Every culture in the world celebrates festivals. Though different festivals have different origins, the spirit of 【小题1】 (share) joy, gratitude, love, or peace is common in all festivals.

The harvest festival, 【小题2】 takes place after all the crops have been gathered in, can be found in almost every culture. People celebrate it   【小题3】 (show) their gratitude to the year’s supply of food. But the 【小题4】 (celebrate) vary from country to country. In ancient Egypt, it featured a parade and a great feast with music, dancing, and sports during the springtime 【小题5】 during the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, families gather to admire the shining moon and enjoy delicious mooncakes.

Customs change with the 【小题6】 (develop) of modern society. In China, many big cities 【小题7】 (give) up the custom of lighting   firecrackers in order to avoid air pollution.

Nowadays, businesses take advantage of the celebrations and make festivals 【小题8】 (commercialise). Although some are 【小题9】 it, others believe the increase in spending is good for the economy and public happiness.

Festivals reflect people’s wishes, beliefs, faiths and attitudes towards life. If you study festivals 【小题10】 (careful), you may be surprised to find that different cultures actually have a lot in common after all.

The annual Dalian International Sand Cultural Festival ended in September and 【小题1】 three-month festival attracted 3.1 million tourists both from home and abroad to Dalian Jinshitan National Tourist Resort(度假胜地).

According 【小题2】 the organizing committee, the festival promoted tourism consumption by 1.55 billion yuan for the national 5A-level resort in Dalian Jinpu New District, Northeast China's Liaoning province. “We're promoting the tourism industry 【小题3】 (build) Jinshitan into a world-famous tourist resort," said Shang Shuchen, 【小题4】 (direct) of Dalian Jinshitan National Tourist Resort.

【小题5】(know) as Golden Pebble Beach, Jinshitan is famous for its beautiful 【小题6】(nature) scenery. During the festival, 18 themed activities 【小题7】 (hold) , showing international youth culture and art exchange, seafood cuisine, beach volleyball match, model contest, environmental protection and so on, 【小题8】 provided more choices for citizens and tourists to enrich the beach life.

Over the years, Dalian Jinpu New District has 【小题9】 (successful) held a number of special tourism festivals with its rich culture and tourism resources. The International Sand Cultural Festival at Jinshitan 【小题10】 (become) a well-known brand in Northeast China and even Northeast Asia.

Lockdown Love

The cost of a typical Saudi wedding is enough to prevent the most passionate lover. Even a simple party involves renting an impressive ballroom. Then there are the cheerleaders and musicians. Men and women gather in separate halls, 【小题1】 (double) some of the prices. Altogether it might cost 200,000 riyals ($53,000). Often, many of these marriages end in divorce. Those that don’t 【小题2】 (burden) with debt.

Therefore, many couples have welcomed these 【小题3】(restrict) that have come with Covid-19. In 2020, Saudi Arabia limited gatherings to 50 people or 【小题4】 (few), so couples could downsize their weddings 【小题5】 losing face. They chose some 【小题6】 (share) halls over ballrooms. Smaller crowds ate smaller cakes. All in all 【小题7】 Saudi couple might have spent 90% less on their weddings. Though the Covid-19 recedes (退去), some still express concern over the health of in-laws. “A girl always dreams of a five-star marriage, but Covid-19 has made us more 【小题8】 (practice),” says Bayan Zahran, a lawyer in Jeddah. Some couples are opting for a simple party, 【小题9】 places little pressure on either side. They, 【小题10】, must still deal with pressure from their family and peers.