Seasons, harvest and the calendar
Customs tied to a season, a harvest, a moon or a day of the week.
Seasonal and calendar traditions follow the turning of the year: the first thaw, the monsoon, the harvest, the longest night, the new moon. They also follow the days of the week, with Friday prayers, Sunday roast and Monday fasts. Because these customs are tied to nature and time, they appear almost everywhere, though each place names and keeps them in its own way. EveryParampara links them to the live calendar, so that you can see what is being kept today and what is coming in the year ahead.
Seasons and harvests
Farming societies marked the sowing, the first fruits and the harvest with offerings and feasts, and many of those festivals are still kept: Pongal, Chuseok, Thanksgiving, the New Yam Festival. Spring brings festivals of renewal, from Nowruz to Holi and Easter, and midwinter brings fire and light. In the tropics the rains rather than the temperature set the year, and festivals greet their arrival or their end.
Moons, weeks and days
Lunar calendars shape the dates of Ramadan, Lunar New Year, Vesak, Diwali and the Jewish festivals, so the dates move against the solar year. The week has its own rhythm, with a day of rest, a day of market and days of fasting for particular gods. EveryParampara's calendar and weekday pages show these patterns, so a visitor can see why Friday is couscous in Morocco and Saturday is Shabbat in Israel.
About this page
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Seasons, harvest and the calendar (kind of tradition). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇪🇹 EthiopiaGifaataaጊፋታ
The annual New Year celebration of the Wolayta people in southern EthiopiaSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇰🇷 Busan, South KoreaBusan Sunrise Festival부산해맞이축제
A bell rung in Busan on 31 December, then the year's first sunrise at the beachSeasonal
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelSong of Ascentsשיר המעלות
Fifteen Hebrew psalms sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem and by monks at prayerSpiritual
🇨🇳 ChinaSymbolic stars神煞
Helpful and harmful influences read from the Chinese calendar's stems and branchesFolklore
🇮🇹 Venice, Italy and 2 moreFeast of Saint MarkFesta di san Marco
Saint Mark's day on 25 April, kept with rosebuds in Venice and harvest care in LithuaniaSpiritual
🇵🇭 Hungduan, PhilippinesPunnuk
A tug of war in a river at harvest's end, kept by Tuwali-speaking villages in IfugaoGame
🇮🇱 IsraelTefillat Talתפילת טל
A Jewish prayer for dew, recited on the opening morning of PassoverSpiritual
🇻🇳 VietnamVietnamese zodiacMười hai con giáp
A twelve-year cycle of animal years, kept in Vietnam on the lunar calendarFolklore
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreKingdomtide
An autumn liturgical season focusing on Christ's reign in heaven and on earthSpiritual
🇲🇦 Morocco and 2 moreTweezaتويزة
A North African tradition of communal voluntary work, mutual aid and shared harvestsCeremony · Dinner
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 morePurim costume
The Jewish custom of wearing masks and disguises during the festival of PurimDress
🇳🇪 Niger and 1 moreSitta min Shawwalستة من شوال
A voluntary six-day Islamic fast observed during the month following RamadanSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇫🇷 Lyon, France and 2 moreWeek of Prayer for Christian Unity
An eight-day international period of shared prayer for reconciliation among churchesSpiritual
🇨🇳 Tianjin, China and 1 moreBa-zha八蜡
An old Chinese harvest rite of eight offerings, later a guardian against locustsSpiritual
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreTraditional games of Korea전통놀이 (jeontongnori)
Korean games kept through the seasons, from New Year board games to winter kitesGame
🇷🇺 Russia and 3 moreGeorge's Day in AutumnЕгорий Осенний (Yegoriy Osenniy), Юрьев день (Yuriev den); Serbian: Ђурђиц (Đurđic)
The autumn feast of Saint George, kept at harvest's end in Slavic landsFestival
🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreLeil Selichotליל הסליחות
A night of penitential prayers and poems recited before the Jewish New Year to seek forgiveness.Spiritual
🇬🇧 United KingdomThe Broad
A Cotswold Christmas figure: a bull's head on a pole, carried by a hidden performerFolklore
🇨🇿 CzechiaName days in the Czech RepublicSvátek
A daily custom where people celebrate on the calendar date assigned to their given name.Seasonal
🇺🇸 Manhattan, United StatesJews and Thanksgiving
An American national holiday kept by most US Jews, and debated by their rabbisFestival · Dinner
🇬🇪 GeorgiaTheodore's Saturday
The first Saturday of Lent, kept with boiled wheat and visits to the gravesSpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇸🇰 Pezinok, SlovakiaPezinok Grape Harvest FestivalPezinské vinobranie
An annual autumn harvest and wine festival filling the streets of Pezinok, SlovakiaSeasonal · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇸🇰 SlovakiaName days in SlovakiaMeniny
The Slovak tradition of celebrating personal name days alongside birthdaysSeasonal
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 2 morePassover sacrificeקרבן פסח
The lamb offering eaten at the start of Passover, from the Exodus storySpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 1 moreFilsetaፍልሰታ
A fifteen-day fast and feast honouring the Dormition and Assumption of MarySpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMahalakshmia jo Sagroمَھالڪشميءَ جو سڳڙو / महालक्ष्मीअ जो सॻड़ो
A sixteen-day Hindu fast and prayer dedicated to the goddess of wealthSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇸 Skálholt, IcelandThorlak's MassÞorláksmessa
Iceland's feast of its patron saint on 23 December, the last day before ChristmasSpiritual
🇮🇹 Lake Nemi, ItalyNemoralia
A three-day Roman festival of torches and garlands for the goddess DianaSpiritual
🇮🇳 Chennai, IndiaMadras Music Season
Nine weeks of Carnatic concerts in Chennai, from mid-November to JanuaryPerformance
🇬🇧 Penzance, United KingdomGuldizeGool dheys
A Cornish harvest supper after the last sheaf is cut, with pork, pie, singing and gamesSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇧🇹 Punakha, BhutanTraditional Day of OfferingBuelwa Phuewi Nyim
A Bhutanese New Year marked by offerings to Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and family feasts.Festival · Breakfast
🇧🇹 Bhutan and 5 moreLhabab Duchenལྷ་བབས་དུས་ཆེན་
A Buddhist festival for the day the Buddha returned to earth from a god's realmSpiritual
🇵🇸 Jerusalem, Palestine and 1 moreThursday of the Deadخميس الأموات
A spring day of cemetery visits, prayer, and shared yellow breads across the LevantSpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇿🇲 Lundazi, Zambia and 1 moreKulonga
An annual harvest festival of thanksgiving celebrated by Tumbuka communitiesSeasonal
🇩🇿 Djanet, Algeria and 1 moreSebibaسبيبة (Arabic), ⵙⴱⵉⴱⴰ (Tifinagh)
A Tuareg festival and dance in the Algerian Sahara marking the Islamic New Year and Ashura.Festival
🇮🇳 Mumbai, IndiaAgeraआगेरा
Mumbai's East Indian Catholics give thanks for the harvest on the first Sunday of OctoberFestival
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelAravahערבה
The ritual waving and beating of willow branches during the festival of SukkotSpiritual
🇻🇳 VietnamSpace of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands of VietnamKhông gian văn hóa Cồng Chiêng Tây Nguyên
Gong sets of Vietnam's Central Highlands, played for festivals and spiritsPerformance
🇨🇳 Xiamen, China and 2 moreBo Bing博餅 (Bóbǐng)
A dice game played at Mid-Autumn, where mooncakes of many sizes are the prizesGame
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChampa Chandan Vrataচাঁপা চন্দন ব্রত
A month-long vow kept by unmarried Bengali girls, asking for a husband like ShivaSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMadhushravaniमधुश्रावणी
A fifteen-day Mithila festival of fasting, worship and song for newly married bridesSpiritual
🇺🇸 Buffalo, United States and 1 moreTurkey trot
A holiday footrace, often run in turkey costume and usually for charityFestival
🇷🇸 Serbia and 2 moreZapisзапис
A consecrated village tree marked with a cross, venerated in Serbian folk traditionSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇷🇸 SerbiaVertepвертеп
A Serbian Orthodox Christmas Eve custom, named for the cave of the NativitySpiritual
🇮🇱 IsraelEve of Passover on Shabbatערב פסח
Special Jewish calendar customs when the eve of Passover coincides with the SabbathSeasonal · Dinner
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreShielingÀirigh
Seasonal summer pasture living and traditional dairying in the Scottish hillsSeasonal
🇰🇷 Busan, South KoreaBusan Sunrise Festival부산해맞이축제
A bell rung in Busan on 31 December, then the year's first sunrise at the beachSeasonal
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelSong of Ascentsשיר המעלות
Fifteen Hebrew psalms sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem and by monks at prayerSpiritual
🇨🇳 ChinaSymbolic stars神煞
Helpful and harmful influences read from the Chinese calendar's stems and branchesFolklore
🇮🇹 Venice, Italy and 2 moreFeast of Saint MarkFesta di san Marco
Saint Mark's day on 25 April, kept with rosebuds in Venice and harvest care in LithuaniaSpiritual
🇵🇭 Hungduan, PhilippinesPunnuk
A tug of war in a river at harvest's end, kept by Tuwali-speaking villages in IfugaoGame
🇮🇱 IsraelTefillat Talתפילת טל
A Jewish prayer for dew, recited on the opening morning of PassoverSpiritual
🇻🇳 VietnamVietnamese zodiacMười hai con giáp
A twelve-year cycle of animal years, kept in Vietnam on the lunar calendarFolklore
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreKingdomtide
An autumn liturgical season focusing on Christ's reign in heaven and on earthSpiritual
🇲🇦 Morocco and 2 moreTweezaتويزة
A North African tradition of communal voluntary work, mutual aid and shared harvestsCeremony · Dinner
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 morePurim costume
The Jewish custom of wearing masks and disguises during the festival of PurimDress
🇳🇪 Niger and 1 moreSitta min Shawwalستة من شوال
A voluntary six-day Islamic fast observed during the month following RamadanSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇫🇷 Lyon, France and 2 moreWeek of Prayer for Christian Unity
An eight-day international period of shared prayer for reconciliation among churchesSpiritual
🇨🇳 Tianjin, China and 1 moreBa-zha八蜡
An old Chinese harvest rite of eight offerings, later a guardian against locustsSpiritual
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreTraditional games of Korea전통놀이 (jeontongnori)
Korean games kept through the seasons, from New Year board games to winter kitesGame
🇷🇺 Russia and 3 moreGeorge's Day in AutumnЕгорий Осенний (Yegoriy Osenniy), Юрьев день (Yuriev den); Serbian: Ђурђиц (Đurđic)
The autumn feast of Saint George, kept at harvest's end in Slavic landsFestival
🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreLeil Selichotליל הסליחות
A night of penitential prayers and poems recited before the Jewish New Year to seek forgiveness.Spiritual
🇬🇧 United KingdomThe Broad
A Cotswold Christmas figure: a bull's head on a pole, carried by a hidden performerFolklore
🇨🇿 CzechiaName days in the Czech RepublicSvátek
A daily custom where people celebrate on the calendar date assigned to their given name.Seasonal
🇺🇸 Manhattan, United StatesJews and Thanksgiving
An American national holiday kept by most US Jews, and debated by their rabbisFestival · Dinner
🇬🇪 GeorgiaTheodore's Saturday
The first Saturday of Lent, kept with boiled wheat and visits to the gravesSpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇸🇰 Pezinok, SlovakiaPezinok Grape Harvest FestivalPezinské vinobranie
An annual autumn harvest and wine festival filling the streets of Pezinok, SlovakiaSeasonal · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇸🇰 SlovakiaName days in SlovakiaMeniny
The Slovak tradition of celebrating personal name days alongside birthdaysSeasonal
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 2 morePassover sacrificeקרבן פסח
The lamb offering eaten at the start of Passover, from the Exodus storySpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 1 moreFilsetaፍልሰታ
A fifteen-day fast and feast honouring the Dormition and Assumption of MarySpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMahalakshmia jo Sagroمَھالڪشميءَ جو سڳڙو / महालक्ष्मीअ जो सॻड़ो
A sixteen-day Hindu fast and prayer dedicated to the goddess of wealthSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇸 Skálholt, IcelandThorlak's MassÞorláksmessa
Iceland's feast of its patron saint on 23 December, the last day before ChristmasSpiritual
🇮🇹 Lake Nemi, ItalyNemoralia
A three-day Roman festival of torches and garlands for the goddess DianaSpiritual
🇮🇳 Chennai, IndiaMadras Music Season
Nine weeks of Carnatic concerts in Chennai, from mid-November to JanuaryPerformance
🇬🇧 Penzance, United KingdomGuldizeGool dheys
A Cornish harvest supper after the last sheaf is cut, with pork, pie, singing and gamesSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇧🇹 Punakha, BhutanTraditional Day of OfferingBuelwa Phuewi Nyim
A Bhutanese New Year marked by offerings to Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and family feasts.Festival · Breakfast
🇧🇹 Bhutan and 5 moreLhabab Duchenལྷ་བབས་དུས་ཆེན་
A Buddhist festival for the day the Buddha returned to earth from a god's realmSpiritual
🇵🇸 Jerusalem, Palestine and 1 moreThursday of the Deadخميس الأموات
A spring day of cemetery visits, prayer, and shared yellow breads across the LevantSpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇿🇲 Lundazi, Zambia and 1 moreKulonga
An annual harvest festival of thanksgiving celebrated by Tumbuka communitiesSeasonal
🇩🇿 Djanet, Algeria and 1 moreSebibaسبيبة (Arabic), ⵙⴱⵉⴱⴰ (Tifinagh)
A Tuareg festival and dance in the Algerian Sahara marking the Islamic New Year and Ashura.Festival
🇮🇳 Mumbai, IndiaAgeraआगेरा
Mumbai's East Indian Catholics give thanks for the harvest on the first Sunday of OctoberFestival
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelAravahערבה
The ritual waving and beating of willow branches during the festival of SukkotSpiritual
🇻🇳 VietnamSpace of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands of VietnamKhông gian văn hóa Cồng Chiêng Tây Nguyên
Gong sets of Vietnam's Central Highlands, played for festivals and spiritsPerformance
🇨🇳 Xiamen, China and 2 moreBo Bing博餅 (Bóbǐng)
A dice game played at Mid-Autumn, where mooncakes of many sizes are the prizesGame
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChampa Chandan Vrataচাঁপা চন্দন ব্রত
A month-long vow kept by unmarried Bengali girls, asking for a husband like ShivaSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMadhushravaniमधुश्रावणी
A fifteen-day Mithila festival of fasting, worship and song for newly married bridesSpiritual
🇺🇸 Buffalo, United States and 1 moreTurkey trot
A holiday footrace, often run in turkey costume and usually for charityFestival
🇷🇸 Serbia and 2 moreZapisзапис
A consecrated village tree marked with a cross, venerated in Serbian folk traditionSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇷🇸 SerbiaVertepвертеп
A Serbian Orthodox Christmas Eve custom, named for the cave of the NativitySpiritual
🇮🇱 IsraelEve of Passover on Shabbatערב פסח
Special Jewish calendar customs when the eve of Passover coincides with the SabbathSeasonal · Dinner
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreShielingÀirigh
Seasonal summer pasture living and traditional dairying in the Scottish hillsSeasonal
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Busan Sunrise Festival: Busan Metropolitan city, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Song of Ascents: No machine-readable author provided. Amoruso~commonswiki assumed (base, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Vietnamese zodiac: Unknown (traditional painting dated back to the 17th century), Public domain, source
- Traditional games of Korea: Davidturnswood, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Passover sacrifice: מפוכח, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Thorlak's Mass: Orf3us, Public domain, source
- Nemoralia: Frederic Leighton, Public domain, source
- Madras Music Season: Martin spaink, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Punnuk: Bernardguerrero, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jews and Thanksgiving: Executive Committee of Congregation Shearith Israel., Public domain, source
- Pezinok Grape Harvest Festival: Bratislavská župa, CC BY 2.0, source
- Feast of Saint Mark: No machine-readable author provided. Cremedia assumed (based on copyri, Public domain, source
- Tweeza: Demeester, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Purim costume: Flavio~, CC BY 2.0, source
- Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: Kaihsu Tai, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- George's Day in Autumn: Sergey Ivanov, Public domain, source
- Leil Selichot: Yael Shilo יעל שילה, CC BY 3.0, source
- Sebiba: Abderrahmane boudjenane, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Zapis: Zblagojevic, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shieling: Gordon Hatton, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Turkey trot: "A. A. Brack, S. A. Texas" ("S. A." = San Antonio?)., Public domain, source
- Agera: Tiven Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Aravah: DRosenbach ( Talk | Contribs ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Madhushravani: Monika Jha, CC0, source
- Eve of Passover on Shabbat: בעלת הזכויות - טלי אמתי, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands of Vietnam: Đỗ Tuấn Hưng, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bo Bing: Xmhaoyu, CC BY 3.0, source