Definitions for festival
ˈfɛs tə vəlfes·ti·val

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.5 / 6 votes

1. festivalnoun

   a day or period of time set aside for feasting and celebration

2. festival, fetenoun

   an organized series of acts and performances (usually in one place)

   "a drama festival"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.4 / 8 votes

1. festivalnoun

   An event or community gathering, usually staged by a local community, which centers on some theme, sometimes on some unique aspect of the community.

2. festivalnoun

   In mythology, a set of celebrations in the honour of a god.

3. festivaladjective

   Pertaining to a feast or feast-day. (Now only as the noun used attributively.)

4. Etymology: From festivalis, from festivus.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. FESTIVALadjective

   Pertaining to feasts; joyous.

   Etymology: festivus, Latin.

   He appeared at great tables, and festival entertainments, that he might manifest his divine charity to men. Francis Atterbury.

2. Festivalnoun

   Time of feast; anniversary-day of civil or religious joy.

   So tedious is this day,
   As is the night before some festival,
   To an impatient child that hath new robes,
   And may not wear them. William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.

   Th’ invited sisters with their graces blest
   Their festivals. George Sandys.

   The morning trumpets festival proclaim’d
   Through each high street. John Milton, Agonistes.

   Follow, ye nymphs and shepherds all,
   Come celebrate this festival,
   And merrily sing, and sport, and play;
   For ’tis Oriana’s nuptial day. George Granville.

   By sacrifice of the tongues they purged away whatever they had spoken amiss during the festival. Notes on the Odyssey.

   The festival of our Lord’s resurrection we have celebrated, and may now consider the chief consequence of his resurrection, a judgment to come. Francis Atterbury, Sermons.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Festival

   A festival is an extraordinary event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival constitutes typical cases of glocalization, as well as the high culture-low culture interrelationship. Next to religion and folklore, a significant origin is agricultural. Food is such a vital resource that many festivals are associated with harvest time. Religious commemoration and thanksgiving for good harvests are blended in events that take place in autumn, such as Halloween in the northern hemisphere and Easter in the southern. Festivals often serve to fulfill specific communal purposes, especially in regard to commemoration or thanking to the gods, goddesses or saints: they are called patronal festivals. They may also provide entertainment, which was particularly important to local communities before the advent of mass-produced entertainment. Festivals that focus on cultural or ethnic topics also seek to inform community members of their traditions; the involvement of elders sharing stories and experience provides a means for unity among families. Attendants of festivals are often motivated by a desire for escapism, socialization and camaraderie; the practice has been seen as a means of creating geographical connection, belonging and adaptability.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. festival

   A festival can be defined as a cultural or social event, typically recurring annually, characterized by a series of activities, celebrations, performances, or exhibits, often focusing on a specific theme, tradition, or occasion. Festivals usually involve community participation and are often characterized by music, dance, food, and various forms of entertainment. They may have religious, historical, or seasonal significance and aim to bring people together to commemorate, celebrate, or showcase aspects of a community's culture, heritage, or achievements.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Festivaladjective

   pertaining to a fest; festive; festal; appropriate to a festival; joyous; mirthful

2. Etymology: [OF. festival, fr. L. festivum festive jollity, fr. festivus festive, gay. See Festive.]

FreebaseRate this definition:3.3 / 6 votes

1. Festival

   A festival or gala is an event ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival. Among many religions, a feast is a set of celebrations in honour of God or gods. A feast and a festival are historically interchangeable. However, the term "feast" has also entered common secular parlance as a synonym for any large or elaborate meal. When used as in the meaning of a festival, most often refers to a religious festival rather than a film or art festival. In the Philippines and many other former Spanish colonies, the Spanish word fiesta is used to denote a communal religious feast to honor a patron saint. In the Christian liturgical calendar there are two principal feasts, properly known as the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and the Feast of the Resurrection,. In the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican liturgical calendars there are a great number of lesser feasts throughout the year commemorating saints, sacred events, doctrines, etc.

Matched Categories

1. • Festivity
   • Time Period

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'festival' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3228

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'festival' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3899

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'festival' in Nouns Frequency: #1227

How to pronounce festival?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say festival in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of festival in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of festival in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of festival in a Sentence

1. Jean Baudrillard:

   There is nothing funny about Halloween. This sarcastic festival reflects, rather, an infernal demand for revenge by children on the adult world.

2. Amit Ray:

   It is the duty of the United Nations, is to make every international border a garden, a place of art and cultural festival.

3. Alex Broun:

   Hopefully that is something that can change. look at what the Emirates Literary Festival has done for literature; what Dubai International Film Festival has done for film, the visual arts are very strong.

4. James Gagliano:

   All security considerations are based on what your analysis is of the threat, garlic Festival wasn't an event that was going to have high-level politicians or political overtones, Garlic Festival was Garlic Festival. They probably looked at Garlic Festival and said... the fence should be an enough of a deterrence.

5. Yi Mao:

   Festivals are the days when homesickness is at its worst, and Moon Festival is an important festival for the Chinese.

Popularity rank by frequency of use