Mid-Autumn Festival

News:Asian countries and communities around the world has celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Facts:

About Mid-Autumn Festival:

• It is a harvest festival that marks the end of the autumn harvest and appearance of the fullest moon of the year.
• It is an important celebration across East Asian and Southeast Asian countries, particularly those having Chinese communities.
• Since the festival is meant to mark a good harvest,food plays an important role in celebrations in all countries.

Does India also celebrate autumnal harvest?

• The diversity of culture in India has resulted in unique versions of harvest festivals for the spring and autumn harvest cycles.
• Mizoram:The festival of Mim Kut is celebrated in the months of August & September after maize crops are harvested.
• Odisha:The festival of Nuakhai is celebrated a day after Ganesh Chaturthi.The name of the festival Nuakhai means “new” (Nua) “rice” (Khai) after the new harvest of rice.
• Arunachal Pradesh:Bugun,a scheduled tribe celebrates Pham Kho Sowai,a harvest festival that starts around September 10 every year.The festival involves worship of the mountain and water sources like rivers, that are the main sources of livelihood for this tribe.
• Kerala:Onam is a harvest festival in Kerala where food is an integral part of the celebrations.The festival involves music, dance and other cultural practices and preparation of other dishes using seasonal vegetables served on a banana leaf.