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 What Is a Harvest Festival?
Harvest festivals happen all
over the world at the time
of farmers’ harvests,
usually in autumn. Harvest
festivals usually involve
eating and drinking as a
celebration of the crops
that have grown.
Harvest festivals are also a
time of rest for farmers
after their hard work
growing crops throughout
the year. Many religions
hold special services and
celebrations of thanks in
their places of worship.
 Thanksgiving, USA

Americans celebrate
Thanksgiving as a national
holiday at the end of
November. Traditionally,
Thanksgiving is a three-day
feast of turkey, partridge
and fish. Thanksgiving
originated in the autumn of
1621, when pilgrims
celebrated their plentiful
harvest of that year.
President Abraham Lincoln
declared Thanksgiving a
national holiday in 1863 and People thank God for the food He has
today Americans celebrate provided during the harvest.
by sharing meals with their
families and loved ones.
 Chanthaburi Fruit Fair, Thailand
The Fruit Fair in
Chanthaburi is a
celebration of the tropical
fruits grown in the season.
Colourful exotic fruits such
as durians, rambutans and
longans are displayed on
floats for parades, art
displays and beautiful
patterns around the town.
Some of the fruits gathered
in the harvest are only
grown in this part of the
world so are treated as
precious. Buddhist art
creations are displayed
made from the fruits of the
harvest.
 Lammas Festival, UK
Lammas Day is sometimes
called ‘Loaf Mass Day’ and
is celebrated on the 1st
August each year. This is a
Christian festival and marks
the first of the new crops
grown and harvested.
Traditionally, Christians
baked bread with the new
wheat grown and presented
it to the church. They would
leave loaves of bread on
altars or create corn dolls
or decorated tables.
 Madeira Flower Festival, Portugal
In Madeira, Portugal, the
harvest is celebrated with
flowers. Beautiful flowers
fill the streets, with parades
and displays. The smell of
the flowers fills the streets
and marks the beginning of
the new season. Children
are encouraged to bring
flowers to add to a display
called Muro de Esperanca,
which means ‘Wall of Hope’.
 Rice Harvest, Indonesia
Rice is the staple crop of
Indonesia and the rice
goddess is called Dewi Sri.
Harvest follows New Year
and is a time of great
celebration. The festival is
dedicated to Dewi Sri and
the people thank her for the
rice harvest. Towns are
decorated with colourful
flags, bamboo temples are
created and rice dolls are
created in granaries as
offerings to Dewi Sri.
 Yam Festival, Ghana
In Ghana, harvest is
celebrated at the end of the
rainy season. At this time,
food has grown and the
most common staple crop,
yams, are ready to be
harvested. Celebrations and
parades are held and
prayers said for another
good harvest the coming
year.
 Moon Festival, China
The harvest celebration is
one of the most important
festivals for people in
China. It is held from mid-
September to early October
and coincides with the time
the moon is its brightest
and fullest. Because of this,
the harvest festival is often
referred to as the Moon
Festival. Special treats are
made called moon cakes
and people enjoy these at
family gatherings and
celebrations with friends.
Lanterns are displayed as a
sign of good luck and
prosperity for the next
 Sukkot, Israel
Sukkot is celebrated in
Israel at the end of
September. Sukkot is
celebrated as a harvest
festival where people give
thanks for their food.
In the Jewish holy book, the
Torah, Jewish people are
told of the time when the
Israelites were promised
freedom and a better life by
God. They had to walk a
long way through the desert
and trusted that God would During Sukkot, people remember this time
in the desert and some families build
provide for them.
temporary shelters to eat and sleep in.
 Vendimia, Argentina
On the last Sunday of
February, the Archbishop of
Mendoza sprinkles holy
water on the first grapes of
the season. He offers them
to God and a celebration of
the harvest begins. The
festival is a huge month-
long party with parades,
beauty queens, musicians,
dancers and fireworks.
 Pongal, India
This harvest festival is
dedicated to the Hindu god
of the sun and marks the
end of winter and the return
of longer days. It is usually
celebrated with the
preparation of the Pongal
dish. This is made with the
newly harvested rice, milk
and sugar cane. People also
celebrate Pongal by
decorating cows and their
horns, hanging flags and
joining in colourful
processions.
Which Harvest Festival Would You Most Like to Attend?