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226 ferry
ferry
Ferry service is offered on short sea routes as a
means of urban transportation �for example, the
Hong Kong Star or Staten Island ferry), as an
extension to road/rail services �as in the English
Channel), or as an essential transport link �for
example, to the Greek islands) for people and
vehicles. It is mostly provided by conventional rollon
roll-off vessels, but sometimes by faster hovercraft,
hydrofoil or twin-hulled catamaran services,
and is used by residents and tourists alike.
festival
ANNE GRAHAM, UK
All cultures celebrate, and the things, persons or
themes they value provide reasons for festivals.
Falassi �1987: 2) described them as `a sacred or
profane time of celebration, marked by special
observances'. Pieper �1973: 32) believed that only a
religious celebration could be a true festival, and
that `through it the celebrant becomes aware of,
and may enter, the greater reality which gives a
wider perspective on the world of everyday work'.
While traditional festivals often retain religious
or sacred meanings, contemporary ones are
primarily secular, or profane. Although many
traditional themes have been retained, countless
new ones have been established for purposes
ranging from economic development to building
community identity and pride. But the notion
of contrast with everyday life remains a valid
defining construct. Festivals and other forms of
special events provide more than amusement; the
atmosphere might be one of gaiety, joyfulness,
playfulness or liberation from normal constraints.
Festivals are not fairs, which have their origin
and significance in the exchange of goods and
services and are closely linked to periodic markets.
Over time, however, many fairs encompassed
educational exhibitions, competitions, amusements
and festival-like celebrations. Contemporary planners
of many types of event frequently attempt to
create a festive or celebratory atmosphere so as to
appeal to a broader audience, attract more
attention or fabricate a tradition. Hence, mega-
events like the Superbowl or world's fairs become
festival-like.
Many festivals, regardless of theme and programming,
are actually celebrations of the community
itself. Falassi �1987: 2) noted:
Both the social function and the symbolic
meaning of the festival are closely related to a
series of overt values that the community
recognizes as essential to its ideology and
worldview, to its social identity, its historical
continuity, and to its physical survival, which is
ultimately what festival celebrates.
Festivals have a multitude of potential meanings
and encompass a number of paradoxes �Lavender
1991). They can be read as `texts' which are stories
told by members of a culture about themselves; as
performances, or social dramas full of conflict and
power statements; as communications about social
ties in the society; as art forms; as deliberate
inversions or role reversals, mocking but simultaneously
reinforcing social norms. As explained by
Manning �1983: 4), celebration is performance: `it
is, or entails, the dramatic presentation of cultural
symbols'. Celebration is public, with no social
exclusion, is entertainment for the fun of it, and is
participatory, actively involving the celebrant who
takes time out of ordinary routine, and `...does so
openly, consciously and with the general aim of
aesthetic, sensual and social gratification'.
Tourists often seek out festival and other
events to gain an authentic cultural experience.
By sharing with residents in an important local
event, the visitor can capture some of the flavour of
local lifestyles and traditions. But when festivals
and other special events are consciously developed
and promoted as attractions, there is the risk that
commercialisation will detract from celebration;
that entertainment or spectacle will replace
the inherent meanings of the celebrations. In other
words, tourism might destroy cultural authenticity,
the very thing many contemporary tourists
appear to be seeking. The dilemma, however, is
that the benefits to be realised from tourism also
offer the means to create or expand festivals,
restore and cultivate traditions, and foster community
spirit and sharing.
Given that the essence of authenticity is its
cultural meaning, host communities must deter-