The celebration of festivals is an ancient practice amongst humanity and a vital part of communal life. Indeed, not only do festivals have the ability to nourish, heal, inspire and uplift families and communities, they can also have a powerful and lasting effect for good on the psyche of nations and of the planet as a whole, especially when celebrated in rhythm with the natural cycles of time and with a knowledge such as Zoence provides.
Essentially, a festival is a special feast held to mark a special occasion. A feast is centred around a meal enjoyed with other people, whether it be family, friends or the larger community. The meal is made special by its contents, how it is prepared and presented, and various enjoyable activities added to it, such as music, song and dance. When associated with religious or spiritual beliefs and activities, it also or usually includes prayer and ritual, and sometimes drama.
Although some festivals are one-off events, to mark a unique event, most are part of a recurring cycle of time, whether it be a daily, weekly, monthly, annual, or some greater time cycle. Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Christmas and the New Year are celebrated annually, for instance. Full Moon festivals are celebrated monthly (approximately). The Jewish Passover or Christian Easter is a Full Moon festival that is celebrated annually. Saints days are annual events, usually marking the anniversary of the saint's death. People who celebrate sunrise and sunset are marking key moments in the daily cycle.
Each religion has its own calendar of religious festivals. But, although often obscured by a multitude of names, symbols, beliefs and feast days, the great religions all share certain festivals in common which are immensely important to humanity as a whole. These festivals mark key moments in the planetary cycles of time, which in turn affect everyone in the world, regardless of which culture, religion, belief or non-belief they might have. These are the Great Festivals or World Festivals.