the.com/festivity
the universe's reminder that survival deserves a soundtrack and someone's questionable dance moves
means A joyful celebration or the general spirit of merrymaking that marks a special occasion.
from From Latin festivitas, built on festivus 'merry, festive,' which springs from festus 'joyful, of a holiday' — the same root that gives us feast, festival, and fiesta. That festus is tied to the sacred days of the Roman calendar, the dies festi when work stopped and the gods got their due, so the word has always carried the sense of time set apart for delight. It strolled into English through Old French festivité in the late Middle Ages.
- ancient roots
- Romans had over 100 festival days annually
- brain chemistry
- shared celebration spikes oxytocin and dopamine together
- word origin
- from Latin festus, meaning joyful or holy
- global glue
- every known human culture invented festivals independently
- economic force
- festivals drive billions in tourism each year
carnival of rio — annual 5-day celebration in rio de janeiro attracting 2 million visitors
oktoberfest — 16-day beer festival in munich, germany drawing 6 million attendees yearly
diwali — hindu festival of lights celebrated by 1 billion people across india and diaspora
la tomatina — annual tomato fight in buñol, spain since 1945