List of harvest festivals

Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations in Victoria Park, Hong Kong

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

Africa

• Ikore: celebrated by the Yoruba people in Nigeria
• Incwala:celebrated by the people of Swaziland
• New Yam Festival (Iwa ji):celebrated by the Igbo of Nigeria

Asia

• Chuseok: Korea
• Dongmaeng: Korea
• Niiname-sai, Shinjō-sai, Honen Matsuri: Japan
• Mid-Autumn Festival: China; the eighth full moon according to the lunar calendar
• Tết Trung Thu: Vietnam

Indian subcontinent

A traditional vishu kani setting, for the Vishu agricultural festival

• Akhatrij (Akshaya Tritiya): celebrated in West India esp. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa and Konkan regions
• Bhogali Bihu: (or Magh Bihu) is a harvest festival celebrated in Assam which marks the end of harvesting season in mid-January.
• Deepoli Parba: celebrated by the Tuluva people from Karnataka/Kerala (India).
• Dree Festival is an agricultural festival of the Apatanis of Ziro valley in Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh, celebrated every year from 4 to 7 July.
• Gudhi Padwa: celebrated by the Marathi people in Maharashtra, Karnataka (India)
• Holi: celebrated in North-West India especially Uttarpradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• JurShital on 13 or 14 April in Mithila (Portion of Bihar & Nepal).
• Kanyarkali is an agricultural festival of the Malayalee Moothan, Nair and Tharakan communities of Chittur and Alathur thaluks of Palakkad in Kerala, India.
• Lohri: celebrated in North India esp. Punjab
• Nabanna: Bengal region which comprises West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh.
• Onam and Vishu are agricultural festivals celebrated by Malayali people in Kerala (India)chhattisgarh and other places.
• Pongal: celebrated by the Tamil people in Tamil Nadu (India) and other places
• Puthari/Huthari : Coorg, Karnataka (south India)
• Sankranthi or Makar Sankranti: Celebrated in almost all regions of India including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.Celebrated in January, this harvest festival goes by different names in different states.
• Traditional New Year celebrations in Sri Lanka coincides with the harvest festival in mid-April.
• Ugadi is a festival celebrated by Telugu people in Andra Pradesh, Telangana & Kannadigas in Karnataka(India).
• Vaisakhi (or Baisakhi): celebrated by Punjabi people in Punjab (India), other parts of North India and elsewhere. The festival falls on the first day of Vaisakh month (usually mid-April), and marks the Punjabi New Year.
• Vasant Panchami: celebrated in West India esp. Gujarat, This festival is celebrated in Nepal, West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh to invoke wisdom and consciousness in human beings. In the Punjab region, the festival is celebrated as the Basant Festival of kites.
• Chavang Kut - Celebrated by Kuki-chin group in North-east India on 1 November every year.Festival of Kuki- chin group.

Southeast Asia

• Flores de Mayo: Philippines
• Gawai Dayak: Sarawak, Malaysia and West Kalimantan, Indonesia
• Kaamatan: Sabah in Malaysia
• Kadayawan: Davao City, Philippines
• Khuado: Zomi, Chin State, Myanmar
• Maras Taun: Belitung, Indonesia
• Pahiyás: Lucban, Philippines

Middle East

• Hasyl toýy: Turkmenistan - the holiday on the last Sunday in November.
• Mehregan (October 2): Iran, Ancient Persia
• Sukkot: Jewish harvest festival lasting eight days in the autumn (fall), in which time is spent in tabernacles or booths

Europe

• Alaverdoba: Georgia
• Bagach (Багач): Belarus
• Bénichon: celebrated (usually by huge 7 course menu) in catholic parts of the French-speaking Switzerland is a combined harvest festival, thanksgiving and Rindya (the day when the animals are brought back from the high altitude pastures in the alps and where all villagers are therefore back). See fr:Bénichon.
• Dankdag voor Gewas en Arbeid (Thanksgiving Day for crop and labor): Netherlands, every first Wednesday of November.
• Dazhynki: Belarus
• Dozhynki, Russia

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

Presidential Harvest Festival in Spala, Poland

Exaltation of the Holy Cross church in Besko, Poland

• The Presidential Harvest Festival in Spała and Jasna Góra Harvest Festival: Poland (1st week of September to begin the first week of October).
• Erntedankfest (Harvest Thanksgiving): Germany & Austria (1st Sunday after Michaelmas, sometimes also 1st Sunday in October)
• Festa e Grurit (Wheat Festival): A festival that used to mark the end of the harvest of wheat in Communist Albania. No longer observed.
• Freyfaxi (August 1): 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 (Aug 1): celebration of first harvest/grain harvest in Paganism and Wicca spirituality and by the ancient Celts.
• Mabon (Autumnal Equinox): the second of three recognized harvest sabbats in Paganism and Wicca
• Mhellia: Isle of Man
• Miķeļdiena : harvest festival in Latvia. Celebrated on 29 September, it signals the end of summer (Mikeli).
• Oktoberfest: Germany
• Oseniny (Осенины): Russia
• Pokrov (Intercession of the Theotokos): October 1. One of the major religious feasts in Russia and Ukraine, it falls during the harvest season.
• Rtveli: Georgia
• Samhain (October 31): 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.
• Savior of the Apple Feast Day (August 19): Russia, Ukraine
• 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
• Ysolo: festival marking the first day of harvest of eggplants in Tirana, Albania
• Spice wreath: annual harvest festival held in July - Cununa de spice in Romanian

The Americas

• Annual Harvest Festival of Prosser, Washington, celebrated on the 4th full weekend in September
• Dozinky (New Prague, MN, US): traditional Czech Festival
• Thanksgiving (Canada): the holiday on the second Monday in October.
• Thanksgiving (United States): the holiday on the fourth Thursday in November.

Caribbean

• Crop Over: Barbados

South America

• Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia: Argentina

See also

• Sukkot