It’s that time of year again—the leaves are beginning to
turn gold, red, and brown as they fall, the pumpkins are fat and round, and the
farmers are beginning the rush of work to end the season. Autumn means a lot of
things to a lot of people, but across the world it indicates harvest time.
Here in the United States we celebrate Halloween and
Thanksgiving, rake up piles of leaves (and jump into them!), and drink warm
cider, but what about in other parts of the world?
In Québec, well-known as one of the French-speaking
provinces of Canada, everyone gathers together on October 9th to
celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving day. Due to their French background, foods like
French apple tart and French bread are served alongside the turkey and seasonal
vegetables that Americans also serve at their Thanksgiving.
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| A cailleac/corn husk doll |
Even across “the Pond,” the harvest is celebrated! In
(mostly) rural parts of Britain, people celebrate the last harvest by singing,
dancing, and decorating the village with harvested materials like dried
flowers, fruits, and vegetables. As part of the festival, they take the last
sheaf of corn, called the cailleac, and form it into a doll. This doll is meant
to represent the spirit of the field and so the harvesters soak the doll with
water as a rain charm to bring good luck. The cailleac is saved until the
spring planting.
Our final stop in our whirlwind tour takes us to India and
the rice harvest festival. In the state of Tamilnad in particular, the
traditional south Indian sweet made of rice, sugar, fruits, and butter used to
celebrate the harvest is called pongal, which is also the name of their
festival. Before Pongal, everyone cleans their homes—either whitewashing the
walls or covering them with red clay before painting designs on the walls and
even the floors. Pongal is celebrated over the course of three days: on the
first day, the people thank the gods for the rain that made a good harvest, on
the second day, they express their gratitude for the sun, then on the third
day, everyone honors the cattle who have helped to both plow the fields and
gather the harvest. The families take their water buffalo, wash it, then they
paint its horns and hang garlands of flowers around its neck.
Want to learn more about festivals and events in other countries?
Ask our librarian to show you our intercultural celebrations section. For
books, stories, and information on the harvest and autumn—we have a display
right behind the Children’s Room desk; any book that you see is yours to check
out and take home!
Very soon schools throughout the state, including River Forest School District 90, will be adopting the Common Core Curriculum. One of the important initiatives within this curriculum is the emphasis on reading for information. This means that our children will be reading more nonfiction. While great children's fiction from Dr. Seuss to Ramona Quimby to Little House on the Prairie to Harry Potter will never, ever be replaced, reading nonfiction can also be a joyful exploration of new worlds and new ideas. Here are some books that combine wonderful illustrations, interesting formats, and well-told facts. I learned a great deal from each!
