WHY DO WE CELEBRATE

Every year, thousands upon thousands of people choose to leave work, skip school, and possibly come together to form a massive
group to celebrate... The people come in all shapes and sizes, and nationality need not be an issue. What do they celebrate? It doesn’t
matter.

The description above can be related to holidays and celebrations all over the world; indeed, it may be a generic way of looking at
almost any celebration. Though the number of people participating may change, the spirit of the event is likely to stay the same.
Herein lies the true reason we, as humans, spend countless hours celebrating birthdays and other special days: to build bridges
amongst one another.

At first, such a statement may sound odd and inaccurate: New Year’s Eve is all about ushering in the upcoming year, while the North American Halloween is
simply an excuse to wear a costume and collect a gargantuan amount of candy. Even these two events, however, serve to bring people closer together. In
today’s society, where the media constantly litters our minds with violence and fear, the benefits of such holidays may be lost with frightening images of
razorblades placed inside apples to hurt children or drunkards fighting on New Year’s Eve. Such cases are rare, if they occur at all, and should be taken with a
few grains of salt.

Both New Year’s Eve and Halloween, along with countless other holidays and celebrations, work towards bringing people together. As young children, we are
constantly told never to accept candy from strangers and yet every October 31, we are encouraged to ignore this evil stranger stigma and go door-to-door to
ask for sweets. When growing up, some are also encouraged to stay away from large noisy crowds and yet, on December 31 of every year, such crowds consist
of nothing more than a lot of cheering, smiling, and even hugging. These are just two examples, though there are many more.When people come together to
celebrate something, they do so a way that ignores prejudice and condemns shyness; celebrations work to bring people together regardless of who those people
are. Even on solemn occasions where we remember past tragedies or the loss of a loved one, friends and family – and sometimes even strangers – come
together as a collective whole to remember, celebrate, and support one another.

When dealing with celebrations, there is one quote that comes to mind. It is from a biblical source, though can be applied in this context as well:

“For everything there is a season,

And a time for every matter under heaven:
... A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance...”
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

That describes celebrations in a universal way, for different celebrations entail different emotions and qualities, from tears to dancing, or even both. The
important thing regarding celebrations is not that we are throwing a party, but rather that we are coming together as one society and one world, to celebrate
together.

Even in ancient times, celebrations were used to bring people together. The Ancient Greeks had the Olympics, which helped promote peace among warring
countries and states. During the Olympic games, the Greeks allowed for the safe passage to all those participating or observing the games and some ancient
texts go as far as to say that the Greeks actually laid down all of their arms during the games! In an ancient era where war was extremely common, it is incredible
to see the power that the Olympics – a celebration of physical capability – had on warring factions!

Indeed, such is the case today as well. We celebrate many different events, and yet all such celebrations bring people together in peace, harmony, and unity.
All such holidays make us forget the troubles we face and allow us to be happy and experience the peace that is required to improve and help the world.

If only we held celebrations every day...

Sum It Up
 1. Preview the text by looking at headings, sub heading,
pictures, diagrams, etc. Then read the text carefully.

2. Highlight VIPs (very important points).

3. Create an A+ B + C topic sentence.

A=Identify the title or main heading
B=Select a strong verb (don’t use is or was)
C=Finish your thought with the big idea.

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER REGARDLESS OF WHO THOSE PEOPLE ARE? EVEN ON SOLEMN OCCASIONS
WHERE WE REMEMBER PAST TRAGEDIES OR THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE

4. Now add on your VIPs. Be sure to write them as

complete sentences.

frichardson@nbss.ie

Get the Gist Strategy

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER REGARDLESS OF WHO THOSE PEOPLE ARE? EVEN ON SOLEMN OCCASIONS
WHERE WE REMEMBER PAST TRAGEDIES OR THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE.

THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT CELEBRATIONS IS NOT THAT WE ARE ORGANIZING A PARTY, BUT THAT WE UNITE AS A SOCIETY
AND A WORLD, TO CELEBRATE TOGETHER.

WE CELEBRATE MANY DIFFERENT EVENTS, YET ALL THESE CELEBRATIONS BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER IN PEACE, HARMONY AND
UNITY.
Strategy – Get the Gist National Behaviour Support Service

Get the Gist

1. Preview the text by looking at headings, subheading, pictures,
diagrams,etc.

2. Then read the selection carefully.

3. Highlight the who, what, when, where, why and how of

the text.

4. Write a 20 word ‘gist’ summary using the information you have

highlighted.

frichardson@nbss.ie Get the Gist Strategy

THE CELEBRATION ALLOWS US TO RECONNECT WITH OUR PERSONAL, SPIRITUAL AND
CULTURAL HERITAGE AS WE TRY TO CREATE MEMORIES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION,
REMINDING US THAT WE BELONG TO A LARGER COMMUNITY, BE IT A FAMILY, A NATION OR
ANYTHING ELSE.
THAT DESCRIBES CELEBRATIONS IN A UNIVERSAL WAY, SINCE DIFFERENT CELEBRATIONS INVOLVE
DIFFERENT EMOTIONS AND QUALITIES, FROM TEARS TO DANCING, OR EVEN BOTH.

frichardson@nbss.ie Get the Gist Strategy

 READING COMPREHENSION

NAME_________________________________ GROUP_________

1. Read the text

2. Fill out the 5Ws and H
Who:

What:

When:

Where:

Why:

How:

3. Write the gist of what you have read in 40 words or less!

frichardson@nbss.ie Get the Gist Strategy