News Hotline:0531-82626555
中文|한국어|
HomeCulturecontent

Where there is harvest, there is celebration and gratitude

2019/9/23 10:44:26   source:CGTN

Autumn is the season of harvest.

Last year, China celebrated the first annual Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival on the autumn equinox on the Chinese lunar calendar. Several celebrations were held throughout the country from agricultural products trade fairs and food tastings, to art performances and games.

To thank nature for its generous gift, many countries have their own traditions when it comes to celebrate the harvest season. Let's have a look.

Harvest Festival in the UK

The Harvest Festival origins trace back to the 5th century and the traditions are an inheritance from the Victorian era.

The day usually falls in late September or early October. On the day, people gather at churches or schools decorated with harvested crops, pray and sing hymns. Usually, they carry previously prepared food to be shared with those in need. Nowadays, people donate money on the occasion to be distributed to people in plight.

As an island country, the UK also has festivals on marine products. The most famous is the Pearly King and Queen's Harvest Festival in London. Dressed in dark suits adorned with hundreds of pearl buttons, "grassroots kings and queens" march on the streets, dancing, singing, and raising money for charity.

Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.

It is said that in the winter of 1620, English ship Mayflower carried 102 Pilgrims to New England, in the U.S. They braved the cold and suffered from diseases, but got help from aboriginal Indians who taught them fish-catching and traded crop seeds with them.

They planted crops in the new land and autumn brought harvesting. The first Europeans held a feast to thank God and invited the Indians to dine together. The custom was inherited and celebrations were held on different dates depending on the state, until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln announced the official holiday would be on the fourth Thursday of November.

Today, Thanksgiving Day usually sees people go back home for a family reunion dinner, and turkey is the main dish. The day is followed by "Black Friday," a shopping frenzy that kicks off the Christmas shopping season. Shops may experience the busiest day of the year, as eager buyers pile up outside the door, hoping to snap up goods in the grand sale.

Sukkot in Israel

As one of the three major festivals in Judaism, Sukkot has both historical and agricultural significance.

On one hand, it commemorates the forty-year period during which Jewish ancestors were wandering in the desert and living in temporary shelters after leaving Egypt. During the festival, Israeli people set up temporary shelters in memory of history and thank God for giving them food and water during that hard time.

On the other hand, the festival usually falls in late September in time for the second season crops and fruits harvest. Besides celebrating the harvest, people hold bouquets of plants called lulav and etrog, composed of branches of palm, myrtle, willow, and a citron fruit, to worship God and pray for bumper crops next year.

Pongal in India

Pongal is a harvest festival dedicated to the Sun God, which is especially popular in South India.

The thousand-year-old festival lasts for four days in January. On the morning of the first day, people set up a stove and boil a pot of milk until it boils over. People cheer for the boiled milk and sprinkle the first season rice and sugar in the pot. When pongal (dish) is ready, the first bowl of pongal is served to the Sun God Surya, and the rest is divided by the people. In the ceremony people pray for a good harvest and a happy life next year.

People clean their body and house and dump or burn old clothes on the next day. The third day centers on the cattle. People salute and wash the animal and give them sweet congee to thank bulls for tilling the land and cows for giving milk. The last day will see people gather in their houses to pray, followed by visits to friends and relatives.

Top image designer: Liu Shaozhen 

Related Stories

Photos

Chinese Dictionary:
Sponsor:Information Office of Shandong Provincial People’s Government