By: J. Liu
Autumn is beautiful and a pleasant season after the hot summer. The cool breeze makes people think about red maple leaves and festival celebrations. Many festivals are celebrated in autumn around the world, many celebrating the harvest and blessings of the year. Now, let’s take a look at some festivals that are celebrated in autumn.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is celebrated in many countries like the US and Canada. It is unofficially celebrated in Brazil, Germany, the Philippines, and other areas. Originally, it was a day to celebrate the harvest and other blessings of the last year. Nowadays, in both Canada and America, families and friends have a big meal together. Thanksgiving meals in America include turkey, pumpkin pies and cranberries as popular dishes. As for other celebrations, parades and football games both have long associations with Thanksgiving.
Thedays of thanksgiving and special thanksgiving religious services started to become important in the 16th century. The Puritan party in the Anglican Church wished to eliminate all Church holidays apart from the weekly Lord’s Day. The holidays were to be replaced by specially called Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving. Unexpected disasters or threats of judgment called for Days of Fasting. Special blessings that are viewed as coming from God are called Days of Thanksgiving.
Although Canada and the US are the two main countries that celebrate Thanksgiving, they celebrate the same festival almost two months apart from each other. The Canadian Thanksgiving is on the second Monday in October, while America’s Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. This is because of Canada’s geographic location. Canada is further to the north and the harvest season ends earlier, leading to earlier celebrations in Canada.
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest is the world’s largest Volksfest. It usually has a beer festival and a travelling carnival. It is celebrated every year in Munich, Germany. It lasts from the middle/end of September to the first Sunday in October. Similar events like Oktoberfest around the world are often founded by German immigrants or their descendants.
During the event, large amounts of beer are served. Visitors can also enjoy a number of attractions, such as amusement rides, side stalls and fun games. People can also enjoy local food like German potato salad, Weisswurst and German pretzels.
Kronprinz Ludwig, later King Ludwig I, married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in 1810. Citizens in Munich attended the celebration of the royal event held on the fields in front of the city gates. The fields were named “Theresienwiese” (“Theresa’s Meadow”) in honour of the Crown Princess. This name has been kept ever since. Horse races in the tradition of the 15th century (Scharlachrennen, or “Scarlet Race at Karlstor” in English) were held during the festival. Today, the precise origins of Oktoberfest and horse races remain controversial. It is widely believed that a major in the National Guard called Andreas Michael Dall’Armi came up with this idea, while other people think the origins may have stemmed from proposals offered by a coachman and sergeant in the National Guard called Franz Baumgartner. However, the decision to repeat the horse races, spectacles, and celebrations in 1811 launched what is now the annual Oktoberfest tradition.
Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a harvest festival in Chinese culture. It is held on the 15th of August in the Chinese lunisolar calendar, which is from mid-September to early October in the Gregorian calendar. On this day, the moon is at its fullest and brightest time of the year, coinciding with the harvest time in the middle of autumn. It is a festival for gathering with families and friends, giving thanks for harvest and reunion, and praying for a good future and fortune.
In Chinese culture, lanterns symbolize beacons that guide people towards prosperity and good fortune. This is why, during the festivals, lanterns of all shapes and colours are lit, carried by everyone and displayed in every house. The special food eaten at the Mid-Autumn Festival is mooncake. In it, there is a rich variety of pastries, like sweet bean, lotus-seed paste, egg yolk and nuts. In some areas, osmanthus wine and osmanthus mooncakes are popular food during the festival.
The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is based on the legend of Chang’e. She is the Moon goddess in Chinese mythology. Chang’e is the wife of the hero Hou Yi. Yi got the elixir of immortality from an immortal, but his apprentice wanted to steal it. When Yi went hunting one day, his apprentice threatened Chang’e to give him the elixir. Chang’e refused to do so and swallowed two portions of the elixir. She not only became immortal, but she began to get lighter and lighter and flew into the sky. Finally, she arrived at the moon and stayed there forever. People were sympathetic and participated in the sacrifices with Yi, who was very sad to learn what happened and displayed fruits and cakes Chang’e liked in his yard. This is why Chinese people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Thanksgiving, Oktoberfest and the Mid-Autumn Festival are all festivals celebrated in autumn. What they have in common is they all show happiness towards harvest and thanks for blessings in the past year. Autumn is also a time when humans share happiness and express appreciation to their families and friends. The beauty of autumn lies not only in the beautiful leaves swirling to the ground but also in human society, in the sweet flavour of pumpkin pies, the aroma of beer, and the brightness of lanterns.