List of harvest festivals

Last updated July 15, 2025

A harvest festival is an annual celebration which occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given regional differences in climates and crops, harvest festivals can be found at various times throughout the world.

Africa

Irreechaa: celebrated by the Oromo people in Ethiopia
Ikore: celebrated by the Yoruba people in Nigeria
Homowo: a harvest festival^[1] celebrated by the Ga people of Ghana.
Incwala: celebrated by the people of Swaziland
New Yam Festival (Iwa ji): celebrated by the Igbo of Nigeria
Umkhosi Wokweshwama: celebrated by the Zulu people of South Africa
Mokete wa Mokopu: celebrated by the Makgolokwe-a-Mafhleng of South Africa
Guetna (Juny) : date harvest festival in Mauritania
Afsay n tmuqqint (24 July) : fig harvest festival in Kabylia and Aures, Algeria
Timechret uzemur (7 December) : olive harvest festival in Kabylia and Aures, Algeria
Tfaska n tnunbiya (May) : barley harvest festival in Mzab, Algeria
Moussem tamrat (October) : date harvest festival at Arfoud, in morocco
Moussem tamrat fTaghit (October) : date harvest festival in Saoura, Algeria
Moussem l3nab (August) : grape harvest festival at Benslimane, Morocco
Moussem lfrizat (May) : strawberry harvest festival in Skikda, Algeria
Moussem hab lmuluk (Juny) : cherry harvest festival at Sefrou, Morocco
Moussem louzat (February) : almond harvest festival at Tafraout, Morocco
3insla/3insra/3ansert/Tfaska l3ansert (7 July) : wheat harvest festival in all Maghreb (Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria)

Asia

East Asia

Mid-Autumn Festival : China; the eighth full moon according to the lunar calendar
Ilisin : Taiwan, celebrated by the Amis people
Niiname-sai , Shinjō-sai , Honen Matsuri , Tsukimi : Japan
Chuseok : Korea

Indian subcontinent

Akhatrij (Akshaya Tritiya): celebrated in West India, especially the Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa and Konkan regions
Nuakhai (Nuakhai): celebrated in Odisha, to welcome the new rice of the season. According to the Kosali calendar it is observed on panchami tithi (the fifth day) of the lunar fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada or Bhaadra (August–September), the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
Bhogali Bihu (or Magh Bihu): Assam, marks the end of harvesting season in mid-January
Chavang Kut: celebrated by the Kuki-chin group in North-east India on 1 November
Deepoli Parba: celebrated by the Tuluva people from Karnataka/Kerala, India
Dree Festival : agricultural festival of the Apatanis of Ziro valley in Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh, celebrated from 4 to 7 July
Gudi Padwa : celebrated by the Marathi people in Maharashtra, Karnataka, India
Holi : Northwest India, especially Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat
JurShital: Mithila (portion of Bihar and Nepal); 13 or 14 April
Kanyarkali : agricultural festival of the Malayalee Moothan, Nair and Tharakan communities of Chittur and Alathur thaluks of Palakkad in Kerala, India
Lohri : North India, especially Punjab
Monti Fest : celebrated on 8 September; celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; in the Mangalorean Catholic community involves blessing of Novem (new crops)
Nabanna : Bengal region which comprises Bangladesh and West Bengal, India
Onam and Vishu : agricultural festivals celebrated by Malayali people in Kerala and elsewhere in the world
Pongal : celebrated by the Tamil people in Tamil Nadu, India and other places (January 14 or 15)
Puthari / Huthari: Coorg, Karnataka in south India
Sankranthi or Makar Sankranti : almost all regions of India, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal; celebrated in January; goes by different names in different states
Traditional New Year : celebration in Sri Lanka coincides with the harvest festival in mid-April
Ugadi : celebrated by Telugu people in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kannadigas in Karnataka, India
Agera : celebrated by Bombay East Indians in Mumbai; falls on the first Sunday of October.
Vishu is the harvest festival in Kerala and celebrated in April - usually 14 or 15 April
Vaisakhi (or Baisakhi: celebrated by Punjabi people in Punjab, other parts of North India and elsewhere; falls on the first day of Vaisakh month (usually mid-April), and marks the Punjabi New Year
Pola or Without Amavasya: Celebrated by the farmers of Maharashtra on the last day of month of Shravan. Bullock worship is performed on this day.
Vasant Panchami : West India, especially Gujarat; celebrated in Nepal, West Bengal, and Bangladesh to invoke wisdom and consciousness; in the Punjab region, it is celebrated as the Basant Festival of kites
Tokhu Emong : celebrated among Lotha Tribe of Nagaland in India

Southeast Asia

Pacu jawi (bull race), Tanah Datar, Indonesia PajuJawi3.jpg — *Pacu jawi* (bull race), Tanah Datar, Indonesia

Flores de Mayo : Philippines
Gawai Dayak : Sarawak, Malaysia and West Kalimantan, Indonesia
Sipaha Lima : Celebrated by Toba Batak people of North Sumatra, Indonesia. The Christianised version of Sipaha Lima is called Pesta Gotilon, celebrated in Batak Christian Protestant Church and its split-offs.
Olob Olob : Celebrated by Simalungun people of North Sumatra, Indonesia, usually by the congregations of Simalungun Protestant Christian Church.
Kaamatan : Sabah, Malaysia
Kadayawan : Davao City, Philippines
Khuado: Zomi, Chin State, Myanmar ^[2]
Maras Taun : Belitung, Indonesia
Olob-olob : Simalungun Batak people/GKPS, Indonesia
Pacu jawi : Tanah Datar, Indonesia
Pahiyás : Lucban, Philippines
Tết Trung Thu : Vietnam

Middle East

Hasyl toýy (or Hasyl Bayramy): Turkmenistan : traditionally last Sunday in November; observed second Sunday of November^[3] since specified in the Labor Code c. 2017
Mehregan : Iran, Ancient Persia; 2 October
Sukkot : Jewish harvest festival lasting eight days in the autumn, in which time is spent in tabernacles or booths
Shavuot : Jewish harvest festival marking the wheat harvest in Israel
Alaverdoba and Rtveli: Georgia

Europe

Bagach (Багач): Belarus
Bénichon: celebrated (usually by a huge seven-course menu) in Catholic parts of the French-speaking Switzerland; a combined harvest festival, thanksgiving and Rindya (the day when the animals are brought back from the high altitude pastures in the Alps and when all villagers are also therefore back); see fr:Bénichon
Dankdag voor Gewas en Arbeid: Netherlands, every first Wednesday of November; Thanksgiving Day for crop and labor
Dożynki : Poland / Dazhynki: Belarus ^[4] / Dožínky, Obžinky: Czech Republic / Обжинки (Obzhynky or Obzhynky): Ukraine / Обжинки (Obzhynki), Осенины (Oseniny) : Russia, a Slavic harvest festival celebrated in several central and eastern European countries
Erntedankfest (Harvest Thanksgiving): Germany and Austria; traditionally on the first Sunday after Michaelmas, this means 30 September or later. At present, Protestant and Catholic churches recommend the first Sunday in October.
- Erntedankfest Düsseldorf-Urdenbach
Festa e Grurit (Wheat Festival): used to mark the end of the harvest of wheat in Communist Albania; no longer observed
Freyfaxi (1 August): marks the beginning of the harvest in Norse paganism; historically from Iceland, the celebration consists of blót, horse races, martial sports, and other events, often dedicated to the god Freyr
Guldize : Cornwall, United Kingdom
Harvest festival : United Kingdom
Kekri : an old Finnish feast celebrated at the beginning of November, corresponding to Halloween
Lammas or Lughnasadh : celebration of first harvest/grain harvest in Paganism and Wicca spirituality and by the ancient Celts; 1 August
Mabon (Autumnal Equinox): the second of three recognized harvest sabbats in Paganism and Wicca
Mhellia: Isle of Man
Miķeļdiena: harvest festival in Latvia; 29 September; signals the end of summer (Mikeli)

Прачыстая 'Prachystaya': Belarus
The Presidential Harvest Festival in Spała and Jasna Góra Harvest Festival: Poland, first week of September to begin the first week of October
Samhain : the third and final of three recognized harvest sabbats in Paganism and Wicca; celebration of the end of the harvest season and beginning of the Celtic New Year; 31 October
Savior of the Apple Feast Day : Russia, Ukraine; 19 August
Spice wreath / Cununa de spice: Romania; July
Szüreti Fesztivál or Szüreti Napok: literally "harvest festival" or "harvest days"; celebrated in various rural towns of Hungary
Timoleague : annual harvest festival held in August; Tigh Molaige in Irish
Ziua Recoltei (sau Festivalul Recoltei): Romania; 15 October^[5]

The Americas


Region	Festival	Occurrence	Date
Prosser, Washington	Annual Harvest Festival	4th full weekend in September
New Prague, Minnesota	Dozinky, traditional Czech festival
Canada	Thanksgiving (Quebec: Action de grâce)	second Monday in October	14 October 2024 13 October 2025 12 October 2026
United States	Thanksgiving	fourth Thursday in November	28 November 2024 27 November 2025 26 November 2026
New England region of the United States	Old Home Week	variable date in the fall season

Caribbean

Crop Over : Barbados

South America

Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia : Argentina

Festa Junina : Brazil

References

↑ "The LOC.GOV Wise Guide : Homowo". www.loc.gov.
↑ "Khuado: Harvest Festival of the Zo People". Vaphual.net. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
↑ "The Programme of the Harvest Festival to include cultural, educational and sport events". Turkmenistan State News Agency. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
↑ Dazhynki in pictures
↑ Ziua Recoltei, duminică, la Târgu Jiu

External links

Media related to Harvest traditions by country at Wikimedia Commons

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[1] "The LOC.GOV Wise Guide : Homowo". www.loc.gov.

[2] "Khuado: Harvest Festival of the Zo People". Vaphual.net. Retrieved 15 February 2012.

[3] "The Programme of the Harvest Festival to include cultural, educational and sport events". Turkmenistan State News Agency. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2020.

[4] Dazhynki in pictures

[5] Ziua Recoltei, duminică, la Târgu Jiu

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