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Festivals are celebrated all around the world. Every festival has its different customs. However, no matter how different they may seem, all over the world, the spirit of sharing joy, thanks, love, or peace is common in all festivals.

Of all the traditional festivals, the harvest（丰收）festival can be found in almost every culture. People celebrate to show that they are thankful for the year’s food. In ancient Egypt, the harvest festival was celebrated during the springtime—the Egyptian harvest season. It had a parade（游行）and a great large meal with music, dancing, and sports. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, families gather to admire the shining moon and enjoy delicious moon cakes.

Customs play an important role in festivals, but sometimes they can change over time for different reasons. Let’s take Chinese Spring Festival for example. One custom is lighting fireworks（烟花）to drive away the bad spirits and celebrate the new year. But now more and more people have realized that lighting fireworks is harmful to the air and the waste left by fireworks always makes our neighborhood dirty. So many big cities have given up this custom.

What’s more, 30 years ago, people usually spent time together at home for several days, but now they have more ways to entertain（娱乐）themselves like watching movies, visiting fun parks. And now people found it convenient to travel among cities, so people now feel like travelling across the country even abroad during the festival.

More and more businesses are taking advantage of the celebrations of festivals. Online shopping websites and social media apps have made it much easier for the public to spend more on gifts for their loved ones. Some believe festivals shouldn’t be used for business purposes, while others think the increase in spending is good for the economy（经济）.

Festivals are an important part of society. They allow us to relax and enjoy life, and forget about our work for a little while. They help us understand where we came from, who we are, and what to thank for.

1．Do different festivals have the common spirit of sharing joy, thanks, love, or peace?
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2．How did Egyptian people celebrate their harvest festival?
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3．Why do customs of Chinese Spring Festival change over time according to the passage?
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4．Do you think the celebrations of festivals should be used for business purposes? Why or why not?
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