Every country in this world has different cultures and traditions- and as a result different festivals , but sometimes some festivals have same themes.
One of that is the theme of a harvest festival. A harvest festival is generally a celebration of an annual harvest, which generally happens during the time of the main harvest of the particular region.
India celebrates its harvest festival in the form of Makar Sankranti on January 14, seven other countries also have their version of a harvest festival.
1) Thanksgiving in the United States of America: Thanksgiving is essentially a U.S holiday that falls on the fourth Tuesday of November where individuals celebrate the day with their loved ones sharing a wholesome meal comprising a turkey and other items. It originated in 1621, when Pilgrims celebrated their successful wheat crop with a three-day feast where they shared their meal of patridge, wild turkey and fish with Native American tribes.
2) Rice Harvest in Bali, Indonesia: In Bali, Dewi Sri, the rice goddess is worshipped as rice is the staple crop here. And, during this festival, villages are decorated with flags and simple bamboo temples dedicated in honour of the goddess are erected in the most sacred corners of the rice fields.
3) Harvest Moon Festival in China: The Chinese Harvest Moon Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar in honour of the harvesting of the rice and wheat crops. During the Festival, families gather together to view the full moon, which is regarded as a symbol of harmony, luck and abundance. They consume different varieties of moon cakes with a good cup of piping hot Chinese tea and have an overdose of lanterns!
4) Sukkot in Jersulam, Israel: Celebrating Israel’s bountiful harvests, this festival recalls the time when the Israelites wandered the desert living in temporary shelters. As a result, families build makeshift huts, or sukkah with roofs open to the sky where they eat and sometimes sleep for seven days.
5) Madeira Flower Festival in Portugal: The flower festival celebrated in April fills the air with fragrance and marks the arrival of spring. Additionally, each of the island’s children brings a bloom to create the colourful Wall of Hope and the streets are lined with elaborate flower carpets.
6) Lammas Festival in the United Kingdom: Marking the beginning of the harvest season when food is in abundance and the light begins to wane, Lammas is a festival where Britons bake bread from the new crop to leave on church altars.
7) Makar Sankranti is an annual harvest festival that is celebrated in almost all parts of India and Nepal in various cultural forms to celebrate the arrival of spring. It is usually celebrated on January 14 every year with aplomb across the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent. For example, in Gujarat- it is celebrated by flying kites while in Punjab, it is celebrated with bhangra.
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