different groups of people, showcase unique traditions, customs and artistic expressions, develop a sense of identity and ensure the continuity of rich cultural practices and knowledge. While modern cultural events promote modern cultures and provide opportunities for showing the talents of artists, traditional cultural events serve as a means of preserving traditional cultural events, reinforcing their connection to their roots and passing down traditional cultural knowledge to future generations. Among other significance, both modern and traditional cultural events contribute to local and national economies and have social impacts.
Between modern and traditional cultural events, traditional cultural events are facing challenges across the world. Some of the notable challenges include the influence of globalization and modernization and the rapid pace of technological advancements. Since societies are becoming more interconnected, traditional cultural events face the risk of being overshadowed or diluted by popular mainstream culture. A lack of government support and inadequate cultural policy to promote traditional cultural events and balance modernization with the preservation of cultural heritage are crucial barriers in many countries. The influence of transnational cultures, changes in people’s lifestyles and shifts in priorities towards more urban and cosmopolitan life and a decline in interest and participation in traditional cultural events among younger generations— among other barriers — are also notable.
Optimistically, there are organizational, policy based and other measures to protect and promote traditional cultural events. In the global sphere, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has been working for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. Many countries have government departments dedicated to the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural events, along with cultural policies, funding opportunities and resources to protect and promote traditional cultural events. Many organizations also collaborate with local authorities, community leaders and cultural experts and raise awareness about the significance of traditional cultural events and foster a sense of appreciation and respect among people in many countries in the world. But there are limitations to the efforts to preserve and promote traditional cultural festivals in many countries.
Many traditional cultural events, though they had good impacts on generations, have been lost in many countries and replaced by more contemporary cultural practices and values. For instance, traditional harvest festivals and the Ball Game, which held great significance in Mayan society, involved teams competing in the game and symbolized the struggle between light and darkness, is lost. Also, many other traditional cultural events are about to be lost. The Japanese art of “Noh” theater has recently seen a decline in popularity. It is to note that the loss of traditional cultural festivals not only diminishes cultural diversity but also erases valuable opportunities for communities to come together and celebrate their cultural heritage in many countries.
The loss of cultural festivals is not unsurprising at all but it is desired that traditional cultural events are protected and promoted amidst many challenges. It is definitely crucial to provide opportunities and resources to organize, promote and observe traditional cultural events. Additionally, leveraging technology and social media platforms can help generate interest in traditional cultural events, which may bring good outcomes and ensure their relevance in promoting cultural diversity across the world. Collaboration among governments and cultural organizations may also help to promote good traditional cultural events. Along with good traditional cultural events, good modern cultural events need to be promoted across the world for their good cultural and other impacts.
