Harvest Festival

[Adella]

Welcome To The Harvest Festival!!!!!

 

Image to represent the harvest

 

The leaves are changing and beginning to fall, the crops are all being harvested for the winter stores, and there are many holidays coming up! However, I know that DM is full of people from many different countries and continents, even many from both hemispheres of the world. That means that there has to be a lot going on that we don't all know about! Well, The Settlement wants to know!

 

Image to represent the falling leaves

 

This is kind of a discussion, a celebration of whatever should be celebrated, and a place to get together and share what we know! I would love it you would stop by and share what goes on this time of year in your own corner of the world, maybe even fill us in on how it started!

 

Image to represent the winter solstice

[charis sedai]

well, I live in the midwest, good ole Americana. There are TONS of little Harvest Festivals here in September and October where people from all over come to sell their produce or crafts or whatever. They started in the villages- they were market days!

[Adella]

I'm gonna throw out the basic two for the USA:

 

Halloween - Kids go around knocking on doors asking strangers for candy, lots of haunted houses and such. Started off of the Pagan celebration of Samhien I believe. Feel free to correct me

 

Thanksgiving - A day of thanks for the plentiful harvest and another good year coming to a close. Families get together and have a dinner of yum yums. In elementary school they told us the first thanksgiving was with Pilgrims and Native Americans sharing what they could bring to the harvest table. Let's not get into the arguments about it.

[Talya]

The kids over here get more involved in Halloween, at least they do nowadays, not much in my time. We don't do too much otherwise.

 

We have the usually harvest festivals, usually run by the churches or schools and hand out food they have taken in to the elderly or needy in the community.

 

The main event before Christmas over here in Britain is Guy Fawkes night, or bonfire night. It celebrates the capture of Guy Fawkes and his cronies trying to bloe up the Houses of Parliament a few hundred years ago (though it may have been a set up to look good for the King at the time). It's a night of Bonfires and hot food, fairs and of course Fireworks. Some families still do the small personal ones, but a lot of people go to the main displays which most villages and towns have. To me it's truely Autumn when we have this.

 

In the South West of England at this time of year we also have Carnivals, this usually involves various charities and groups making lovely floats and parading around the towns. They have collection buckets that collect money for charities, majorettes and other bands as well as the floats which are pulled by tractors usually. The big circuit around these parts starts off in Bridgewater, and people will come from miles to this event which then continues in various towns for the next couple of weeks.

[Tiinker]

Well in China and all over East-Asia we celebrate Moon-Cake festival! or Mid-Autumn Festival or Lantern Festival its also known as. It's celebrated on the date of the autumnal equinox of the solar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest and roundest so naturally the traditional food is Moon Cake :)

As always there's going to be a some dragon dancing which is a mind-blower if you havn't seen it before! There's also the traditional lighting up and carrying of Lanterns all over the city. Whenever I'm in Asia when we celebrate it we also burn incense and pray and have a huge celebration dinner. If you ever get the chance go to China Town when it takes place! It's usually early October or late November. You won't regret it

[Talya]

What do people like about this time of year?

 

i for one love the colours. Having be colourised, I found I was wearing the wrong sort of colours and that I should be wearing Autumn colours. slowly my wardrobe has changes and I have oranges, reds browns, and dark greens in there with gold also (silver washes me out). But I have always liked this colour range! There are warm and inviting. I love to see the trees turn these colours and with the autumn sun shining through them, makes them glow. I love it!

 

I'm not so keen on the wind and the rain this time of year, But cold frosty mornings are beautiful, especially when walking the dog and seeing the deer race across the fields where I live.

[Adella]

That's kinda funny Talya, cause my favorite thing about this time of year is the return of the rain and cold. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it when it's warm outside, but I grew up in one of the rainiest parts of the United States, and it's just in my nature to love the rain. I also really like winter sports, especially snowboarding, so that gives a whole different side to loving Autumn and Winter. Also, being a bookworm, I love being able to light a fire in the fireplace and sitting next to it with a book to keep warm. My kitten and I both love the little bit of TOO warm that the fire gives.

 

My only downside is actually all the falling leaves. With how much rain we get, and how many trees we have in the city, it clogs everything up for at LEAST a month. -_- The colors of the changing leaves is really nice, but when they fall I hate it.

[Talya]

I have to agree about a lovely fire and snuggling up with a good book, unfortunately I don't have a fire, but I would love one. We don't have enough snow normally to go snowboarding, but I do love the snow! Some rain I don't mind, it's just when it's cold driving rain, and I have to take the dog out for a walk. When I'm in the warm cosy house, all snuggled up I'm not too bothered.

 

We have a problem with 'leaves on the line' when trains are delayed or cancelled, they seem to have an excuse for everything...snow on the line, too cold, too hot, lol

[mcs0083]

This time of the year our family tradition is to be downright lazy, and to eat a lot when thanksgiving comes lol

[LedZepMan]

Im not a family person, and with my job i don't get time to spend the holidays at home.

 

For instance, i have never been home for a halloween in the 3 years since i graduated high school.

 

I have been home for one christmas and, counting this year, two thanksgivings. Just not my luck.

 

 

And you guys are lucky, we don't really get much of an autumn around here. A month max, and then there is snow on the ground.

 

There is actually a long runninng joke in Wyoming, it goes...

 

There are only two seasons here, winter and road construction.

 

 

lol.

[Adella]

My favorite joke for Oregon, which gets said a lot this time of year, is that we are one of the few states that can get all four seasons in less than an hour. First it's a light spring rain, then all of a sudden it's pouring, then snow, and bam, back to sunny and hot. Seriously.

[Talya]

I have to say we don't have that! But we do have defined seasons and I love that. From the blossom and baby lambs in Spring to lovely green meadows and lovely flowers with the warm weather in Summer. the golden crispy days of autumn and the wet and sometimes freezing cold, and if really lucky (the las two years we have had a lot) SNOW!!! in winter!

[LedZepMan]

You wouldn't appreciate snow so much if you had to work in it all day every day..........

 

 

 

NOrth Dakota is horrible. Last time i was at work there was a blizzard for two days, and im not joking here, the wind was blowing 75 miles and hour. When the storm cleared there waas two to three foot of snow on the ground.

 

I don't understand why, but it gets colder in North Dakota than it does in almost all of Canada........

[mcs0083]

Really the only thing that makes thanksgiving in Florida is food and people. The leaves in November are still green and mostly on the trees, and there is of course no snow to speak of :/ I only remember it snowing here ONE time. And it didn't stick of course.

[Adella]

>.> We got the first snow of the season today. It was awesome. Like half an inch in about 5 min, then it stopped.

[LedZepMan]

Ill trade ya......

 

You can have all of my snow.

[Adella]

I said the half an inch in 5 min was awesome. I don't like bigger and badder things

[charis sedai]

Oregon sounds like Michigan, Dellsy... they have the same weather stuff.

 

Fall is my absolute favorite season. I like winter when I am not out in it. But when I have to walk everywhere I go all day... I'm over the snow (and rain) prettttttty quick.