For many people all over the world, Autumn is a much-loved time of year. In many countries, autumn is signalled by days becoming shorter, cool, crisp air, and the harvesting of long-awaited crops. As the trees begin to change colour and our minds begin to focus on the winter months ahead, many countries worldwide celebrate autumn through a variety of unique festivals and celebrations, often with elaborate decorations, costumes, and speciality foods, that help make autumn a very special time of year. Here are just a few autumn festivals from around the world.
Diwali
Diwali is the festival of lights and is celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs all over the world. Diwali takes place over five days and generally symbolises the triumph of good over evil, light over dark, and knowledge over ignorance.
This famous festival coincides with harvest and new year celebrations and is marked by the lighting of lamps in homes and temples, fireworks, and rangoli - elaborate designs made out of rice, sand and flower petals, which are used to decorate floors.
During Diwali, family and friends will come together to eat and drink special foods. While dishes such as puri, samosa, and a huge variety of local curry dishes are made, Diwali is also associated with sweet treats called mithai – small sweet snacks which are eaten either as a dessert or nibbled on throughout the day.
Thanksgiving
Arguably one of the most famous autumn festivals is thanksgiving in the United States and Canada. Based on a European tradition of celebrating a good harvest, Thanksgiving also celebrates the story of the Native American people helping the pilgrims to successfully grow their crops and the celebration feast that they shared around harvest time.
The main focus of Thanksgiving is a large meal, shared with friends and family which usually centres around eating a turkey and a variety of side dishes. Mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, corn, and cranberry sauce are some of the most common foods eaten, however, no Thanksgiving dinner is complete without a pumpkin pie - a dessert made from a spiced pumpkin-based custard filling.
Moon Festival
Moon Festival, or the mid-Autumn festival, is celebrated in China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam and is one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture and dates back over 3,000 years. Moon Festival celebrates the autumn harvest at the point at which the moon is at its brightest and fullest. Like Diwali, Moon Festival is celebrated with lanterns of all shapes and sizes to light up towns and cities and is a time for families to come together, hold reunions, watch the moon, and give thanks for the year’s harvest. While the traditions around Moon Festival have changed through the centuries, the principle of coming together remains the most important aspect.
The main feature of Moon Festival is the making and sharing of mooncakes - round pastries with a thick crust containing a sweet filling such as sweet bean paste or lotus seed paste or savoury fillings such as ham, roast pork, radish, or even truffle. Traditionally, mooncakes are decorated with Chinese characters for longevity or harmony as well as moon symbols. These pastries are incredibly popular and are often given as gifts throughout the festival.
Day of the Dead
Dia de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is celebrated in Mexico around the beginning of November. Despite the slightly eerie sounding name, Day of the Dead is a joyful and colourful holiday and focuses on celebrating the lives of friends and family that have died. During this multi-day festival, family members will gather to recount tales of those that have passed and build small altars containing memorabilia, photographs and the favourite foods of the deceased. While it sounds like a solemn occasion, many events during Day of the Dead are humorous, with funny anecdotes taking centre stage.
During the festivities, foods such as sugar skulls are given as gifts and traditional foods such as tamales and pan de muerto are eaten. Drinks are also important, with the favourite alcoholic drink of the deceased being the main beverage for celebrants along with non-alcoholic masa drinks.
These are just four amazing autumn festivals from around the world celebrating a season full of colour, bountiful harvests and new calendar years. Why not check out how your community is celebrating autumn this year?
Resources:
Cake Shop in Hong Kong - Buy Me a Coffee
Rosewood Afternoon Tea - Hashnode
Gift Hampers in Hong Kong - Zoho Writer