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Harvest Festival 2023: What is it? And are you doing anything to celebrate it?

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How do you celebrate harvest festival?

Harvest Festival celebrates the time of year when crops have been gathered from the field and people can reflect and show gratitude for the food that they have.

It dates back a long time in British history, to when people relied on crops for food and famers would give thanks for a good harvest.

At school many of you learn about harvest time, and collect food for those in need in your local community. Some of you might have a special assembly, or collect food parcels to give out.

The festival is usually celebrated on the Sunday nearest to the Harvest Moon. - this year's is on 1 October.

We want to know how you are celebrating Harvest Festival at school this year, so head to the comments and let us know! You can also take part in our vote, below.

If you cannot see the quiz, click here.

What is Harvest Festival?

Harvest festivals are believed to date back to ancient Britain. Lots of different religions celebrate a similar form of festival, as it was a time where people would have the most food from the plants they grew.

Farmers gave thanks for a good harvest during the full moon closest to the autumn equinox, it was important to them because it meant they could store the food and eat well through the hard winter months.

Image source, Getty Images
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Schools often ask pupils to bring in tinned or dried foods which can be donated to people who need it

The celebrations became popular again in Victorian times as a kind of 'thanksgiving' service, including prayer and church services.

While we don't all grow our own food anymore, Harvest festivals are still considered an important way to learn about the process of how food gets from farms to our tables, as well as being a key date in the calendar of different religions.