A souvenir is a product that works as a souvenir of a trip.
The French word souvenir is part of the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ). It is something that is acquired in a place as a souvenir , as a testimony that said place was visited. For example: “When I went to Paris, I bought a beautiful souvenir of the Eiffel Tower,” “Don't you know where there is a souvenir shop?” , “This afternoon I am going to go buy some souvenirs to take as gifts to the children.”
When observing the etymology of the term souvenir we find that it is made up of two very common components: the prefix sub- , which means "low" and has also given rise to terms such as sublime, suburb and auction; the verb "come." Although "coming down" does not seem to have much relation to the concept, it refers to the fact that the acquired object comes to help us remember , we bring it so that it makes it easier for us to evoke certain images.
Souvenir objective
It could be said that the objective of a souvenir is the association of an experience with the object . Suppose that a person who lives in Spain visits New York for the first time and enjoys a few very pleasant days in the city. Before returning to his country, he decides to acquire a miniature figure of the Statue of Liberty as a souvenir . In this way, he buys the ornament and takes it to his home in Spain . Every time you see the small Statue of Liberty , you will remember those vacations in New York .
Souvenirs can also serve as a gift : if a person, in the middle of a trip, buys a souvenir and upon return gives it to a loved one, they will be showing that they thought of them even during their vacations or tours. Returning to the example of the subject who visited New York , he can buy five figures of the Statue of Liberty , keep one for his home and distribute the other four among his parents and siblings.
A souvenir can be produced by hand or industrially.
A source of income
Because souvenirs are very popular, their sale represents an important source of income for tourist cities. In this sense, it is necessary to distinguish between industrial products and artisanal products , since they present several differences, which may be of interest to different types of consumers. On the one hand, handmade souvenirs always have a certain degree of authenticity that is impossible to achieve through an industrial process, even if they are not exclusive models.
The artisans do not limit themselves to repeating the creation process in a cold and automated way, but rather they imprint their passion on each figure, and this can be seen with the naked eye. Of course, this level of dedication also translates into the final price of the items, something that for many is not justified, especially if they want to purchase them in large quantities to distribute among their loved ones when they return from a trip. However, art lovers prefer to invest a little more money to get their hands on something unique , that has been produced by another human being.
Party souvenir
The souvenir is also very frequently used at birthday parties or other celebrations, as a small gift that is given to guests before they leave. The objectives in this case are to thank them for their presence and give them one or more objects that they can keep to remember the meeting in the future.
Holiday souvenirs are often delivered in bags or small packages , and many people spend a good portion of the overall gathering organization finding the ideal layout and content. Depending on whether it is a celebration for adults or children, it is common for the souvenir to include candy, small figures, floral arrangements and a card with a thank you note.