1. On The Go Tours Onam – Kerala, India (26th August – 5th September, 2025)
One of India’s most lively cultural celebrations, the 10-day harvest festival is steeped in mythology and agrarian significance. The tenth and most important day of the festival is Thiruvonam. The festivities include:
- Pookalam: Colorful floral decorations
- Sadya: An extravagant vegetarian feast on banana leaves
- Vallam Kali: Snake boat races
- Pulikali: Tiger dances
2. Pongal
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A four-day thanksgiving festival — to the Sun (Surya), farm animals, and nature. Core traditions include:
The preparation of “Pongal,“84 a sweet rice dish
Mattu Pongal, dedicated to cattle, which is venerated through colorful decorations and parades
Known variations are Makar Sankranti and Lohri
3. Kaamatan – Sabah & Labuan, Malaysia (May 30 – 31st 2025)
A two-day ethnic harvest festival to pay tribute to an offering spirit. Celebrations include:
Sumazau dance, Sugandoi singing
Beauty pageants Unduk Ngadau (female) Buvazoi Tavantang (male)
Folk games and indigenous food and beverage such as tapai
4. Rice Harvest Festival
Bali, Indonesia (May–June 2025) Though May–June is inside the wet season in Bali, it’s one of the most peculiar time to visit because the locals are rallying to harvest rice if Eid al-Fitr when the rains typically occur.
A lively festival that celebrates Dewi Sri, the rice goddess. Traditions include:
Deploying rice-straw dolls in the fields
Bamboo decorations and flags (penjor)
Bull races and village ceremonies
Encyclopedia BritannicaNational Geographic
5. Mid-Autumn Festival
East & Southeast Asia (Sept–Oct, 2025) Located between September and October, this holiday is very similar to a Chinese Mid-Autumn (Moon) Festival.
The Mooncake Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is a time to give thanks for the harvest, under the full moon. It’s celebrated across China as well as in Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and elsewhere.
Families come together to eat mooncakes and enjoy lantern displays under the big harvest moon
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6. Chuseok — South Korea (Mid-September 2025)
Celebrated on 15th day of 8th lunar month; often called Korean Thanksgiving. Features include:
Family reunions, ancestral rituals
A popular song And traditional food like songpyeon rice cakes
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7. Yam Festival – Ghana & Nigeria (August / September, 2025)
Yam harvest — a staple of farming in West Africa.
Common names: Homowo (Ghana), Iriji (Nigeria)
1st yam offering to earth and sky spirits
8. Thanksgiving- Canada & USA (11/2025 USA:) (Second Monday in October Canada)
A harvest-based holiday involving:
Having bountiful feasts of turkey and fall food
According to popular belief, it is traced back to the Thanksgiving fest given to celebrate a good harvest
9. Samhain – Celtic Areas (October 31 – November 1, 2025)
Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.
Marked by bonfires, ancestor worship, and feasting
10. Thalfavang Kut – Mizoram, India (Nov 2025)
A festival celebrated by the Mizo people Pre-harvest festival for the Mizo people.
Celebrates completing weeding before harvest
Includes music, dance( e.g., the cheraw bamboo dance), and feasting
Seasonal Timing by Region
Agricultural and Harvest festivals: Agricultural and harvest festivals needless to say following the agricultural calendar:
Tropics: Rice and yam cycles (e.g., January festival of Pongal)
Temperate zones: Grain and fruit harvests in late summer to autumn (August–October)
| Month(s) | Festival | Region |
|---|---|---|
| January | Pongal, Makar Sankranti, Lohri | South Asia |
| May–June | Rice Harvest Festival | Bali, Indonesia |
| May 30–31 | Kaamatan | Sabah & Labuan, Malaysia |
| August–Sept | Onam | Kerala, India |
| August or Sept | Yam Festival | Ghana & Nigeria |
| September | Mid-Autumn Festival, Chuseok | East & Southeast Asia |
| October | Thanksgiving (Canada), Samhain | North America & Celtic areas |
| November | Thanksgiving (USA), Thalfavang Kut | USA & Mizoram, India |
Why It Matters
Community, gratitude and culture are among the themes celebrated in harvest festivals. Whether by feasting, dance, or local produce decorating the streets, festivals like these bring people together to celebrate the literal and spiritual fruits of their labor.
Curious about the food, costumes or history of any festival? I’m happy to help!
