Reading Exercise:
Festivals and Celebrations
Read the text and answer the comprehension questions
Every country has its own way of celebrating, and festivals are where a culture truly comes alive. In Brazil, the streets of Rio fill with music as dancers in bright costumes ride enormous floats through the crowds. Millions of people join the parade, and the whole city becomes one huge, joyful gathering.
Not every celebration is so loud. In many towns in Spain, people take part in a slow, quiet procession during religious festivals. They walk together through the streets, and some of these ceremonies last for hours. The mood is serious and beautiful rather than wild.
Closer to home, Belgium is famous for Tomorrowland, one of the biggest music festivals in the world. Every summer, more than four hundred thousand people are travelling to a small town near Antwerp to dance to their favourite artists. At the same time, families across the country are decorating their houses for carnival and getting their costumes ready for the parade.
Wherever you go, the idea is the same. People stop their normal routines, come together, and celebrate what matters to them. A festival is more than a party. It is a way of sharing who you are.