A harvest festival celebrates the main crop gathering each year. These festivals vary by region due to climate and crops. They often include feasting on harvested foods. In Britain, people have given thanks for harvests since pagan times. Festivals occur in September or October. Modern celebrations feature singing, praying, and decorating churches with fruits and food. They are called Harvest Festival, Harvest Home, Harvest Thanksgiving, or Harvest Festival of Thanksgiving.
In British and English-Caribbean churches, chapels, schools, and some Canadian churches, people bring in produce from gardens, allotments, or farms. Often, this food is given to the poor and seniors or sold to raise money for the church or charity. Oromos in Ethiopia celebrate Irreecha, marking the end of the rainy season and the start of harvest. It’s a time for gratitude and community celebration. In Asia, the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival is a prominent harvest celebration. In Iran, Mehrgan at Persepolis was grand. It marked harvest time and tax collection. Visitors brought gifts for the king, adding to the festivity. In India, key festivals include Makar Sankranti, Thai Pongal, Uttarayana, Lohri, and Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu in January; Holi in February-March; Vaisakhi in April; and Onam in August-September.Jews celebrate Sukkot, a week-long harvest festival in autumn. They build a temporary hut, or sukkah, and live in it for a week. This practice recalls the tabernacles of ancient farmers. After harvest, these farmers would bring a portion to the Temple in Jerusalem.