IELTS Speaking Part 2 & 3 Topic: Describe an important holiday (or festival) that is celebrated in your country

You should say:

• What is it
• Why it is important
• What do people usually do on that festival
• How important it is to your country

 

Talking of holiday and Celebration, I want to share more about New Year, which is one of the most essential and widely celebrated festivals in my country. This is the occasion that people celebrate with great joy, hope and festivity with their beloved ones. One of the most integral moments that is expected by all people is the stroke of midnight according to Lunar Calendar. It is often celebrated with fireworks and people send each other their best wishes for an awesome year ahead. In my country, people often get careful preparation for Lunar New Year in order to ensure that every single thing is perfect for welcoming a new year. On the last night of the year, people stay awake, reunite with their family and wait for the very first sacred moments of the year. According to the conventions, people dress smartly on the following days, pay their relatives, friends a visit and send them the beautiful regards for the upcoming year. It is also traditional in my country to go to sacred places like pagoda or churches with the aim of praying for peace and happiness in the future. In people’s belief, red is considered as the lucky color in the new year. That’s why people often choose to dress in vivid color as the way to eliminate bad luck and welcoming good things. My country also has some unique traditions like lucky money, preparing home – made food or decorating home in the first days of the year. It is also a precious time for family reunion, resolution and relaxation after a hard – working year.

 

QUESTIONS FOR PART 3

1.Why is it important to protect traditions?

Well, each and every country has its own traditions, and it is these traditions that distinguish one country from another. As a matter of fact, traditions not only represent the people of a nation but they also reflect that nation’s history as well. Therefore, I believe that if governments wish to promote patriotism and national pride, it’s essential that customs are continually practised and adapted, so that they suit modern society better yet remain relevant to the life of people.

2. What’s the most important tradition in your country?

I suppose one of the most important traditions is showing other people, especially the elderly, respect by adding specific words into our speech and behaving in an appropriate way. While some Westerners may see this as unnecessary and rather awkward, it is a way of being polite and avoiding giving unintended offense for people in my country. In addition to this, there are other important traditions, such as exchanging red envelopes on New Year or eating mooncakes during the Mid-autumn festival.

3. What kinds of traditions have disappeared in your country?

As society develops, some traditions have been done away with. For example, people used to dye their teeth black in the past, but not in modern days anymore. This is probably because of the difference in beauty standards now and then. While it was once considered elegant to have black teeth, which entails having to dye them several times to make them look smooth and shiny, these days, white and even teeth are what people yearn for.

4. Why should children learn about traditions?

In my opinion, if children are informed about the traditions of their country, they’ll feel stronger love and responsibility for the culture of their country. Moreover, it is young children who will eventually be responsible for preserving traditions and passing them down to future generations. If the young aren’t properly educated about traditional customs, those customs will most likely disappear in the future.

5. What can governments do to protect traditions?

Well, I think there are several measures that governments can take. One way is to maintain the celebration of traditional festivals and encourage people to take an active part in them. It’s important to make sure that these festivals are not only celebrated among local citizens but also known nationwide which, with the help of social media, can now easily be done. Governments, especially those of developing countries, need also to limit the impacts of globalisation on their culture to prevent traditional customs from being replaced by foreign ones.

 

VOCABULARY

• Distinguish [verb]: to notice or recognize a difference between people or things

Example: I have trouble distinguishing the twins.

• Patriotism [noun]: love that people feel for their country

Example: They supported the war with a fierce patriotism.

• Relevant [adjective]: relating to a subject in an appropriate way

Example: Make sure your answers during the interview are short and relevant or you will lose marks.

• Awkward[adjective]: difficult to deal with and embarrassing

Example: There was an awkward pause in the conversation.

• Offense [noun]: something that causes a person to be hurt, angry, or upset

Example: Mary didn’t say hello and her teacher took it as an offense.

• To be done away with [expression]: to be got rid of, to be made to disappear

Example: A lot of the restrictions on imports have been done away with, so that it is now easy to import goods.

• Entail [verb]: to cause or involve by necessity or as a consequence

Example: A lavish wedding entails extensive planning and often staggering expenses.

• Yearn [verb]: to feel a strong desire or wish for something or to do something

Example: Not having seen their families for months, the sailors out at sea yearned for home..

• Preserve [verb]: to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition

Example: The fossils were well preserved so that they could be displayed in museums.

• Pass something down [expression]: to give knowledge or teach skills to your children or to younger people

Example: These traditional stories have been passed down from parent to child over many generations.

• Nationwide [adjective]: extending throughout the nation

Example: The murders attracted nationwide attention. Everyone was following the news about these cases.