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Festivals in the autumn
 Thanksgiving
(13 October 2008 - Canada; 27 November 2008, USA)
Thanksgiving or harvest celebrations have been taking place in Europe as far back as the 5th century BC when the Ancient Greeks would fill a goats horn with fruit and grain to give thanks for the harvest. The tradition was then introduced in North America by the european settlers.
A festival of Thanksgiving was celebrated by the
Pilgrims in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA. They had
arrived in 1620 looking to start a new life, where they could
be free to follow their religious beliefs. Their first
winter was very hard but they survived with the help of the
Native Indians who had shown them how to hunt and what plants
they could eat. After the first harvest the Pilgrims held
a feast to celebrate their good fortune and to give thanks
for the food that they had grown.
At the feast they ate Turkey, pumpkins, corn, cranberries
and sweet potatoes.
Thanksgiving is celebrated by Canadians in October and in
America on the last Thursday of the month of November.
Today, most peoples' Thanksgiving meal is almost the same
as that of the Pilgrims, with a turkey and cranberry sauce
and a selection of autumn vegetables, followed by Pumpkin
or Apple pie.
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This is a thanksgiving service for the completion of the
Harvest. Churches are usually filled with produce, grain and
fruit and there is often a loaf baked in the shape of a sheaf
of corn. |
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(31 October)
Halloween is an ancient festival, it takes place on 31st
October, this is the evening before the Christian feast of
All Hallows' or All Saints' Day. On that night it was believed
that spirits and witches returned to earth to cause mischief.
Traditionally in America and Canada, children dress up in
fancy dress usually something scary and visit their neighbours
to play trick or treat when they hope to receive sweets as
their treats. Games are often played such as 'bobbing the
apple', where you have to try to get an apple out of a barrel
of water without using your hands.
Pumpkins are hollowed out and carved, usually to show faces
that are lit up when a candle is placed inside the pumpkin. |
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 Chinese
Festival of the Autumn Moon
(14 September 2008)
During September or October at full moon, on the fifteenth day of the
eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the festival of
the Autumn Moon is celebrated. It is celebrated partly like
many autumn festivals as a festival of lights, and before
sitting down to a feast, there is a procession where animal
shaped lanterns are carried each containing a candle.
Traditional food, including small round shaped rice cakes
symbolising the full moon, is eaten during the celebration.
Rice cakes have a long history as they were once used to hide
messages in, when the Chinese people were rebelling against
their Mongol rulers.
More
information at www.chinapage.com » |
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Ramadan
(2 September 2008 - first day)
Ramadan is the most important of the Muslim festivals.
It occurs during the ninth lunar month and during this time
nothing is eaten or drunk between, dawn and dusk. It
was during this month that the prophet Mohamed received his
revelation from Allah.
Ramadan ends on the morning after the new moon is seen in
the sky. This is the first day of
the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, which means the breaking of
the fast. During this three day festival Muslims visit
both friends and relatives and give gifts and special cards,
they also eat special foods in celebration.
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Rosh Hashanah
(29 September 2008 - first day)
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and starts on the first
day of the month of Tishr. It marks the beginning of
a ten day period of repentance leading up to Yom Kippur.
The month leading up to Tishru is Elul, during which Jews
prepare for Rosh Hashanah. On every day in Elul, a ram's
horn (the shofar) is blown to call the people to repent and
start anew the coming year. |
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Diwali (Divali, Deepavali, Deepawali)
(28 October 2008)
Diwali (pronounced 'Divali') is the Hindu "Festival of Lights" and is one of
India's most important and popular festivals. It falls at
the new
moon
towards the end of October or early November and lasts for
two days. In India Diwali is celebrated in many different
ways.
Small lamps or candles are placed in doorways and windows
of houses in villages, towns and cities these are to welcome
the Hindu god Rama. Many of the lights used are traditional
pottery oil lamps called diye which give off a warm golden
light. |
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 In
parts of Northern India, young girls place a diya on small rafts
leave it to float down a river. If the lamp stays alight until
it has floated out of sight, then the owner of the lamp will
have good fortune that year.
In some areas the festival is also dedicated to Lakshmi,
the goddess of prosperity, in the hope that she will visit
the peoples homes. Diwali is the beginning of the financial
year for business people and it is hoped that she will bring
good fortune.
Fireworks are part of the celebrations as their loud bangs
are thought to send away any evil spirit.
While most of India is celebrating Diwali, in Bengal the
people hold a festival in honour of Kali, the Goddess of strength,
disease and death. |
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During the time of the festival homes
are strung with lights and the streets have shrines of different
sizes on each side. Worshippers walk about the streets
both throughout the daytime and the evening, offering gifts
at the shrines in honour of Kali. Delicious smelling food
is sold by street vendors and as night descends there are very
colourful firework displays.
At the end of the festival, the images of Kali are taken
down and are paraded through the streets on their way to the
river where they are set afloat with a noisy send-off. |
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