Thanksgiving in the USA is, fundamentally, a harvest festival, a time for gathering with loved ones to give thanks for the plenty in our lives. At PTIGlobal, we are thankful for health, family, friends, and our client partners who keep the food on our tables year round. We thought it would be interesting to explore how harvest festivals are celebrated around the globe.

For example, 

• The Mid–Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated by many East and Southeast Asian people. The celebration is called Chuseok (autumn eve) in Korea and Tsukimi (moon-viewing) in Japan. It dates back 3,000 years when China’s emperors worshipped the moon for bountiful harvests. The festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar with mooncakes and lanterns which resemble beacons to prosperity.
• Pongal, also referred to as Thai Pongal, is a multi-day rice harvest festival of South India, particularly in the Tamil community. Held after the winter solstice, it celebrates the return of longer days of life-giving sunlight. Its name comes from a Tamil word meaning “to boil” and is also the name given to a rice dish that is prepared during this time.

We’d love to hear from you! What are some harvest festival traditions and foods from your culture?