List of harvest festivals facts for kids

A harvest festival is a special yearly celebration. It happens when farmers gather their main crops, like grains, fruits, or vegetables. These festivals are celebrated all over the world. The exact time depends on the local climate and what crops are grown. It's a time to give thanks for the food and hard work!

Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations in Victoria Park, Hong Kong

Harvest Festivals Around the World

Africa

Many countries in Africa celebrate harvest festivals. These events often involve music, dancing, and special foods. They are a way to thank the land for its gifts.

• Irreechaa: This festival is celebrated by the Oromo people in Ethiopia. It's a thanksgiving event held near rivers or lakes.
• Ikore: The Yoruba people in Nigeria celebrate Ikore. It's a time to honor the gods for a good harvest.
• Homowo: The Ga people of Ghana celebrate Homowo. This festival remembers a time of famine and celebrates overcoming hunger.
• New Yam Festival (Iwa ji): The Igbo people of Nigeria celebrate the New Yam Festival. Yams are a very important crop, and this festival welcomes the new harvest.
• Umkhosi Wokweshwama: This festival is celebrated by the Zulu people of South Africa. It's a traditional ceremony linked to the first harvest.

Other harvest celebrations in Africa include:

• Guetna: A date harvest festival in Mauritania.
• Afsay n tmuqqint: A fig harvest festival in Algeria, celebrated around July 24.
• Timechret uzemur: An olive harvest festival in Algeria, celebrated around December 7.
• Moussem tamrat: A date harvest festival in Morocco, held in October.
• Moussem l3nab: A grape harvest festival in Morocco, held in August.

Asia

Asia is a huge continent with many different cultures. Each has its own unique way of celebrating the harvest.

East Asia

• Chuseok: This is a major harvest festival in Korea. Families gather, share traditional foods, and visit ancestral graves. It's like a Korean Thanksgiving!
• Mid-Autumn Festival: Celebrated in China and Taiwan. It happens on the eighth full moon of the lunar calendar. People eat mooncakes and light lanterns.
• Niiname-sai, Shinjō-sai, Honen Matsuri, Tsukimi: These are various harvest and moon-viewing festivals in Japan. They celebrate the rice harvest and the beauty of the autumn moon.

Indian Subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent has many vibrant harvest festivals. They often mark the beginning of a new year or a new season.

A traditional vishu kani setting for the Vishu festival

• Akhatrij (Akshaya Tritiya): Celebrated in West India, especially in Gujarat and Maharashtra. It's considered a lucky day for new beginnings.
• Nuakhai: Celebrated in Odisha, India, to welcome the new rice harvest. It usually happens in August or September.
• Bhogali Bihu (or Magh Bihu): Marks the end of the harvesting season in Assam, India, in mid-January. People light bonfires and enjoy traditional games.
• Chavang Kut: Celebrated by the Kuki-chin group in North-east India on November 1.
• Dree Festival: An agricultural festival of the Apatanis people in Arunachal Pradesh, India. It's celebrated from July 4 to 7.
• Gudi Padwa: Celebrated by the Marathi people in Maharashtra, India. It marks the traditional New Year.
• Holi: While known as the "festival of colors," Holi also has roots in celebrating the spring harvest in Northwest India.
• Lohri: Celebrated in North India, especially Punjab. It marks the end of winter and the harvesting of winter crops.
• Onam and Vishu: These are important agricultural festivals celebrated by Malayali people in Kerala, India. Onam is known for its elaborate feasts and boat races.
• Pongal: Celebrated by the Tamil people in Tamil Nadu, India, around January 14 or 15. It's a four-day festival of thanksgiving to the sun god, nature, and farm animals.
• Sankranthi or Makar Sankranti: Celebrated across almost all regions of India in January. It goes by different names but generally marks the sun's movement into a new zodiac sign, signaling the start of longer days and the harvest season.
• Traditional New Year: In Sri Lanka, the New Year celebration in mid-April also coincides with the harvest festival.
• Ugadi: Celebrated by Telugu people and Kannadigas in India. It marks the New Year and the arrival of spring.
• Vaisakhi: Celebrated by Punjabi people in Punjab and other parts of North India. It marks the Punjabi New Year and the spring harvest.
• Pola: Celebrated by farmers in Maharashtra. On this day, bullocks are worshipped for their help in farming.

Southeast Asia

• Flores de Mayo: A festival in the Philippines that celebrates flowers and the Virgin Mary, often linked to the blooming season.
• Gawai Dayak: Celebrated in Sarawak, Malaysia, and West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It's a thanksgiving day for a bountiful harvest.
• Kaamatan: Celebrated in Sabah, Malaysia. This festival honors the rice spirit and gives thanks for a good rice harvest.

Pacu jawi (bull race) in Tanah Datar, Indonesia

• Kadayawan: Celebrated in Davao City, Philippines. It's a festival of thanksgiving for the harvest and the city's rich culture.
• Pacu jawi: A traditional bull race in Tanah Datar, Indonesia, often held after the rice harvest.
• Pahiyás: Celebrated in Lucban, Philippines. Houses are decorated with colorful produce and crafts to honor the patron saint of farmers.
• Tết Trung Thu: Vietnam's Mid-Autumn Festival, similar to China's, with mooncakes and lanterns.

Middle East

• Mehregan: An ancient Persian festival celebrated in Iran on October 2. It's a festival of autumn, friendship, and harvest.
• Sukkot: A Jewish harvest festival lasting eight days in the autumn. During this time, people build and spend time in temporary shelters called sukkahs, remembering ancient times.
• Shavuot: Another Jewish harvest festival, marking the wheat harvest in Israel. It also celebrates the giving of the Torah.
• Alaverdoba and Rtveli: Harvest festivals in Georgia, especially known for the grape harvest and winemaking.

Europe

Europe has a long history of farming, and many harvest traditions are still celebrated today.

Decoration for ‘thanksgiving’ (Erntedank) in a Catholic church in Upper Austria.

• Bénichon: Celebrated in French-speaking Switzerland. It's a combined harvest festival and thanksgiving, often with a huge meal.
• Dankdag voor Gewas en Arbeid: This means "Thanksgiving Day for crop and labor" in the Netherlands. It's celebrated on the first Wednesday of November.
• Dożynki / Dazhynki / Dožínky: These are Slavic harvest festivals celebrated in countries like Poland, Belarus, Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Russia. They often involve parades and traditional costumes.
• Erntedankfest (Harvest Thanksgiving): Celebrated in Germany and Austria. It's a church festival where people give thanks for the harvest, usually in early October.
• Freyfaxi: Marks the beginning of the harvest in Norse paganism, celebrated on August 1. It involves traditional ceremonies and horse races.
• Harvest festival: In the United Kingdom, many churches and schools hold harvest festivals. People bring in food donations to share with those in need.
• Kekri: An old Finnish feast celebrated in early November, similar to Halloween. It marks the end of the agricultural year.
• Lammas or Lughnasadh: Celebrated by Pagans and Wiccans, and by the ancient Celts, on August 1. It's the first grain harvest celebration.
• Mabon: Another harvest celebration in Paganism and Wicca, held around the Autumnal Equinox (September). It's a time to give thanks for the bounty of the Earth.

National Harvest Thanksgiving ceremony in Poland's Jasna Góra Roman Catholic sanctuary in Częstochowa, Poland

Presidential Harvest Festival in Spala, Poland

• Samhain: The final harvest celebration in Paganism and Wicca, on October 31. It marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the Celtic New Year.
• Savior of the Apple Feast Day: Celebrated in Russia and Ukraine on August 19. It's a day when apples are blessed and eaten.
• Szüreti Fesztivál: "Harvest festival" in Hungary, celebrated in various rural towns with grape harvesting and wine-making traditions.
• Ziua Recoltei: The "Harvest Day" or "Harvest Festival" in Romania, celebrated on October 15.

The Americas

Many harvest festivals in the Americas have roots in European traditions, while others are unique to the region.

North America

• Annual Harvest Festival: Celebrated in Prosser, Washington, USA, on the fourth full weekend in September.
• Dozinky: A traditional Czech festival celebrated in New Prague, Minnesota, USA, reflecting the heritage of its settlers.
• Thanksgiving (Canada): Celebrated on the second Monday in October. It's a national holiday for giving thanks for the harvest and other blessings.
• Thanksgiving (United States): Celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. It's a major national holiday focused on gratitude, family gatherings, and a large meal.

Caribbean

• Crop Over: This is a huge harvest festival in Barbados. It marks the end of the sugar cane harvest and is celebrated with music, parades, and colorful costumes.

South America

• Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia: Argentina's National Grape Harvest Festival. It's a big celebration of winemaking in the Mendoza region.
• Festa Junina: Celebrated in Brazil during June. While not strictly a harvest festival, it has roots in celebrating the rural harvest season with traditional dances and foods.

|