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 regional differences in climates and crops, 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
• Mid-Autumn Festival: China; the eighth full moon according to the lunar calendar
• Niiname-sai, Shinjō-sai, Honen Matsuri: Japan
• Tết Trung Thu: Vietnam

Indian subcontinent

A traditional vishu kani setting, for the Vishu agricultural festival

• Akhatrij (Akshaya Tritiya): celebrated in West India, especially the Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa and Konkan regions
• Nuakhai (Nuakhai): celebrated in Odisha, to welcome the new rice of the season. According to the Kosali calendar it is observed on panchami tithi (the fifth day) of the lunar fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada or Bhaadra (August–September), the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
• Bhogali Bihu (or Magh Bihu): Assam, marks the end of harvesting season in mid-January
• Chavang Kut: celebrated by the Kuki-chin group in North-east India on 1 November
• Deepoli Parba: celebrated by the Tuluva people from Karnataka/Kerala, India
• Dree Festival: agricultural festival of the Apatanis of Ziro valley in Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh, celebrated from 4 to 7 July
• Gudhi Padwa: celebrated by the Marathi people in Maharashtra, Karnataka, India
• Holi: Northwest India, especially Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat
• JurShital: Mithila (portion of Bihar and Nepal); 13 or 14 April
• Kanyarkali: agricultural festival of the Malayalee Moothan, Nair and Tharakan communities of Chittur and Alathur thaluks of Palakkad in Kerala, India
• Lohri: North India, especially Punjab
• Monti Fest: celebrated on 8 September; celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; in the Mangalorean Catholic community involves blessing of Novem (new crops)
• Nabanna: Bengal region which comprises West Bengal, India, and Bangladesh
• Onam and Vishu: agricultural festivals celebrated by Malayali people in Kerala, Chhattisgarh and other places
• Pongal: celebrated by the Tamil people in Tamil Nadu, India and other places
• Puthari / Huthari: Coorg, Karnataka in south India
• Sankranthi or Makar Sankranti: almost all regions of India, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal; celebrated in January; goes by different names in different states
• Traditional New Year: celebration in Sri Lanka coincides with the harvest festival in mid-April
• Ugadi: celebrated by Telugu people in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kannadigas in Karnataka, India
• Vaisakhi (or Baisakhi: celebrated by Punjabi people in Punjab, other parts of North India and elsewhere; falls on the first day of Vaisakh month (usually mid-April), and marks the Punjabi New Year
• Pola or Without Amavasya: Celebrated by the farmers of Maharashtra on the last day of month of Shravan. Bullock worship is performed on this day.
• Vasant Panchami: West India, especially Gujarat; celebrated in Nepal, West Bengal, and Bangladesh to invoke wisdom and consciousness; in the Punjab region, it is celebrated as the Basant Festival of kites

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^[1]
• Maras Taun: Belitung, Indonesia
• Pahiyás: Lucban, Philippines

Middle East

• Hasyl toýy: Turkmenistan: last Sunday in November
• 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

Europe

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

• Alaverdoba: Georgia
• 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
• Dazhynki: Belarus^[2]
• Dożynki: Russia
• 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.
  • Erntedankfest Düsseldorf-Urdenbach
• Festa e Grurit (Wheat Festival): 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: 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)
• Oktoberfest: Germany
• Oseniny (Осенины): Russia
• Pokrov (Intercession of the Theotokos): one of the major religious feasts in Russia and Ukraine; falls during the harvest season; 1 October

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

Presidential Harvest Festival in Spala, Poland

• The Presidential Harvest Festival in Spała and Jasna Góra Harvest Festival: Poland, first week of September to begin the first week of October
• Rtveli: Georgia
• 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

The Americas

• Annual Harvest Festival: Prosser, Washington; 4th full weekend in September
• Dozinky: New Prague, Minnesota; traditional Czech festival
• Thanksgiving: Canada; second Monday in October
• Thanksgiving: United States; fourth Thursday in November

Caribbean

• Crop Over: Barbados

South America

• Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia: Argentina

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Harvest traditions by country.