Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
14.3.4
Traditions and Heritages
A fourth type of festival is based upon on some local traditions, other than those
based on seasonal, religious or political beliefs. There are many examples of city
festivals based on some previous tradition as their primary rationale, perhaps using
some reference back to a earlier period in the city or region's history that possessed
distinctive ways of life, creating a heritage. Some of these are difficult to separate
from re-interpretations of older religious or folkloric festivals. However the theme
of basing a new festival upon some heritage, even a myth or distorted one, has been
a popular one among festivals created in the last century. Another variation of this
type of festival can be seen in
local place festivals
, which provide some celebration
of the place in which the festival occurs. Some are based on real historical events
that occurred in the area, others on local food products or cuisines, such as the bien-
nial artesan cheese festival in the small market town of Bra (near Turin) that has
attracted over 15,000 people to the event. Others, however, do not have a distinctive
focus; they may just be a local celebration. All these types are designed to create a
distinctive image that celebrates the place's difference, which usually has the ad-
ditional function of assisting the local businesses who help sponsor the events.
A variant of the festival based on tradition that has become more prominent in
our multi-cultural cities is associated with groups who celebrate their traditions or
uniqueness through their distinctive
ethnicity or culture
. These ethnic festivals do
not only attract members of their ethnic group; they often draw many spectators
from the rest of the city or beyond. They flock to experience the colours, dances
and sounds of the celebrating group that are so divergent from the typical rhythms
of the city life, and who often return to the ethnic stores and restaurants of these
areas. Western cities with large Chinese populations usually have annual festivals
to celebrate the Chinese New Year, but many other ethnic groups have also created
their own festivals to celebrate their traditions and difference.
14.3.5
New Cultural Event or Events
Obviously, most of the previous categories of festivals have a cultural component
since they are based on distinctive activities and attributes that stem from religion,
ethnicity or a way-of-life. But it does seem important to separate out a fifth type,
a cultural festival whose function is primarily based on a new
cultural event or
events
, especially the showcasing of some artistic endeavour, whether various types
of music, books, films, sports or leisure, and even laughter in the case of one of
Montreal's major festivals. Music festivals or arts festivals have shown a major
growth in the last few decades. In addition, there are festivals based on bizarre
events that represent some local cultural peculiarity, using culture in its broadest
sense as some 'way of life', not only high art. One curious example, the festival as-
sociated with a wife-carrying competition began in Sonka￤jarven (Finland) in 1997,
