In this article, azVocab has compiled IELTS phrases related to the “Festival and Tradition” topic, which you can easily apply to IELTS Writing Task 2 or the Speaking section. We also provided you with full meanings and examples of these phrases to make it easier for you to apply.
Subtopic Festival
The topic of Festival is a common one in everyday communication as well as in various sections of the IELTS exam.
| PHRASE | MEANING | EXAMPLE |
| To be aesthetically decorated | To be decorated in a pleasing appearance | The wedding was aesthetically decorated with flowers and ribbons everywhere. |
| To pay tribute to | To honor and praise (someone) | Memorial Day is a national holiday to pay tribute to Vietnamese soldiers killed in military service. |
| Festive occasions | Events that’s full of joy, smiles, and excitement | Christmas is also one of my all-time favorite festive occasions. |
| Festive season | The period immediately leading up to Christmas and ending just after New Year | The event marks the beginning of the festive season. |
| To have a feast | To have a large, special meal, often for many people, to celebrate someone or something | On each Thanksgiving, families, and friends gather to have a feast. |
| In a festive mood | Having or producing happy and enjoyable feelings suitable for a festival or other special occasion | With all this talk of Christmas, I try to get in a festive mood by making mince pies. |
| In high spirits | If someone is in high spirits, they are extremely happy and having a good time | All the children were in high spirits on the first day of school. |
| To make merry | To enjoy oneself with others by dancing and drinking | People always make merry on New Year’s Eve. |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | A celebration of the rice harvest and many fruits, which occurs in the mid-autumn according to Lunar calendar | Besides the Tet Holiday, the Mid-Autumn festival is one of the most famous festivals and it is a traditional celebration for Vietnamese children. |
| Cold Food Festival | A traditional festival of Vietnamese which takes place on the 3rd day of the third lunar month in the year | For the Cold Food Festival, making banh troi and banh chay with the whole family is the go-to activity for numerous households. |
| Hung Kings’ Temple Festival | A traditional festival which honors the first King of Vietnam – King Hung | The Hung Kings’ Temple Festival is a Vietnamese festival held annually from the 8th to the 11th days of the third lunar month in honour of the Hung Vương or Hung Kings. |
| Candlelight ceremonies | An event where people gather, light candles, and show their support or pray together | In Hoi An Lantern Festival, candlelight ceremonies are held in many temples. |
| Flag raising ceremony | A traditional military ceremony in which soldiers raise the flag to show respect (at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum) | On Reunification day, I usually go to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to watch the flag raising ceremony. |
| To push the boat out | To spend a lot of money on celebrating something | We really push the boat out during spring festival celebrations. |
| Slap-up meal | A large enjoyable meal | There is usually a customary slap-up meal. |
| Spring festival | The festival that marks the beginning of spring and the end of winter | The Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Chinese people and is when all family members get together, just like Christmas in the West. |
| To join in the festivities | To participate in festivities or celebrations | Visitors are warmly welcomed and encouraged to join the festivities and games by the locals. |
| To put something on display | To demonstrate or reveal something in public view | Every year the town puts fireworks on display as part of the festivals. |
| Patron saint | A Christian saint who is believed to give special help to a particular place, activity, person, or type of object | Villagers hold annual festivals to commemorate their patron saints or guardian spirits. |
| Religious ritual | Any repetitive and patterned behavior that is prescribed by or tied to a religious institution, belief, or custom, often with the intention of communicating with a deity or supernatural power | Vietnamese festivals combine ancient religious rituals, lively performances of music, dances, and colorful images from mythology. |
| Festive celebration | A special day or period, usually in memory of a religious event, with its own social activities, food, or ceremonies | The dragon dance is a form of traditional dance, which is most often seen in festive celebrations. |
| Annual ceremony | The ceremony that happens once every year | An annual ceremony is held to pay tribute to the death of the national hero during the fight against foreign invaders. |
| New Year’s Day | The first day of the year; in the modern Western calendar, January 1 | New Year’s Day, also called simply New Year’s or New Year, is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the Julian calendar. |
| New Year’s Eve | The last day of the year, and esp. the evening of the last day, when many people celebrate | In the Gregorian calendar, New Year’s Eve, the last day of the year, is on December 31 which is the seventh day of the Christmas season. |
Subtopic Tradition
Below, azVocab will provide you with phrases related to the “Tradition” topic. You can apply them to your Writing Task 2 or Speaking part.
| PHRASE | MEANING | EXAMPLE |
| A long-standing tradition | A belief, principle, or way of acting that people in a particular society or group have continued to follow for a long time, or all of these beliefs, etc. | Making sticky rice cakes during the Tet holiday is a long-standing tradition of Vietnamese people. |
| Ancestor veneration | The custom of venerating deceased ancestors who are considered still a part of the family and whose spirits are believed to have the power to intervene in the affairs of the living | Well, if I am to describe an interesting tradition in my country, I would talk about ancestor veneration, a very popular tradition across Asia including Vietnam. |
| Ancestral rites | Ceremony of memory | The reason why I think this is a very interesting tradition in Vietnam is that women are traditionally allowed to participate in and co-officiate ancestral rites. |
| Cultural heritage | The legacy of physical artifacts (cultural property) and intangible attributes of a group or society inherited from the past | Jazz is part of the cultural heritage of the southern United States. |
| Cultural norm | The standards we live by | In some countries, marriage between cousins is a cultural norm. |
| Cultural tradition | The practices, beliefs, customs, and habits that are passed down from generation to generation within a particular society | Hospitality is a great cultural tradition in Mediterranean countries. |
| Customs and beliefs | Beliefs and practices that have evolved over time, with the only difference appearing to be the length of time and observance by a larger segment of society | These communities had a strong sense of identity, due to their shared customs and beliefs. |
| Dragon/lion dance | A traditional Vietnamese lion/ dragon dance, which is usually performed on festivals and major occasions, particularly during Tet (the Lunar New Year holiday). The dance is believed to dispel evil and bring good luck | The dragon dance is a form of traditional dance and performance in many Asian culture. |
| Family altar | Altars raised up to pray for the family | Some worship at the family altar or visit their ancestors’ graves in their homeland. What I love the most about Tet is Tet food. |
| Family reunion | An occasion when many members of an extended family congregate | A family reunion is an occasion when many members of an extended family congregate |
| Five-fruit tray | A fruit tray which has 5 kinds of fruit and symbolizes the admiration and gratitude of the Vietnamese to Heaven and Earth and their ancestors, and demonstrates their aspiration for prosperity | A five-fruit tray which cannot be missed in Tet holiday is the symbol for the admiration and gratitude of the Vietnamese to Heaven and Earth and their ancestors to express their aspiration for prosperity, good luck, good health and happiness. |
| Folk dancing | A popular dance, considered as part of the tradition or custom of a particular people | Folk dancing is quite popular, even among young people, The dancers wear traditional costume, which looks beautiful |
| Hustle and bustle | Busy noisy activity of a lot of people in one place | As we often return to our homeland during Tet holiday, it is a breath of fresh air from the hustle and bustle of city life. |
| Incense sticks | A stick coated with incense, which burns slowly, releasing a fragrant odour | During these occasions, incense sticks and hell notes are usually burnt, along with platters of food being served on the altars as offerings. |
| Public duty | A duty in the discharge of which the State, the public or the cominunity at large has an interest | Civil servants need a sense of public duty. |
| Red envelope | Gifts presented at social and family gatherings such as weddings or holidays such as Lunar New Year | Vietnamese have had the tradition of giving small children lucky money in a red envelope on the first day of Lunar New Year. |
| Religious affiliation | The self-identified association of a person with a religion, denomination or sub-denominational religious group | It is easy to find an ancestor altar in nearly every single Vietnamese household regardless of religious affiliation. |
| Rich tradition | A tradition of which very many valuable examples can be found, so making it a source of inspiration for anyone wanting to draw on it | There is a rich tradition of music and dance in Sweden. |
| Shanties | The traditional songs with alternating solo and chorus, of a kind originally sung by sailors while performing physical labor together | Children sometimes sing shanties at primary school. |
| To hand something down | To pass traditions from older people to younger ones | Cultural values have been handed down for hundreds of years, but now they are starting to disappear. |
| Tribal communities | Groups of people, often of related families, who live together, sharing the same language, culture, and history, especially those who do not live in towns or cities | These tribal communities continue to hunt and gather food from the forest, and traditional skills are passed on to children by parents and elders. |
| To worship ancestors | To venerate deceased ancestors who are considered still a part of the family and whose spirits are believed to have the power to intervene in the affairs of the living | The custom of worshiping ancestors is a beautiful, rich, colorful and joyful tradition in Vietnamese culture. |
| To pay homage to our ancestors | To give great respect and honor, or to do something done to honor our ancestors | We pay homage to our ancestors and say prayers in homage to their memory. |
| To express our gratitude to the country’s forefathers and heroes | To express your love, gratitude, and admiration toward our national heroes | We are blessed to be born in a country which was independent and we must express our gratitude to the country’s forefathers and heroes. |
| Traditional dance | Any local dancing tradition, often strongly connected with local musical forms and/or local beliefs | His family’s wild traditional dance was just as impressive, as the crowd stomped and clapped, but it failed to get them the nod. |
azVocab hopes that these phrases for the topic of “Festival and Tradition” will help you easily approach these two subjects. Wishing you good study and success in your upcoming IELTS exam!
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