Organized celebrations or events featuring performances, food, or activities, usually held on a regular basis and attracting many people.
From Old French 'festival,' derived from Latin 'festivus' (festive), which comes from 'festum' (feast or festival day). The word has referred to religious and secular celebrations for centuries.
The oldest continuously held festival is probably the ancient Greek Olympiad (if you count that), but many cultures have festivals tied to harvests—showing that humans have always needed scheduled times to pause work, celebrate, and reinforce community bonds.
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