List of harvest festivals
Harvest festivals around the world:
Europe
- Dazhynki: Belarus *Dazhynki in pictures on the official website of Belarus
- Dożynki: Poland
- Erntedank (Harvest Thanksgiving): Germany & Austria (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 (Aug. 1st): 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
- 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
- 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.
- Timoleague: Harvest Festival is held every year in August - Tigh Molaige in Irish
- 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.
- Miķeļdiena : harvest festival in Latvia. Celebrated on 29th of September, it signals the end of summer.
North America
South Asia
- Sankranthi or Makar Sankranti: Celebrated in almost all regions of India including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.Celebrated in January, this harvest festival goes by different names in different states.
- Vishu is an agricultural festival celebrated by Malayali people in Kerala (India) and other places
- Kanyarkali is an agricultural festival of the Malayalee Nairs of Chittur and Alathur thaluks of Palakkad in Kerala, India.
- Bhogali Bihu: (or Magh Bihu) is a harvest festival celebrated in Assam which marks the end of harvesting season in mid-January.
- Lohri: celebrated in North India esp. Punjab
- 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.
- Akhatrij (Akshaya Tritiya): celebrated in West India esp. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa and Konkan regions
- holi: celebrated in North-West India especially Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
- Nabanna: Bengal region which comprises West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh
- Onam: celebrated by Malayali people in Kerala (India) and other places
- Deepoli Parba: celebrated by the Tuluva people from Karnataka/Kerala (India).
- Pongal: celebrated by the Tamil people in Tamil Nadu (India) and other places
- Gudhi Padwa: celebrated by the Marathi people in Maharashtra, 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.
- Traditional New Year celebrations in Sri Lanka coincides with the harvest festival in mid-April.
- Dree Festival is an agricultural festival of the Apatanis of Ziro valley in Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh, which is celebrated every year from 4 to 7 July.
Southeast Asia
See also