List of harvest festivals

A harvest festival is an annual celebration which occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given regional differences in climates and crops, harvest festivals can be found at various times throughout the world.

Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations in Victoria Park, Hong Kong

Africa

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  • Irreechaa: celebrated by the Oromo people in Ethiopia
  • Ikore: celebrated by the Yoruba people in Nigeria
  • Homowo: a harvest festival[1] celebrated by the Ga people of Ghana.
  • Incwala: celebrated by the people of Swaziland
  • New Yam Festival (Iwa ji): celebrated by the Igbo of Nigeria
  • Umkhosi Wokweshwama: celebrated by the Zulu people of South Africa
  • Mokete wa Mokopu: celebrated by the Makgolokwe-a-Mafhleng of South Africa
  • Guetna (Juny) : date harvest festival in Mauritania
  • Afsay n tmuqqint (24 July) : fig harvest festival in Kabylia and Aures, Algeria
  • Timechret uzemur (7 December) : olive harvest festival in Kabylia and Aures, Algeria
  • Tfaska n tnunbiya (May) : barley harvest festival in Mzab, Algeria
  • Moussem tamrat (October) : date harvest festival at Arfoud, in morocco
  • Moussem tamrat fTaghit (October) : date harvest festival in Saoura, Algeria
  • Moussem l3nab (August) : grape harvest festival at Benslimane, Morocco
  • Moussem lfrizat (May) : strawberry harvest festival in Skikda, Algeria
  • Moussem hab lmuluk (Juny) : cherry harvest festival at Sefrou, Morocco
  • Moussem louzat (February) : almond harvest festival at Tafraout, Morocco
  • 3insla/3insra/3ansert/Tfaska l3ansert (7 July) : wheat harvest festival in all Maghreb (Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria)

Asia

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East Asia

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Indian subcontinent

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A traditional vishu kani setting, for the Vishu agricultural festival

Southeast Asia

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Pacu jawi (bull race), Tanah Datar, Indonesia

Middle East

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  • Hasyl toýy (or Hasyl Bayramy): Turkmenistan: traditionally last Sunday in November; observed second Sunday of November[3] since specified in the Labor Code c. 2017
  • Mehregan: Iran, Ancient Persia; 2 October
  • Sukkot: Jewish harvest festival lasting eight days in the autumn, in which time is spent in tabernacles or booths
  • Shavuot: Jewish harvest festival marking the wheat harvest in Israel
  • Alaverdoba and Rtveli: Georgia

Europe

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Decoration for ‘thanksgiving’ (Erntedank) in a Catholic church in Upper Austria.
  • Bagach (Багач): Belarus
  • Bénichon: celebrated (usually by a huge seven-course menu) in Catholic parts of the French-speaking Switzerland; a combined harvest festival, thanksgiving and Rindya (the day when the animals are brought back from the high altitude pastures in the Alps and when all villagers are also therefore back); see fr:Bénichon
  • Dankdag voor Gewas en Arbeid: Netherlands, every first Wednesday of November; Thanksgiving Day for crop and labor
  • Dożynki: Poland / Dazhynki: Belarus[4] / Dožínky, Obžinky: Czech Republic / Обжинки (Obzhynky or Obzhynky): Ukraine / Обжинки (Obzhynki), Осенины (Oseniny) : Russia, a Slavic harvest festival celebrated in several central and eastern European countries
  • Erntedankfest (Harvest Thanksgiving): Germany and Austria; traditionally on the first Sunday after Michaelmas, this means 30 September or later. At present, Protestant and Catholic churches recommend the first Sunday in October.
  • Festa e Grurit (Wheat Festival): used to mark the end of the harvest of wheat in Communist Albania; no longer observed
  • Freyfaxi (1 August): marks the beginning of the harvest in Norse paganism; historically from Iceland, the celebration consists of blót, horse races, martial sports, and other events, often dedicated to the god Freyr
  • Guldize: Cornwall, United Kingdom
  • Harvest festival: United Kingdom
  • Kekri: an old Finnish feast celebrated at the beginning of November, corresponding to Halloween
  • Lammas or Lughnasadh: celebration of first harvest/grain harvest in Paganism and Wicca spirituality and by the ancient Celts; 1 August
  • Mabon (Autumnal Equinox): the second of three recognized harvest sabbats in Paganism and Wicca
  • Mhellia: Isle of Man
  • Miķeļdiena: harvest festival in Latvia; 29 September; signals the end of summer (Mikeli)
 
National Harvest Thanksgiving ceremony in Poland's Jasna Góra Roman Catholic sanctuary in Częstochowa, Poland
 
Presidential Harvest Festival in Spala, Poland
  • Прачыстая 'Prachystaya': Belarus
  • The Presidential Harvest Festival in Spała and Jasna Góra Harvest Festival: Poland, first week of September to begin the first week of October
  • Samhain: the third and final of three recognized harvest sabbats in Paganism and Wicca; celebration of the end of the harvest season and beginning of the Celtic New Year; 31 October
  • Savior of the Apple Feast Day: Russia, Ukraine; 19 August
  • Spice wreath / Cununa de spice: Romania; July
  • Szüreti Fesztivál or Szüreti Napok: literally "harvest festival" or "harvest days"; celebrated in various rural towns of Hungary
  • Timoleague: annual harvest festival held in August; Tigh Molaige in Irish
  • Ziua Recoltei (sau Festivalul Recoltei): Romania; 15 October[5]

The Americas

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Region Festival Occurrence Date
Prosser, Washington Annual Harvest Festival 4th full weekend in September
New Prague, Minnesota Dozinky, traditional Czech festival
Canada Thanksgiving
(Quebec: Action de grâce)
second Monday in October 9 October 2023

14 October 2024
13 October 2025

United States Thanksgiving fourth Thursday in November 23 November 2023

28 November 2024
27 November 2025

New England region
of the United States
Old Home Week variable date in the fall season

Caribbean

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South America

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References

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  1. ^ "The LOC.GOV Wise Guide : Homowo". www.loc.gov.
  2. ^ "Khuado: Harvest Festival of the Zo People". Vaphual.net. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  3. ^ "The Programme of the Harvest Festival to include cultural, educational and sport events". Turkmenistan State News Agency. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  4. ^ Dazhynki in pictures
  5. ^ Ziua Recoltei, duminică, la Târgu Jiu
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