TASK 2: You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Most people have forgotten the meaning behind traditional or religious festivals (ý nghĩa đằng sau các lễ hội truyền thống hoặc tôn giáo); during festival periods, people nowadays only want to enjoy themselves. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Some people argue that we no longer remember the original meaning of festivals ( ý nghĩa nguồn gốc của các lễ hội), and that most of us treat them as opportunities to have fun ( coi chúng như cơ hội để vui chơi). While I agree that enjoyment seems to be the priority during festival times, I do not agree that people have forgotten what these festivals mean.
On the one hand, religious and traditional festivals have certainly become times for celebration ( trở thành những thời khắc để ăn mừng). In the UK, Christmas is a good example of a festival period when people are most concerned with shopping, giving and receiving presents, decorating their homes and enjoying traditional meals with their families. Most people look forward to Christmas as a holiday period ( mong đợi giáng sinh như một kỳ nghỉ lễ), rather than a time to practise religion ( hơn là dịp để thực hiện lễ giáo). Similar behaviour can be seen during non-religious festivals, such as Bonfire Night. People associate this occasion with making fires, watching firework displays ( tham gia vào dịp này bằng việc bắn và xem pháo hoa), and perhaps going to large events in local parks; in other words, enjoyment is people’s primary goal ( hay nói cách khác, mục đích chính của mọi người là vui vẻ).
However, I disagree with the idea that the underlying meaning of such festivals ( ý nghĩa sâu xa của các lễ hội như vậy) has been forgotten. In UK primary schools, children learn in detail about the religious reasons ( học cụ thể về những mục đích tôn giáo) for celebrating Christmas, Easter and a variety of festivals in other religions. For example, in late December, children sing Christmas songs which have a religious content, and they may even perform nativity plays telling the story of Jesus’ birth ( các vở kịch về sự ra đời của Chúa Jesus). Families also play a role in passing knowledge of ( đóng vai trò trong việc truyền tải kiến thức về) religious festivals’ deeper significance ( ý nghĩa sâu sắc hơn của các lễ hội tôn giáo) on to the next generation. The same is true for festivals that have a historical background, such as Bonfire Night or Halloween, in the sense that people generally learn the stories behind these occasions at an early age.
In conclusion, although people mainly want to enjoy themselves during festivals, I believe that they are still aware of the reasons for these celebrations ( họ vẫn nhận thức được ý nghĩa của những lễ kỷ nhiệm này).
(IELTS - SIMON)