Angie's Attic – Halloween Specials

Autumn Harvest Celebrations

Fall Harvest Festivals

The Fall Harvest around the World

The celebration of autumn is not only recognized in America around a Thanksgiving table, but many cultures and civilizations literally plan their entire year around the harvest season and the blessing of a bountiful crop. After all many today still depend on their fall harvest to sustain their families and communities until the following harvest the next year.

For instance Chusoek in the Korean culture is a major holiday that lasts for three days and is celebrated during the 8th month on the 15th day of the lunar calendar which is around the Autumn Equinox. The festival dates back several hundred years (as early as 57 B.C.). This fall harvest time of celebration is recognized by Koreans visiting their ancestral hometowns and family while feasting on Korean food from the harvest and playing folk games.

Similar festivals are recognized all over the world in many cultures and areas where family and friends gather together and celebrate food, prosperity and culture.

Examples of Fall Harvest Festivals in cultures around the world

Crop over: Barbados

Niiname-sai,Shinjo-sai: Japan

Dożynki:Poland

Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia:Argentina

Erntedank: Germany & Austria

Mehregan:Iran, AncientPersia

Mid-Autumn Festival: China, Vietnam

Pongal: India

Sukkot: Jewish harvest festival lasting eight days in the fall, in which time is spent in tabernacles or booths

Hasyl toýy:Turkmenistan

Ikore: Nigeria

The Autumnal Harvest in America

Harvest festivals in America typically begin in late September and last through late October. Contrary to some beliefs, harvest is celebrated earlier than Thanksgiving. Fall festivals are hosted all across America when the cool crisp air of fall is felt and the leaves begin to change across the deciduous trees. These relatively comfortable days make ideal weather for several outdoor activities.

Pumpkin festivals attract visitors from all around to celebrate autumn. These festivals are usually held in rural areas and offer entertainment such as bluegrass music, pie eating contests, rodeos and many other attractions. These types of old fashioned country festivals will usually last for days or even weeks at a time. Many participants in fall festivals often sell crafts and display works of country crafted art which are very unique and collectable.

Fall festivals are often a theme for Christian worship in the fall season as country churches host revivals, homecomings, dinners and gospel music outdoors under tents and picnic shelters. Usually games will be present for children and other entertaining activities such as face painting and cake walks. In recent years many Christian churches have opted for an autumn harvest celebration in place of Halloween because of religious viewpoints of the holiday.

Arts and craft shows, parades, music, chili and even road kill cook offs make up many themes across America. One of the highlights of the autumn harvest is the vibrant and colorful display shown from the trees and fields in rural areas. Many festivals are hosted which simply celebrate the fall foliage displays throughout the forests and countryside.

Thanksgiving which comes later in the season (forth Thursday in November) has been celebrated since the pilgrim days when Indians and settlers gathered together to give thanks for the harvest they had been given. The harvest time in these days were critical to the survival of the colonies of settlers who had to endure harsh winters with little food. Thanksgiving is typically viewed as a time of family gathering (where harvest festivals involve friends and family) when many travel across the country to visit relatives and give thanks for the love and health of Fathers, Mothers, and Children. The traditional dinner for Thanksgiving is a large turkey and/or ham with sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing and many other traditional dishes that vary from region to region and family to family.

The harvest festivals are a prelude to the Christmas season which follows. The day after Thanksgiving is considered to be the busiest shopping day in all of America and is the basis in which many judge the prosperity of the country’s consumer spending economics.

Harvest festivals are an integral part of society all around the world. The festivals have certainly changed over time for certain societies; from a time of gratitude and thanks for a harvest of food, to a time of feasting, family and celebration in prosperous cultures.

About the Author

ForestWander Nature Photography

Nature Photography from the Forests and Mountains

http://www.ForestWander.com

RTW Halloween Appetizer #2: Andes Fall Harvest Chocolate Candies

Primitive Fall Halloween Wood Sign – Harvest Moon $19.95

CRAFTS ‘N THINGS MAGAZINE HOME HARVEST HALLOWEEN DECOR FESTIVE FALL KIDS FAVORS $12.95

HARVEST MOON – PRIMITIVE WOOL APPLIQUE QUILT FALL HALLOWEEN NEW PATTERN $8.95

PRiMiTiVe HaRVeST FaLL THYMe HaLLoWeeN BaNNeR STeNCiLeD SiGn TaBLeRuNNeR PuMPKiN $12.00

PRiMiTiVe HaRVeST FaLL HaLLoWeeN BaNNeR STeNCiLeD SiGn WiTCH PuMPKiN ~Free Ship~ $12.00

Pumpkin And Vines Inkadinkado Rubber Stamp New Halloween Fall Harvest $5.00

CREATIVE MEMORIES HARVEST ORCHARD LASER STICKERS HALLOWEEN FALL HTF RARE! $2.99

Fall Autumn Halloween Thanksgiving Harvest Primitive wood Blocks Sign Decoration $25.00

HALLOWEEN FALL THANKSGIVING HARVEST FABRIC PANELS 14X14 $11.99

Super!!! 2009 Hand Painted Starbucks Coffee Fall Harvest Halloween Pumpkin Mug $60.00

STANDING SCARECROW HARVEST HALLOWEEN FALL DECORATION $5.99

Halloween Thanksgiving Fall Harvest Floral Pillar Candle Holder Centerpiece $19.99

HARVEST Scented Soy Candle *Fall Holiday Halloween Fragrance Gift* Yankee Type $8.50

HARVEST Soy Candle WOOD WICK *Fall Holiday Spice Halloween Scented Yankee Type $13.50

GRAPEVINES PUMPKIN ACORN LEAVES HALLOWEEN FALL HARVEST $7.99

HARVEST BEAD BLOCKS Country Halloween Fall Crow Pumpkin $11.99

0762FM-Mini Flag-Pumpkin and Crows-Rustic-Country-Harvest-Fall-Halloween $10.99

HTF 2 PEANUTS Thanksgiving SNOOPY Welcome WREATH Fall & HALLOWEEN Harvest Flags $14.50

New Lamp Shade Halloween Pumpkins Harvest Fall Glitter $31.99

Heritage Lace Halloween Harvest Fall Scarecrow Scenic Window Door Panel 76×38″ $24.99

Silicone Pumpkin Baking Cups $5.99 Reusable pumpkin-shaped silicone baking cups are great for baking brownies, cupcakes, muffins and serving treats like candy, trail mix, ice cream, crackers and more. Contains 6 reusable pumpkin-shaped silicone baking cups….

Wilton Harvest 6 Piece Mini Metal Cookie Cutter Set $3.19 Mini Metal Cookie Cutters: Harvest. Set includes 6 cutters for bite-sizes goodies. Measuring approximately 1.5 inches wide they have a deeper than usual reach at .75 inches. Made of stainless steel….

Pumpkin Crown Cupcake Pan $5.99 Bake adorable Pumpkin-topped cupcakes or muffins with this non-stick cupcake crown pan — perfect for Halloween or Harvest celebrations! Can decorate as pumpkins or jack-o-lanterns. Contains one xylan-coated 6 count pan with pumpkin shapes….

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (standard carton) $1.99 Charlie Brown gets rocks in his trick-or-treat bag, Linus awaits a visitation from the Great Pumpkin in his terribly sincere pumpkin patch (while the adoring little Sally sits tight with him), Snoopy falls asleep, Lucy harasses Schroeder, and Pig-Pen kicks up a dust storm even beneath his costume in this classic television broadcast. Funny stuff, but also graced with Charles Schultz’s more poignan…

Lynette Jennings: Celebrations of Harvest $4.29 This is a 48 min. tape of fall craft projects covering harvest time, Halloween and Thankksgiving hosted by Lynette Jennings….

4 Sets of 35ct Halloween Electric String Lights Orange Bulbs with Black Cord (Total of 140 Lights) $15.97 4 sets of 35 count string lights with orange mini bulbs on a black electrical cord….

Pumpkin BRASS DRAWER Pull Handle $3.94 New hand decorated drawer or furniture pulls with ceramic insert. Mounting hardware included. Pull hase standard three inch centers. Chrome pull sold separately. Can be wiped clean with a soft damp cloth. Great addition and nice finishing touch to any room!…

Pumpkin Halloween Fall Harvest CHROME DRAWER Pull Handle $3.94 New hand decoraed chrome DRAWER pull with ceramic insert. Pull has standard three inch centers, with mounting hardware included. Cabinet pull sold separately. Also available in polished brass. Item(s) can be wiped clean with a soft damp cloth. Great addition and nice finishing touch to any room!…

Gatlinburg’s Fall Colors: Wonderful Fall Leaves $14.95 CAPTURED IN HIGH DEFINITIONEach fall, millions of visitors arrive in East Tennessee to see brilliantly colored leavesblanketing the Great Smoky Mountains. Now you can view this breathtaking site, shot in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, Tennessee, anytime you like in Smoky Mountain Fall. This DVD, shot in HIGH DEFINITION, provides the most brilliant colors and best views of a SmokyMountai…

New Large GrosGrain Tied Hair Bow Headband ~ Assorted Colors New Large GrosGrain Tied Hair Bow Headband ~ Assorted Colors…

Comments are closed.