📘 Part 3: Festivals

This episode's vocabulary

Boost (noun) - an occasion when something is improved or increased.

Short of something (idiom) - not including something.

Commercialized (adj.) - organized in order to make a profit.

Inevitable (adj.) - certain to happen and unable to be avoided or prevented.

To be down to something - if something is down to something else, the second thing is the cause of the first.

Alternative (noun) - something that is different from something else, especially from what is usual, and offering the possibility of choice.

Down-and-out (idiom) - having no luck, no money, and no opportunities.

Hard-pressed (adj.) - having a lot of difficulties doing something, especially because there is not enough time or money.

Brewery (noun) - a company that makes beer or a place where beer is made.

Distillery (noun) - a factory where strong alcoholic drinks are produced by the process of distilling.

Standpoint (noun) - a set of beliefs and ideas from which opinions and decisions are formed.

Merchandising (noun) - the activity of making people aware of your products and increasing sales through advertising, special events, etc.

Kitschy (adj.) - connected with art, decorative objects, or design considered by many people to be ugly, without style, or false, but enjoyed by other people, often because they are funny.

Mass market (noun) - a market of as many people as possible, not just people with a lot of money or particular needs or interests.

To appeal (verb) - to interest or attract someone.

Ostensibly (adverb) - in a way that appears or claims to be one thing when it is really something else.

To unfold (phrasal verb) - to open or spread out something that has been folded.

To immerse yourself in something (verb) - to become completely involved in something.

To triumph (verb) - to have a very great success or victory.

Pilgrimage (noun) - a special journey made by a pilgrim.

A chicken and egg situation (idiom) - a situation in which it is impossible to say which of two things existed first and which caused the other one.

Questions and Answers

M: Rory, is it important to celebrate traditional festivals?

R: I think so since it seems like there are only positive outcomes for all involved. Tourists have something to do. The local economy gets a boost. And the local people have something to work towards and the chance to express their culture. For example, the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh accomplishes all of that. And more, actually, since it's an international event too.

M: Will these traditions be lost in the future?

R: I don't know if they're ever going to be totally lost, short of some major cataclysm like a volcano erupting, but they might change to an extent where they would be unrecognizable from where they started. For instance, the Highland Games is much more commercialized than it used to be. And there are probably more safety measures involved these days. But change over time is pretty much inevitable, isn't it?

M: Do you think that festivals and traditions have an important role in society?

R: I think that's down to the scale of the event, really. If it's a major thing with lots of people and resources involved, then they would be quite important, but smaller-scale things with limited interests might not have such an important role to play for the majority of people.

M: Are festivals becoming less important in modern society?

R: I don't even know how you would begin to measure that. Certainly, there are more alternatives to festivals with online events, for example. But I think the number of festivals is actually increasing if we take music festivals alone. So while there's more competition with them, I wouldn't say they're down and out just yet.

M: What's a traditional food or drink that people typically enjoy during festivals in your country?

R: Well, it's Scotland, so you'd be hard-pressed to hold a festival that didn't involve some kind of alcohol-related event. For most people, it's either beer or whiskey since there are always lots of local breweries and distilleries who want to advertise these days. It's funny, though, people never really stopped to question why it's considered an essential part of the festivities. Including me, until right now.

M: How have festivals and traditions changed over the years in your country?

R: Since I haven't really gone to many, it's hard to say with any certainty. At least from a personal standpoint. There has been a general trend of greater commercialization, though, so you see more sponsored events and more merchandising than ever before. Some events are kitschier than before as well since that caters to the mass market of tourists and tourism.

M: Do you think they will continue to change in the future?

R: Everything will change in the future, won't it? Life is generally about that. If we make predictions about how they will, though, it will probably be the case that we'll see more commercialization. And the efforts to appeal to the mass market will expand I suppose. However, more people will rebel and start their own ostensibly more authentic events, it should be quite interesting to watch unfold.

M: Are traditional festivals disappearing?

R: I wouldn't say so. If anything, people seem much more interested in their roots and cultures than ever before, as we try to find ways of, well, finding ourselves, and explore or express what we find there. And traditional events inform and play a big part in that. Thanks to globalization too, people are finding out about cultures other than their own, and where better to immerse yourself in that for a short time, if not a festival?

M: Should children learn about traditional festivals at school?

R: If it's integrated into the wider curriculum and context, then yes. I mean, they should see the purpose behind them and the connection to the wider world, not just as standalone events that happen for no reason. For example, lots of children at Scottish schools learn about Diwali and Eid, which are Hindu and Muslim festivals. But they rarely see how this is relevant to their lives and how they compare with festivals in their lives and related universal concepts like light triumphing over darkness or the struggle to the end of a pilgrimage.

M: And do you think foreign festivals are more interesting for people than their local festivals?

R: That is a very good question. And I have no idea what to think about that because they're happening for a reason. But are they happening because the local people are interested or the local people are interested in money from tourists who go to these things because they're foreign? So it's kind of a chicken and egg situation, isn't it? I honestly have no idea. It's hard to tell right now.

M: Thank you, Rory, for your answers!

Discussion

M: So you're sitting there wondering, hmm, Rory didn't answer one question, the last question. And it's okay. Because in IELTS speaking part three, you may not answer one question and still you can get a band-aid or band nine. What did he say? He just says I have absolutely no idea what to think about that. Then he says a couple of things. And then he just justifies that, really, I have nothing to say. And that's fine. The examiner will move on. And will ask you another question. Right? So that's acceptable. And this is a good strategy. So if the question is horrible if it's like... Like you have nothing to say, right? You have nothing to say in your own language. You don't know. That's okay. So just do what Rory has just done. Admit that, oh, wow, that's a very good question. I have no idea what to think about that. Yeah?

R: I have no idea what to think about that. But I did say some interesting things, right?

M: Yeah, you did. Yeah. And we can actually start off with the last question. You said something about the chicken and egg situation.

R: Yes. But that's just, it's difficult to tell what's the cause and what's the effect of something. Or what's making something happen and what the result is.

M: So it's kind of like what came first, a chicken or an egg, right?

R: But I don't know. If we talk about that question. It's, it's really hard to say, if people are more interested in foreign things or their own things, because how would you know? How do you find that out?

M: Yeah, but we can say that, like, okay. Maybe some people might be interested more in foreign cultures, because they are bored with their own culture, and they know their own culture. And it's like, every year it's the same thing. However, foreign festivals, it's something new, they discover interesting, you know, festivities, interesting events. It's exotic. And people tend to enjoy new things sometimes, right? So they get bored with their own stuff, and then kind of get out of their shell, of their own culture and discover something new. So maybe something like this. Whereas other people, like, prefer to stick to their own thing. Yeah?

R: Yeah. What do you like?

M: I enjoy my traditional festivals. Well, "my" traditional festivals. "Maria traditional festival."

R: No, that's fine. My traditional festivals.

M: In my country. But also I do love foreign festivals, like the festival of water... tomato festivals. Also, when I was in Peru, we went to a couple of traditional festivals. And they are just wow, they're amazing. So yeah.

R: There's a Water Festival?

M: In Thailand, there's Water Festival.

R: Seriously?

M: Oh, yeah. Amazing.

R: Oh, yeah. What's it called?

M: Water festival.

R: No, it's got a name, doesn't it? I'm sure it's called Songkran. I'm sure someone's talked to me about that before. Songkran.

M: If you're from Thailand, sorry. I love your country. We just don't know the name.

R: Do throw water at... Yes, you do. It's called Songkran. I'm right. Yes. Because I had a student from Thailand. So there you go.

M: Hey!

R: Thank you very much, Sunny! That came in very useful for this.

M: So we celebrate traditional festivals, okay? And they have a positive outcome for people. So they're just, they have a positive effect. And also, the local economy gets a boost. So first of all, it's the local economy. And gets a boost, it's like the economy gets better. Right? So gets a boost. Like you drink an energy drink, and you get this boost. Yeah, I'm all energized and ready to go. So the same happens to the local economy. It gets a boost from celebrations of traditional festivals. And local people. So, locals, they express their culture, which is nice. And then Rory gives an example. So a typical situation, you answer the question. And then you give an example. Here, for example, the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh. Edinburgh is Scotland. You can give an example about your festivals in your country or some other countries. For example, in the States, for example, in Russia, the pancake week. And, for example, this and that festival accomplishes all of that. So accomplishes, it gives a boost to the economy. It helps people to express their culture, and it has a positive outcome for everybody. Hey! Questions could be about festivals, or traditions getting lost. So will the traditions be lost in the future? They will be lost, yeah? Passive voice. Or are they disappearing? Right? So are they disappearing? They're disappearing during, I don't know, a couple of years. So not right now. But are festivals disappearing for a period of time? Okay? And you can say, yes, some local traditions are disappearing. Rory, you compared traditions to a volcano eruption, right?

R: Well, no, I said... I don't know if they're going to be lost, I don't know, if you ever really lose anything, it just changes. The only way you could lose it is if it's destroyed. In something like a volcano or a volcanic eruption. Well, probably like the more dangerous traditions are disappearing, because there's an increased push to make things safer. So, for example, like in the Olympics, traditionally, they used to have pistol duelling in the Olympics. But of course, you didn't really want to have people shooting at each other at an Olympic event. So that disappeared.

M: So yeah, increased safety or more safety measures is a good idea. So because you say, these traditions may be lost, but I think they might change. So they're kind of, they're not lost, but they are changing. So more safety measures are introduced at the Olympic Games, at different festivals, yeah? So more police, more control, perhaps. Yeah, more video surveillance. And also, certain games, events, and festivals are much more commercial than they used to be. Also a very good idea. What did you mean by they are much more commercial today?

R: Just there's more advertising, it's more about selling things or getting attention, marketing products. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. I just don't think it should be the main thing. But increasingly, it's all about selling things.

M: Yeah. And you can say that this change is pretty inevitable. Inevitable? It's just happening. Yeah? Things change. So what do they say? There's nothing permanent like change?

R: Oh, change is inevitable. Oh, no, sorry, but the only thing that doesn't change is the fact that things are going to change.

M: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we're getting philosophical here, dear listener. So change is there. So traditions may stay, but they are changing over time, yeah?

R: And if you're a Buddhist, change comes from within. I don't feel much like change. It's a Monday.

M: Festivals and traditions play an important part or role in society. So in society, without an article. In "the" society, no, no. In society. And Rory told us that it's down to the scale of the event. It's down to something, it's because... Or it depends, it depends on the scale of the event. How big a festival is or how big the event is. So kind of, do traditions and festivals play an important role? Yes. But that's down to the scale of the event.

R: It depends on how big it is.

M: How big it is, yeah. And then like we explain, if it's a major thing if it's a major event, if it's a huge festival, then lots of people and resources are involved. And they would be quite important.

R: Yes. Well, I imagine so anyway.

M: But smaller scale things, smaller scale festivals, with limited interest. So fewer people are interested in such events.

R: Oh, fewer. Yay!

M: Yeah, may not have such an important role. Yeah? So large-scale festivals, smaller-scale festivals, so maybe like huge international festivals, and local festivals, yeah? So we can make this comparison here. Festivals are becoming less important. Again, we're using the present continuous. So some festivals are disappearing. Right? So some festivals are becoming less important, or maybe are becoming more important. And then our strategy is I don't even begin to know how you would measure that. So how you would measure the importance of festivals?

R: How do you measure how important something is? Is it by how much money it makes, how many people go there or how people feel about it in an opinion survey? So there's lots of different ways that things can be important. So how, what, how, how do you measure it? Tell me. How?

M: I don't know. Maybe like, you call people all over the wall and ask them. How important are festivals from one to 10? 10 is super important, 1 is just no, no, no. Oh, I don't know.

R: Well, that sounds like a lot of work.

M: Yeah. So, dear listener, like, are they important? How are they important? You can use this strategy. I don't know how you would measure this. How popular are they? I don't know how you would measure this, but then you kind of continue. Yeah? The answer.

R: You have to explain. You can't just say how do you measure that? And then that's the end of the conversation. I wish.

M: Rory talked about alternatives to festivals. So there are alternatives to festivals. We had maybe alternatives to live concerts during the pandemic. Concerts were live online, I think Different people performed online. So alternatives to festivals, so something else. What else if not a festival? Like an online event, yeah? And Rory told us that the number of festivals is actually increasing. And again, the Present Continuous because it's happening not now, but during a certain period of time, right? So maybe like for several years, so kind of the number of festivals is increasing. And if we take music festivals, so music festivals, there are so many music festivals, and the number of them is increasing all over the world.

R: I think so, I think there are more music festivals now than there used to be. Right?

M: Yeah, I believe so. And you say: I'd say they aren't down-and-out just yet. So they are not down and out.

R: But that's just a way of saying they're not... Well, they haven't been completely removed yet. Or they haven't failed completely.

M: Yeah. So traditional festivals are not down yet.

R: Ooh, down and out. Is that some kind of expression?

M: Idiomatic expression?

R: It is. It's a binomial. Oh, yes.

M: Ooh.

R: But that just means it's got two parts.

M: Could you give us another example of that?

R: Maria might be allergic to Mondays, but she's not down and out just yet.

M: I'm allergic to Mondays.

R: I think most people are.

M: What a beautiful excuse not to do anything, ha?

R: I know. Let's never work on a Monday again.

M: Food and drink. At the festivals, people eat and they drink deliciousness. Right? And for me, this is a very important part of a festival. Right? And usually, we have some special food and local drinks or local foods at an event. And Rory talked about Scotland.

R: I did. Because I could only talk about Scotland.

M: And you said that I think you'd be hard-pressed, you'd be hard-pressed to do something, to hold a festival. So you would be hard-pressed to hold a festival without food.

R: Well, you would be. In Scotland, you'd be hard-pressed to hold a festival without alcohol. And that just means it would be very difficult to do something without whatever it is.

M: So it would be difficult to do this. You'd be hard-pressed to do this. Yeah?

R: Yes.

M: Give us another example.

R: You would be hard-pressed to convince me that doing a recording on a Monday is a good idea ever again.

M: Yeah. So kind of like a press, like pressure, yeah? Hard-pressed. And here we're using the second conditional. So you would be hard-pressed or it would be difficult to hold a festival, to kind of organize a festival, that didn't involve some kind of local alcohol. So didn't involve? We're imagining. So what if a festival didn't have any food and drinks? So it's an imaginary situation in the present. So we're using the second conditional. Yeah. And for most people, it's either beer or whiskey in Scotland. Because of many local breweries. Breweries are the factories where whiskey is made. Or distilleries. Right, Rory? Ah, breweries for beer, distilleries for whiskey. Is that correct?

R: Yeah. Well, I guess you can have a distillery for other liquors as well. But generally, if it's higher than 30 or 40%, you need a distillery to do this, I think. The same for vodka. Vodka is distilled.

M: Hm, yeah, yeah. So we call it liquor.

R: Hard alcohol.

M: And you can say that local foods and drinks are considered an essential part of the festivities. Festivities? Like events at the festivals, and entertainment activities. So festivities. That's a very nice word, which means activities at the festival. Yeah, sometimes I just go to the festival just to eat because they have this... What do you call them? Like different kiosks or...

R: Booths or something?

M: Booths, yeah.

R: Stands or stalls.

M: Stands, stalls. Yeah, like fast food stalls. Stands with these, you know, local thingies. Ooh, that's amazing. Yeah. Give me more. Present Perfect, dear listener. Festivals and traditions have changed over the years. So Rory told us that festivals and traditions are changing. Okay? So they're kind of, they're constantly changing. And also we can say that they have already changed. They've changed over the years. So like as a fact. Like they've changed. Like, I've changed. And Rory here uses another strategy. I haven't really gone to many festivals. And that's fine to say like I haven't visited many festivals. So it's hard to say, with any certainty, if festivals have changed or not. So from a personal standpoint, from a personal opinion. Like standpoint is like a view. You usually say from my personal opinion, or from a personal standpoint, and then some trends. There has been a general trend of greater commercialization.

R: Commercialization.

M: Ooh... Yeah, we talked about festivals getting more commercial. And here we say, there has been a trend of greater commercialization. So pretty much now festivals are much more commercial. Okay? And you see more sponsored events. So Coca-Cola sponsors this event. So everybody drinks Coca-Cola, and Coca-Cola logos and banners are all over the place. So more sponsored events, and more merchandise than ever before. So merchandise is like the thingies. Like a hoodie or a T-shirt you can buy, yeah?

R: Things that get sold to advertise a product.

M: Some events are... What was that word?

R: Kitschier.

M: Kitschier. What? Kitschier?

R: Yeah, it just means it's tacky or low quality. And it caters to sort of the most basic understanding of the event or whatever is being advertised.

M: So kitschy, dear listener, the spelling is crazy. Okay?

R: Because it's from Hebrew I think.

M: So kitschy, connected with art, decorative objects, and design. And if something is kitschy, people think it's ugly, without style, false, but some people enjoy it because it's funny. For example, the room was decorated in a cheerful, kitschy style. So it's kind of like, ugly but you might find it funny. What else can be kitschy?

R: It's usually to do with physical things. Art can be kitschy, perhaps some music. But I think festivals could also be kitschy as well. If it's just done to attract tourists and sell things, then that's a sure sign that it's kitschy.

M: So some events, some festivals are kitschier. Because they cater to the mass market of tourists. So the mass market of tourists. So they cater, they kind of meet the needs of these tourists. When the examiner asks you if something will continue to change in the future, you will say yes, everything will change in the future, won't it?

R: Everything will change in the future.

M: Rory, could you say it again?

R: Everything will change in the future, won't it?

M: So a tag question. So a very nice sentence to say. Life is generally about change, dear listener. So you can go ahead and say that. And then the second conditional, if we were to make predictions, so if I had to tell you if we were Past tense because the Past Conditional. Make predictions, so make predictions about the future. And then again, like more commercialization, right? So we'll see more commercialization at the festivals.

R: Commercialization is like my word of the week, to be honest with you.

M: I know... It's the keywords of this episode. Commercialization. And many festivals will appeal to the mass market.

R: Always appeal to the mass market. Like please buy our stuff.

M: Traditional festivals are disappearing. Rory said I wouldn't say so. Yeah? Or they might be disappearing. Or I don't think so. And you can say that people are much more interested in their roots and cultures now than before. And we need to find ways to express ourselves, to express our cultures and traditional events play an important part in this, yeah? And globalization, surely. so thanks to globalization, people can find out about other cultures too. And there they can better immerse themselves. They find out things about other cultures. and they can immerse themselves in other cultures for a short while during these festivals. So Rory goes to Thailand for the Water Festival. He immerses himself in Thai culture. Children should learn about traditional festivals, maybe it could be integrated into the wider curriculum. So it should be inside the curriculum. The school curriculum, the school program. So children should see the purpose behind them. The purpose, the aim behind traditional festivals.

R: The purpose behind, always behind. Purpose behind.

M: And the connection to the wider world. So they learn about other festivals. So they see the connection to the wider world. Actually, in English course books, they always have some information about festivals. So when there's this unit about parties and festivals, they have texts or audio recordings about different events all over the world.

R: On the subject of kinds of events. If an event is standalone, it means it only happens at this time. And this place for this reason, with no connection to anything else.

M: Yeah. It's not a standalone event. Like a festival is connected to the culture. It's connected to traditions, it's not just like something disconnected from culture, traditions and people. And then, for example, children at Scottish schools or children at schools in my country learn about different festivals. Rory, which festivals did you mention?

R: I picked Diwali and Eid just because those are the ones that everybody learns about. But no one actually quite understands what they mean, unless you're a Hindu or a Muslim, and you'd probably have a better understanding of what they're about than your average primary school teacher.

M: Sweet. Dear listener, how are you doing? Yeah, so these festivals... So part two and part three are pretty tough. Make sure that you have something to say about festivals, alright? So this topic does require some research on your part. Rory talks about Scottish festivals mostly. But what's going on in your country? Okay? To be confident, please make sure you research and read about festivals in your country, even if you know about them. Just to make sure you know the vocabulary about the festivals in your country. Okay? Promise? Good. Sweet. Thank you very much for listening! And we'll get back to you in our next super episode! Bye!

R: Bye!

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