SEC-S17W3: "National Festival"
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Festivals promote diversity, they bring neighbors into dialogue, they increase creativity, they offer opportunities for civic pride, they improve our general psychological well-being...
What is the national festival of your country? How did it start? |
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 a screenshot from Google |  a screenshot from Google |
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Nigeria, my country, has 36 states and different ethnic groups with various cultures. Each state has different festivals that it is known for. Just like in my state, the new yam festival is what depicts us and makes us unique. Other states, like Osun, have their own special festival known as the Osin Festival.
There is one national festival known as "Calabar Carnival" in my country. Calabar Carnival is regarded as the biggest festival widely celebrated in the country, with over 50,000 costumed participants and 2 million spectators. It is popularly known as "Africa's biggest street party." I would regard this festival as my country's national festival.
The Calabar Carnival started in 2004 as a means of boosting tourism in the country. The Governor (Donald Dukes) was a man who loves tourism and African cultures. His vision for this carnival was to invite foreigners, improve the local economy, and also make all visitors see the city of Calabar as the No. 1 tourist center.
In the month of December 2004, Mr. Donald Duke's initiatives were brought to light, and on the streets of Calabar, he portrayed dashing colors and beautiful costumes. This carnival runs from the 1st of December until the 31st of December of every year.
The event committees draft new initiatives that should make the event more interesting and entertaining on a yearly basis to keep the flag high. In 2009, they brought another spice to the carnival called "Carnival Cup 2009." It is a football competition among the five competing carnival musicians: Seagull, Passion 4, Masta Blasta, Bayside, and Freedom.
How is this festival celebrated? Are there any special rules for celebrating it? |
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 a screenshot from Google |  a screenshot from Google |
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This festival is a street party in my country. The whole streets of Calabar City in my country are paraded with over 50,000 costumed revelers who perform in five major carnival bands. This parade takes place over a 12-kilometer route within the city, with thousands of people lined up in the streets to watch the various bands perform.
Each band displays different things to entertain the people, and they all have different costumes, colors, and designs. They have a lead band member who stands out with his members and appears in a different style of costume.
Each band gets ready to display one after another. They all stay on their cue to await their performance. It looks lovely how each band performs, and that qualifies the best performers to emerge as winners.
Are there any special outfits or foods for celebrating your national festival? |
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 a screenshot from google |  a screenshot from google |
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To the best of my knowledge, there is no special outfit or special dish during this festival. The only special outfits I know are worn by the different bands for recognition and for their performances.
The first time I attended this carnival in 2010, I wore a trouser and shirt with my canvas. I didn't dress so seriously because I needed to be free and simple. Although I saw others who wore very serious outfits, Looking around me, I saw various dishes like soup, rice, and snacks for anyone to buy and eat, so I would say that my country's festival has no special outfit or special dish.
Tell us about your favorite memory from celebrating your national festival. |
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2010 was my first year to attend the Calabar Carnival. I went on the 20th of December and returned on the 26th of December. My journey from Abia State to Calabar was so fun because I went with some cool friends who promised it was going to be fun, and truly, it was fun.
We arrived in the evening and went straight to the street in Calabar, where the festival was held. When I saw the decorations, costumes, and all the beautiful lights, they all swept me off my feet. They were all so adorable to behold.
I flagged the streets with my friends until 12 a.m. the next day. I had so much to eat and drink. It was a fun field day for me. Each new day, the fun begins, and we roll it all out.
I invite my friends @ruthjoe @goodybest @chant to participate in this contest.
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Although the Calabar Festival is a Nigerian festival, it is now popular all over the world. The festival has become a spectacle due to its spectacular organization and large number of people attending, which attracts people from different parts of the world to enjoy the festival. Kudos to the Governor of Nigeria, Donald Duke, who He started the festival.
And the fact that you participated in the festival in 2010 was also great. Hope you had a lot of fun during those days at Utaba. Thank you for bringing such a beautiful and popular festival to us. stay well
• Best Regards
•@nasir04
Greetings my friend @nasir04! The Calabar Festival's global popularity is indeed remarkable, all thanks to Governor Donald Duke's vision and its spectacular organization! 🎉 All the best in the contest, success for you! 👍
Thank you very much for your comment.
Africa's biggest street party, this Calabar Carnival, you celebrate it very grandly. As far as I understand, various events are organized here on the streets as street parties. I find the activities and costumes of this festival very attractive. The festival is full of fun and a chance to see the talent of each band artist. Good luck to you.
@ninapenda
Wow great dear up post very informative reading as you said your country has 36 states so glad to know how much you shared them with us and state wise. A separate festival is also held from there and the presentation of the festival seems to be real, how these festivals are celebrated with enthusiasm, a kind of costumes and a different style. Presenting different stunts presenting your different colors in front of public which is really appreciable I would also like to be a part of this festival. Rest of your post is very informative. Good.
@mona01
Hi @ninapenda! I enjoyed reading your story about the Calabar Carnival, it's really fascinating to see how one celebration can unite so many people in joy and diversity. Your descriptions of the costumes and the atmosphere of the party really transported me there. Thank you for sharing your memories of this memorable experience, it seems to have been an incredible adventure and good luck in the competition!
Calabar Carnival is one of the biggest festival celebrated in our country Nigeria, that is why it is called the biggest street party in Africa, it will ushers in people from different countries, infact all walks of life. And this is what I also wrote on. In this carnival you could see our rich cultures in display through the costumes, the theme of the carnival, their dances displays and do on. And this festival has different categories known as bands, and the bands has names to be identified like the Bayside, passion 4, the seagull band and so on. All these adds to the beautiful parade.
Wah perayaan nasional negara Anda sangat meriah dan juga megah karena itu merupakan festival besar di negara Nigeria.
Festival calabar dengan kemeriahan kostum dan juga seni kreativitas lainnya yang menambah kesan menarik terhadap festival nasional calabar.
Semoga sukses teman 👌