Four Fascinating Harvest Festivals from Around the World
Table of Contents
Introduction
Americans celebrate Thanksgiving in November of each year, remembering the harvest feast first shared by the Pilgrims in 1621.
But how do cultures in different parts of the world celebrate and pay thanks for the bountiful harvests that arrive every year?
We take a look at four fascinating harvests from four different continents, so you can see how thanks is given in different parts of the world.
Bali, Indonesia:
Rice Harvest – Paying Thanks to Dewi Sri
The paradisical island of Bali in Indonesia plays host to an annual rice harvest, during which locals pay tribute to Dewi Sri, the Hindu rice goddess. At the time of the yearly harvest, villages are decorated with flags, and small bamboo temples are erected in the most sacred parts of rice fields across the island.
Some farmers even offer small dolls made of rice stalks as an offering to Dewi Sri, in thanks for the plentiful harvest and in the hope that future years will yield similar levels of the crop.
If you are able to, the Negara Bull Races are a site to see towards the end of the celebrations.
The Rice Harvest Festival is held from May 1 to June 30.
Dancer representing Dewi Sri
Bamboo temple in rice field
Jerusalem, Israel:
Sukkot – A Religious Harvest Commemorating the Wandering Israelites
Commemorating the dark days when the Israelites wandered the vast deserts in search of food and shelter, Sukkot is a celebration of Israel’s bountiful harvests and the fact that temporary desert shelters are largely a thing of the past.
Some Israelis build makeshift huts/booth (sukkah) with roofs open to the sky, where they eat and sleep for a period of seven days. You will find Israel businesses closed during these days.
Also known as ‘The Feast of the Tabernacles’, ‘Feast of Booths’, or the ‘Feast of Ingatherings”.
It is traditionally celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (biblical calendar), Tishrei. Usually starting in late September, early October, depending on the year.
Mendoza, Argentina:
Vendimia Festival – A Harvest that Celebrates Wine and Beauty in Equal Measure
On the last Sunday in February, the serving Archbishop of Mendoza, Argentina, sprinkles the season’s inaugural grapes with holy water and blesses the new vintage before God. The ceremony catalyzes a month of special celebrations throughout Mendoza that has beauty at its center.
Beauty queens compete for the crown of ‘Harvest Queen,’ a position that is elected from regional flotillas amidst a show of fireworks, music, and other festivities. As well as celebrating the harvest of the delicious wine produced in the region, Mendoza’s Vendimia festival is as much about celebrating local beauty and culture as it is about the taste of the latest grape.
Photo by Tanenhaus on flickr
Swaziland, Southern Africa:
Incwala – A Harvest to Strengthen the Ruling King
One of Africa’s most enduring harvest festivals, Incwala, begins as Swazi men travel to the sea to gather water to strengthen their king’s power. The festival takes place during the summer solstice and is a festival specifically for the King of Eswatini (Swaziland).
After enjoying fresh fruits from a basket made from branches of the sacred lusekwane tree, the king then invites his fellow countrymen and women to partake in the season’s harvest and the following celebration of whatever the land has produced in the prior seasons.
Occurs over a month beginning with African summer solstice, which is around December 20th through to 23rd.
Harvest Festivals are All About Giving Thanks
No matter where a harvest festival takes place in the world, the underlying celebration is the same: people give thanks for the harvest they have received in the previous year.
Whether tied to conventional religion, royalty, or an ancient deity, it’s a chance for people to come together to pay tribute to the land that has fed and watered them while celebrating the unique cultural identity of their region.
