As far as the major festivals are concerned, I have to agree that they are too commercialized.
Eid al-Fitr is one of the most important festivals for Muslims in this country. Prior to this important occasion is the month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. It is during this month that the advertisers ceaselessly ply their wares to the point of madness. Everything is dressed up, spruced up, and made to look good so that they sell. And do they sell. The supermarkets are filled to capacity by shoppers who just about go berserk buying things for the festival.
How much of the things the shoppers buy are really necessary? That will depend on what is deemed necessary. However, it would seem that with all the cheap sales and competitions that are held regularly, much of the things that shoppers buy are really unnecessary. They just buy them because the offers are too good to be refused.
Perhaps if you look around your house you may find that you have things that you once bought but never found the time or need to use them.
So the situation is the same as Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Christmas, and other festivals. Every year when these festivals come around, the people go on a splurge of buying. It has become customary to go shopping before a festival. A person who does not go on such a spree is considered a real tightwad.
The shopping complexes and supermarkets are well-versed with this festival game. When Chinese New Year is around, new year songs are played non-stop and all sorts of goodies are on display. Any shopper who ventures into such a supermarket is almost certain to get into the new year or buying spirit and before he or she knows it, the supermarket has made yet another killing. Such is the power of advertisement.
Come, Hari Raya, the supermarkets change their tunes to Hari Raya songs and appropriate goodies. The shoppers are again beguiled and taken in. The situation is modified yet again for Christmas and other occasions. The shoppers are constantly fed this diet of buying more than necessary. No wonder supermarkets and shopping com-plexes thrive.
So the real spirit of the festivals has been cleverly modified and overwhelmed by advertisers until the festivals are not much more than big shopping sprees, much to the delight of manufacturers and producers. There is not much anyone can do about it because no one really cares what the real spirit behind the festivals are. What each is concerned about is that some supermarket is offering great discounts or giant sale and these offers are not to be missed. Would you pass up such offers?