Harvest Festival (United Kingdom)
The Harvest Festival of Thanksgiving is a celebration of the harvest and food grown on the land in the United Kingdom. It is about giving thanks for a successful crop yield over the year as winter starts to approach. The festival is also about giving thanks for all the good and positive things in our lives such as family and friendships.[1][2]
| Harvest Festival | |
|---|---|
 Harvest pumpkins in Warwickshire. | |
| Also called | Harvest Thanksgiving, Harvest, Thanksgiving Day |
| Observed by | United Kingdom |
| Type | Cultural, religious. |
| Date | The Sunday closest to the harvest moon |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Related to | Erntedankfest (Germany and Austria) Thanksgiving (Canada) Thanksgiving (United States) |
Date
Harvest Festival in the United Kingdom takes place on the Sunday closest to the harvest moon, the full moon occurring closest to the autumnal equinox. This therefore can either occur at the end of September or at the beginning of October depending when the harvest moon takes place. The date has not been made an official public holiday by the British government. Though the Sunday is Harvest Thanksgiving day, many parades, festivals and services occur on other separate dates around this time also.[3]