Festivals are an important part of society. They reflect people’s wishes, beliefs, faiths and    1    . They are    2     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     3    . And if you study festivals carefully, you may be surprised to find that     4     actually have a lot in common after all.

In Britain and the USA, the managing directors     1     presidents of big companies are often     2     of being ‘fat cats’, i.e. bosses     3     salaries are often twenty-five times more than the company’s     4     worker. When times are hard and workers are     5     off, they receive very little. Departing directors, on the other hand, get big golden    6    .     7     contrast, in Japan the ratio between the     8     and lowest paid is normally a more modest seven or eight to one. In     9    , large Japanese companies have the     10    of taking care of all their employees, and the concept of a ‘job for life’ is still, by and large, true.