48   I can describe festivals

'LA TOMATINA': THE WORLD’S BIGGEST TOMATO FIGHT

The event takes place every August in Bunol, Spain. People come from all over the world to participate in this huge social occasion, which includes music, parades, dancing, and fireworks. The main event is a tomato fight in which 100 tons of over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets. Trucks bring the tomatoes into the town, and the fight begins; it ends after exactly one hour. No one is very sure how or why this festival started!

CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL, JAPAN 

Cherry blossom is the national flower of Japan. And as spring approaches, people make special trips to various viewing sites to see the first signs of the cherry trees in flower. The trees are sometimes lit up at night. The festival includes all sorts of delicious food, games, rides, parades, folk music, religious ceremonies, and a beauty contest.

THE RIO CARNIVAL (‘CARNAVAL’)

One of the most spectacular entertainments in the world, Carnival is a wild four-day celebration of music, dance, and food and drink, all over Rio. The event means a lot to the people from the poorest neighbourhoods, who spend months in preparation. It is an opportunity for the whole community to go out and have fun together. It ends with the Samba Parade, for which the performers dress up in the most striking costumes.

 

spotlight  festival, carnival, parade

A festival is a day or days when people celebrate something, often a religious event. A carnival is like a festival with people dancing and playing music in the streets. A parade is an organized event in which people move (parade V) through the streets, often on special vehicles, wearing costumes (special clothes), and playing music.

 

Glossary

participate (in sth)  become part of an activity. SYN take part in sth.

occasion  a time when sth happens.

fireworks   objects that burn or explode in the sky with colours and noise.

ton   a unit for measuring weight in Britain (one ton = 1,016 kilograms).

throw sth   use your hand and arm to send an object through the air.

blossom   a flower or mass of flowers especially on fruit trees in spring.

approach sb/sth  come nearer to sb/sth.

light sth up   make sth bright with light. SYN illuminate sth.

contest   a competition to see who is the best (e.g. a beauty contest).

spectacular   very impressive; large, beautiful, and often with lots of colour.

entertainment  an activity that people enjoy watching and listening to, e.g. theatre, film, music (the people who entertain you are entertainers).

wild  exciting and enjoyable.

mean a lot to sb   be very important to sb.

neighbourhood   an area of a town and the people who live there.

community   all the people who live in an area or town.

have fun  enjoy yourself.

dress up  put on special clothes either for fun or for a formal event.

striking  very attractive in a way that causes people to notice.

6    ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY Write your answers to the questions in Exercise 4, or ask another student.

Answers from a German person

1     The ‘Oktoberfest’ in Munich is a very important and popular festival. It was originally a harvest festival.

2     No, they don’t.

3     Yes. There are lots of local bands playing and there’s a fairground.

4     No, I haven’t taken part in a parade.

5     Yes, at ‘Fasching’ in February, when I was small, my mum dressed me up as a mouse!

6     Yes, on New Year’s Eve.

7     Not really, but I can understand why a lot of people like tradition.

8     Yes, I’d like to participate in ‘La Tomatina’ because I think it would be a lot of fun throwing tomatoes at other people!