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.
🇮🇩 IndonesiaIsra and Mi'rajالإسراء والمعراج (al-’Isrā’ wal-Miʿrāj)
An Islamic observance marking the prophet Muhammad’s night journey and ascent through the heavens.Spiritual
🇷🇺 Russia and 2 moreMaslenitsaМасленица
A seven-day Eastern Slavic festival of pancakes and bonfires marking the end of winter before Lent.Festival · Breakfast
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreImbolcLá Fhéile Bríde
A Gaelic festival heralding spring and honoring Saint Brigid with woven rush crossesSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 morePresentation of Jesus at the TempleIn praesentatione Domini
A February feast of candles and welcome, kept forty days after ChristmasSpiritual
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreYaldā Nightشب یلدا
A solstice night of poetry, fruit and family, kept from Iran through Central AsiaFestival · Dinner
🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreSt John's Eve
Bonfires, feasting and worship on the short night before John the Baptist's feastSpiritual
🇺🇸 Chicago, United States and 4 moreKwanzaa
A seven-day African American celebration of heritage, family and community valuesFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇩🇪 Germany and 7 moreSt. Martin's DayMartinstag
A November feast of lantern walks, bonfires, roast goose and new wineSpiritual
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreQingming Festival清明节
A spring custom of sweeping family graves and honouring ancestors across East Asia.Spiritual
🇮🇳 Mathura, India and 4 moreKrishna Janmashtamiकृष्णजन्माष्टमी
A Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna with fasting, singing and night vigilsSpiritual
🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan and 2 moreTanabataたなばた
A Japanese summer star festival of written wishes hung on leafy bamboo.Festival
🇺🇸 Punxsutawney, United States and 1 moreGroundhog DayGrund'sau dåk
A February ritual where communities watch a groundhog emerge to predict the length of winter.Festival
🇮🇳 India and 5 morePongal
Three or four days of boiling rice, garlanded cattle and thanks to the sunSeasonal · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 Ayodhya, India and 5 moreRama Navamiराम नवमी
A Hindu spring festival marking the birth of Rama with prayer, fasting and processionsFestival
🇨🇳 Shanghai, China and 1 moreJiaozi餃子
Crescent Chinese dumplings filled with meat or vegetables, eaten for fortune and feastsTable custom · Breakfast
🇩🇪 Hamburg, Germany and 2 moreAdvent wreathAdventskranz
An evergreen ring of candles lit week by week in the lead-up to ChristmasSeasonal
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreMartin Luther King Jr. Day
An American federal holiday honouring the civil rights leader with service and remembranceCeremony
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreGhost Festival中元節 / 中元节 (Zhōngyuán jié)
A full-moon night in the seventh lunar month for feeding ghosts and guiding souls homeSpiritual
🇧🇹 Bhutan and 4 moreLosarལོ་གསར་
The Tibetan Buddhist New Year festival of renewal, offerings, and family feastsSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreFat Thursday
A Thursday before Lent when doughnuts, grilled meat and Carnival take overFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreQixi Festival七夕
A Chinese night of romance, needlecraft wishes and stargazing for two mythic loversFestival
🇧🇪 Belgium and 5 moreSaint Nicholas Day
The feast day of Saint Nicholas, kept in Advent with gifts, shoes and church servicesSpiritual
🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 4 moreChaharshanbe Suriچهارشنبهسوری
An Iranian festival of fire and renewal celebrated on the eve of the final Wednesday before spring.Festival · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇺🇸 United StatesLabor Day
A national American holiday honouring the working class with parades and picnicsCeremony
🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 moreSaint Stephen's Day
A Christian feast day celebrating the first martyr with feasts, rides and folk customs.Spiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreUgadiఉగాది
A South Indian New Year feast celebrating life with sweet, sour, and bitter tastesSeasonal
🇮🇹 Siena, ItalyFerragosto
A public holiday on 15 August marking the Assumption of Mary and the traditional start of the Italian summer break.Festival · Lunch
🇬🇧 Edinburgh, United KingdomHogmanay
The Scottish celebration of New Year's Eve and the first days of the new year.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland and 3 moreMay Day
A traditional European festival welcoming summer with greenery, dances and bonfiresSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇯🇵 JapanChildren's Dayこどもの日
A Japanese holiday on May fifth celebrating the happiness and growth of childrenFestival
🇷🇴 Romania and 3 moreCălușariCălușarii
An acrobatic Romanian spring dance and ritual brotherhood tied to folklore and healingPerformance
🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 4 moreMehreganمهرگان
An Iranian autumn festival honoring Mithra, friendship, and the harvestSeasonal
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreGanggangsullae강강술래
A Korean harvest dance where women hold hands and sing in circles under the full moonPerformance
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreMid-Sha'banنصف شعبان
An Islamic night of prayer, remembrance, and seeking divine forgiveness.Spiritual
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreGuru Purnimaगुरुपूर्णिमा
A sacred South Asian festival honouring spiritual guides, teachers, and mentorsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLohri
A northern Indian midwinter festival of evening bonfires, folk songs and harvest foodsSeasonal
🇵🇰 Islamabad, PakistanPakistan Independence Dayیومِ آزادی
A nationwide summer holiday commemorating the birth of Pakistan on 14 August 1947Ceremony
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyFesta della Repubblica
Italy's national day marking the 1946 public vote to establish a democratic republicCeremony
🇸🇪 Gävle, SwedenGävle goatGävlebocken
A towering straw Yule goat built each Advent in the central square of GävleFestival
🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 1 moreChhath Pujaछठ पूजा
A four-day Hindu festival honouring the sun and Chhathi Maiya along riverbanksSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreShemini Atzeretשְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת
The eighth day of assembly, kept right after Sukkot with a prayer for rainSpiritual
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreWhit Monday
The Christian feast and public holiday held on the day after PentecostSpiritual
🇭🇺 Mohács, HungaryBusójárás
A six-day winter carnival of carved wooden masks, folk music, and parades in MohácsFestival
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreYule log
A log kept burning on the hearth through the twelve days of Christmas, for luckSeasonal
🇮🇳 IndiaHanuman Jayantiहनुमानजयंती
A Hindu festival marking the birth of Hanuman with prayers, readings and offeringsSpiritual
🇮🇳 Gaya, India and 1 moreShraddhaश्राद्ध
Rituals of faith for the ancestors, kept yearly and through Pitru PakshaSpiritual
🇮🇷 Tehran, IranTa'ziyehتعزیه
A ritual drama from Iran that retells the Karbala mourning each MuharramSpiritual
🇮🇩 Bali, IndonesiaNyepiᬜᬾᬧᬶ
A Balinese Hindu day of silence, fasting and stillness marking the Saka new yearSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Presentation of Jesus at the Temple: Gaudenzio Ferrari, Public domain, source
- Imbolc: Culnacreann, CC BY 3.0, source
- Rama Navami: Adityamadhav83, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- St John's Eve: Jules Breton, Public domain, source
- Pongal: Saral Shots, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Krishna Janmashtami: Nvvchar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Losar: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Groundhog Day: Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pakistan Independence Day: Khaum, CC BY 3.0, source
- Isra and Mi'raj: عامر شاہین, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chaharshanbe Suri: Philippe Giabbanelli, CC BY 3.0, source
- Ghost Festival: Chong Fat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- May Day: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
- Advent wreath: Burkhard Mücke, CC BY 4.0, source
- Kwanzaa: Apavlo at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Saint Stephen's Day: Carlo Crivelli, Public domain, source
- Tanabata: Laika ac, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mehregan: PersianDutchNetwork, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Călușari: El bes, CC BY 3.0, source
- Mid-Sha'ban: sayyed shahab-o- din vajedi, CC BY 4.0, source
- Ganggangsullae: originally by photoren, CC BY 2.0, source
- Chhath Puja: Steffen Gauger, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hogmanay: Robbie Shade, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ferragosto: Ra Boe, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Gävle goat: Sinikka Halme, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Busójárás: User:Themightyquill, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Qingming Festival: Jacklee ., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Festa della Repubblica: Anthony Majanlahti, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ugadi: Kalyan Kanuri, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: O. Fernandez, New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer, Public domain, source
- Qixi Festival: shizhao ( talk )拍摄，画者不明, Public domain, source
- Whit Monday: Eloquence, Public domain, source
- Maslenitsa: Лобачев Владимир, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jiaozi: Bioniclepluslotr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nyepi: Matt Croxson, Public domain, source
- Labor Day: Author not known, but more than 100 years old, Image edited, Public domain, source
- Lohri: Karen Sandhu, CC BY 2.0, source
- Children's Day: Comissão de Jovens, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Guru Purnima: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hanuman Jayanti: Haha sugarr, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fat Thursday: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Saint Nicholas Day: Chmee2, CC BY 3.0, source
- Shemini Atzeret: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Yule log: Pehr Arvid Säve (1811—1887), Public domain, source
- Shraddha: Billjones94, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ta'ziyeh: Payam Moein, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yaldā Night: M.Sadegh Nikgostar/Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, source
- St. Martin's Day: Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Public domain, source