All over the world, families, and cultures have unique traditions celebrated in the fall. We asked a group of families around the world to share with us their celebrations. Here are the many beautiful and joyous celebrations, big and small, they shared with us from different corners of the world.
Festival & Celebrations around the Globe
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1. Day of the Dead (Dia de Difuntos) in Ecuador
Dia de los Difuntos in Ecuador commemorates loved ones who have passed away, with origins in a mix of indigenous traditions and Catholic beliefs. “It takes on a very reverent and spiritual focus versus pumpkins and trick or treating kind of festivities,” Mari from Inspired by Familia explains. Guaguas de pan (a type of sweet bread) and colada morada are traditional Ecuadorian foods eaten on this day. Mari shares a yummy recipe for guaguas de pan here. Courtesy: inspiredbyfamilymag.com
2. St. Martin’s Day in Germany
“St. Martin’s Day, also known as the Feast of St. Martin or Martinstag in German is on November 11th and is traditionally a feasting celebration. Today children of all ages make their own lanterns and march through the streets singing songs, usually with their school.” Read more about this special tradition from Annabelle at the PiriPiri Lexicon here.
Courtesy: thepiripirilexicon.com
3. Bonfire Night in Britain
Every 5th of November, kids across Britain “wrap up in woollen scarves, hats and gloves and stand excitedly in the dark waiting for the lighting of the bonfire,” followed by fireworks and toffee apples. Read more about the fun celebration here from Amanda from Life with a Double Buggy.
Courtesy: Berit Watkin4. Diwali
Diwali is the Indian Festival of Lights. Kim from The Educator’s Spin On It shares her family’s traditions for Diwali, including fun crafts, activities, videos and books, which you can read here.
Courtesy: theeducatorsspinonit.blogspot.com5. Eid-Al-Adha
Eid-Al-Adha is the celebration at the end of Hajj, Muslims’ annual pilgrimage to Mecca, commemorating Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) devotion to God by his willingness to sacrifice his son and God’s mercy in sparing his son. Although Eid fell in the fall this year, it is not a fixed fall festival as its lunar holiday, shifting earlier each year. You can read more about Eid traditions here.
Courtesy: isafmedia6. Water Festival in Cambodia
The Cambodian Water Festival (Bon Om Touk) is a three-day festival every fall commemorating the end of the rainy season as well as the reversal of the flow of the Tonle Sap River. It’s one of the largest holidays in Cambodia and includes boat races, music, fireworks and special foods.
Courtesy: Vasenka7. Dia de los Muertos in the U.S.
On Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) families share with their children stories of loved ones that have passed and commemorate them with an altar in their home. Mama Tortuga on her blog also shares Mexican traditions that she began with her family: “We also started making things that come from Mexican traditions (decorated skulls) and cut paper into our altar.” Read more about the beautiful celebration on Mama Tortuga’s blog here.
Courtesy: johanacastill5.wix.com8. Loi Krathong and Yi Peng in Thailand
Courtesy: John Shedrick9. Lanterns for Costa Rican Independence
Every September, all over Costa Rica, school children and their parents work hard making lanterns to celebrate Costa Rican Independence Day on September 15. According to Leanna from All Done Monkey, “These homemade lanterns are true works of art, often made in the form of national symbols such as the carreta (wagon), the guaria morada (the national flower, a type of orchid), and the flag.” Read more about this fun celebration here.
Courtesy: alldonemonkey.com10. Sukkot
Sukkot is the joyous celebration that follows Yom Kippur, which usually always falls in late September or October. During Sukkot, Jews build temporary structures called sukkahs, covered with branches, as a remembrance of where they lived during the 40 years they wandered the desert after escaping slavery in Egypt. During the seven days of Sukkot, they eat all their meals in the sukkah and some may also sleep there.
Courtesy: RonAlmog 11. Chestnut Harvest in France
For Maria from Busy as a Bee in Paris fall means chestnut harvesting in France. Read more about her family’s outdoorsy adventures here.
Courtesy: busyasabeeinparis.com12. Canning Apple Sauce
Homeschooling mom Adriana Zoder from Homeschool Ways shares her family’s fall tradition of making and jarring apple sauce as well as her inspiring thoughts behind homeschooling. “Homeschooling allows us to spend lots of time together, to make memories and establish traditions of different sorts. Canning applesauce is our fall tradition – more so than playing in a pile of leaves or visiting a pumpkin patch.” You can read the full article here.
Courtesy: homeschoolways.com 13. Raking and Jumping in Leaves in the U.S.
One fall activity that most American kids enjoy is jumping in leaves. It’s one of those activities that kids never seem to tire of. For bilingual families, traditions like these can also be easy ways to tie in a language lesson as well, so head over to Mommy Speaks Chinese to learn about some Chinese words for fall and see her adorable kids waiting for more leaves to fall like the desert waits for rain!
Courtesy: mommyspeakschinese.com 14. St. Andrew’s Day in Poland
St. Andrew’s Day in November is about all things mysterious and spooky. This day is mostly meant for girls and young women, while boys have their own celebration on St. Catherine’s Day (Katarzynki on November 25th). Some of the fun traditions include pouring wax through a keyhole and interpreting the shape as well as a shoe competition. You can read more about the fun traditions from Olga over at European Mama.
Courtesy: europeanmama.com15. Traditional Fall Festivities in the U.S.
Carol from A French American Life shares her family’s uniquely American traditions: pumpkin carving parties, raking leaves, Halloween, Thanksgiving and more fall fun. You can read about all the fun stuff her family does together here.
Courtesy: afrenchamericanlife.com 16. How about a little Thanksgiving yoga to give thanks?
“Thanksgiving is generally a time for getting together with family and friends to share meals and play games. It can be a busy time of the year with lots of planning and cooking. Another great way to celebrate Thanksgiving is through movement and storytelling. This is a perfect activity to bring calm to your hectic days.” Head over to Giselle’s awesome Kids Yoga Stories website for some guidance and postures for you and your child.
Courtesy: kidsyogastories.com Must Read: 20 Diverse Movies for Family Movie Night
What a lovely post and some stunning photos! Thank you for hosting this month’s carnival!
These fall traditions were put together so beautifully – and now I’m off to start learning more about them! Thanks!
Wow, this is really beautifully presented! Thanks for putting this all together!
Beautifully put together!!!
This is an amazingly wonderful post. The pictures really tell about the traditions quite well. Sorry I am a bit late getting back to the blog, but so glad I kept going to catch up and find the fall traditions and celebrations.
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