Festivals and Footprints: How Our Joy Affects the Planet

There is environmental cost of our cultural festival and celebrations. ©8214erika

Cultural festivals are among humanity's most cherished traditions. Festivals like the upcoming New Year celebration in Southeast-Asia, the famous vibrant Holi Festival in India, or the warmth of Christmas bring us together, mark the passage of time, and create moments of connection and joy. They exist in all cultures across the globe, shaping our memories and identities.

But here's a question we rarely ask: what is the environmental cost of our celebrations? How does nature feel about our festivals? 

We Forget about Our Roots

We humans like to think of the world as our stage. But in truth, we share this planet with millions of other species — animals, plants, rivers, forests, insects, oceans — all part of an ecological system. Our festivals, however, have become very human-centered. They are loud, bright, full of things we buy, burn, throw away. Nature doesn’t really get a seat at the table.

But  not so long ago, it was different…..

Many of today’s cultural festivals have their roots in something deeper — a connection to the seasons, the moon, the harvest, the land. Indigenous peoples and earlier civilizations celebrated not just for themselves, but with the natural world. They sang to the rivers. They thanked the soil. They danced for the rains, the sun, the ancestors. These rituals were not about consumption — they were about connection.

But somewhere along the way, in the rush of modern life, we forgot. What was once sacred has become spectacle. What was once gratitude has turned into glitter. Instead of honoring nature, many festivals now harm it — through noise, pollution, plastic waste, deforestation, and water waste.

Most people don’t mean to hurt. They’ve just forgotten. Maybe it’s time to remember. Not to go back in time, but to bring forward the wisdom we’ve lost — and build celebrations that honor life in all its forms, not just human joy.

The Impact on Nature

Behind the magic of many cultural events lie silent consequences - polluted skies, wasted water, poisoned rivers and forests stripped of life. If we want a future where both humans and the planet can thrive, we need to rethink the way we celebrate. Not to stop, but to transform.

Let's look at four major cultural events - New Year's Eve, Songkran, Holi and Christmas - and examine what they mean for the planet's natural resources and biodiversity.

New Year's Eve Fireworks

A celebration in smoke every year on 31 December, cities around the world burst into color and sound. Fireworks light up the sky, from Bangkok to Paris, from Sydney to New York. The world watches. It's beautiful, exciting and hopeful. But it comes at a cost that most people never see.

Fireworks are essentially small chemical explosions. And millions of them are launched into the sky every New Year's Eve. What they leave behind is a cloud of pollutants. According to the UK's Environment Agency, on Guy Fawkes Night - a similar event with many fireworks - levels of PM10 (dangerous fine particles) can rise to over 400 micrograms per cubic metre. That's more than ten times the World Health Organization's safe limit.

What they leave behind is a cloud of pollutants. ©christels

But it's not just air pollution. The bright colors come from heavy metals such as barium (green), strontium (red) and copper (blue). These metals settle in soil and water, harming aquatic life and entering the food chain. Some can persist in the environment for years.

Wildlife is also badly affected. Birds, startled by the loud bangs, flee in the dark, sometimes crashing into buildings or flying so far they can't return to their nests. A study in the Netherlands showed that thousands of birds flee at the same time during fireworks displays, some never to return.

Are a few minutes of sparkle worth poisoning our air, frightening animals and polluting our landscapes? We don't have to stop having fun - but we can demand alternatives!

Songkran: A splash too far?

Celebrated in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, Songkran marks the traditional New Year in Southeast-Asia. It's famous for its iconic water fights - streets filled with laughter, dancing and buckets of water. In the region's extreme heat, it feels like relief and freedom.

But the scale of water consumption during Songkran is enormous. In Bangkok alone, it's estimated that up to 4,000 million litres of water are used during the three-day festival. That's enough to provide millions of people with clean drinking water for weeks.

This would be less of a concern if the region wasn't also suffering from climate change-induced droughts. In 2024, Koh Samui, a tourist-heavy Thai island, faced a severe water shortage - even as celebrations continued.

 If we want Songkran to be a celebration of life, it can't be at the expense of water, the most essential resource we have. ©GettyImages

Plastic pollution is also a growing problem. Most water is carried and sprayed using cheap plastic buckets, pistols and bottles - many of which end up in rivers or rubbish dumps. The environmental cost is high.

Some cities, such as Chiang Mai, have taken steps to limit water use or encourage more symbolic rituals. But the change needs to be faster and more widespread. If we want Songkran to be a celebration of life, it can't be at the expense of water, the most essential resource we have.

Holi - Colorful joy or toxic tradition?

Holi, the Indian festival of colors, is a symbol of spring, community and renewal. It's vibrant, playful and deeply emotional. But the way we celebrate it today is far removed from its natural, traditional roots.

These powders contain industrial chemicals and heavy metals which causes harms to animal, plants, and human.©gettysignature

Originally, Holi colors were made from flowers, herbs and natural pigments. Today, synthetic colors dominate the market. Cheap, mass-produced and often unregulated, these powders contain industrial chemicals and heavy metals. When they are washed into rivers, they don't just disappear - they kill fish, poison plants and contaminate groundwater. Humans are also affected. Skin rashes, eye irritation and allergies are common. Children are particularly vulnerable.

And then there's the water. Holi is often celebrated with water balloons, hoses and even colored water cannons. In a country where over 100 million people still lack access to safe drinking water, this is hard to justify.

Another lesser known impact is the Holika Dahan bonfire. In many cities, large amounts of wood are burned, contributing to deforestation and increasing carbon emissions. In places where forests are already shrinking, this is a dangerous trend.

Holi can be joyful and sustainable. Natural colors, water restrictions and community-led awareness can bring the festival back to its roots - and protect the environment it once honored.

Christmas

Trees, plastic and consumerism Christmas is often portrayed as the season of giving. But increasingly it has become the season of over-consumption.

Around 120 million real Christmas trees are cut down each year. Some come from sustainable farms, but many are taken from natural forests, fragmenting wildlife habitats and reducing biodiversity. The carbon footprint of each tree felled - from transport to disposal - adds up quickly.

Around 120 million real Christmas trees are cut down each year. ©Tuanjai

Then there are artificial trees, made from PVC plastic and often shipped from China. They're only good for the environment if they're reused for 10 years or more. But most are thrown away much sooner, ending up in landfill where they take centuries to decompose.

Gifts, wrapping paper, battery-operated toys, electronics - they all fuel the holiday waste crisis. In the US alone, household waste increases by more than 25% during the holidays.

Christmas doesn't have to mean destruction. What if we made gifts by hand, decorated with natural materials, or gave experiences instead of things? The true spirit of the season - kindness, generosity, family - doesn't need glitter and plastic.

Celebration Can Be Part of the Solution

We don’t need to take joy away. But we do need to remember what joy really means.

The climate crisis is real. Biodiversity is in decline. Water is becoming ever more precious. And yet, many of our festivals have drifted far from their roots — becoming massive engines of consumption, shaped more by markets than meaning.

But human-made cultural festivals were never meant to be about economic growth or mass entertainment. At their heart, they were about connection — to each other, to the seasons, to our ancestors, and to the natural world around us. They were a way to give thanks. To pause. To belong to something larger. This is what we can reclaim.

Young people are already leading the way. Communities are beginning to return to nature-based rituals. Cities are testing new, greener traditions. Artists are using their voices to remind us what celebration can be — beautiful, joyful, and in harmony with life.

Culture can lead us back to balance and harmony with nature.

Imagine a New Year that honors the cycle of time with light and intention, not explosions. A Holi where colors come from the earth, and not a chemical factory. A Songkran that cools and refreshes without waste. A Christmas rooted in gratitude, connection, and care — not just shopping.

Culture festivals and sustainability are not in conflict. In fact, culture can lead us back to balance — if we let it.

Let’s reimagine our festivals not just as moments of human joy, but as opportunities to reconnect. To our stories. To the Earth. To the values that truly matter. Because we’re not alone here. And real celebration means honoring all that gives us life.