Harvest Festivals Around the World: How Cultures Celebrate Food and Family
As autumn arrives, communities around the globe celebrate the harvest season — a time to give thanks for food, family, and abundance. From Asia to Europe to the Americas, harvest festivals highlight the universal importance of gratitude and togetherness.
What are harvest festivals?
Rooted in ancient agricultural traditions, harvest festivals mark the end of the growing season. They’re an opportunity to share meals, honor ancestors, and celebrate community.
A brief history of harvest celebrations
Across cultures, harvest festivals have always combined food, faith, and family:
- China & Vietnam: The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates the full moon with mooncakes, lanterns, and family reunions.
- South Korea: Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving, honors ancestors with feasts and rituals.
- India: Navratri and Durga Puja combine worship, dance, and communal feasts.
- Germany: Oktoberfest started as a wedding celebration and grew into the world’s biggest folk festival.
- Canada & U.S.: Thanksgiving focuses on gratitude, food, and family gatherings.
How global communities celebrate abroad
Diaspora communities recreate harvest traditions wherever they live — from hosting feasts and dances to sharing foods like mooncakes, tamales, or pumpkin pie. Many also send money back home to help families prepare for celebrations.
Staying connected: Send money worldwide, simply and securely
Wherever your family calls home, Paysend makes it easy to send money directly to bank accounts, cards, or wallets across 100+ countries. With low fees and fast delivery, you can be part of harvest celebrations anywhere in the world.
Celebrating gratitude across borders
Harvest festivals remind us that no matter where we are, food and family connect us all. This season, if you’re sharing support across borders, do it the easy way — with Paysend.
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Holi is a colourful reminder of home. For many people living in the UK, Canada and across the EEA, it’s a time when memories of family, food and celebration feel especially strong.
But sending money to India isn’t just something people do during festivals, like Holi. It’s something families rely on all year round – for everyday support, special occasions, education costs and unexpected expenses.
This Holi, there’s something extra to celebrate. New Paysend users can unlock a limited-time bonus when sending money to India.
Whether you’re planning to send money to India for Holi or making a transfer at any time of year from the UK, Canada or Europe, here’s what you need to know.
