Thanksgiving and Other Festivals of the Harvest

The stunning variety of crops around the world that end up on family tables are celebrated, recognized, and praised in a multitude of festivals, including the annual Thanksgiving feasts in the fall in North America and the European Midsummer celebrations on or near the longest days of the year. Some festivals are held in hopes of encouraging bountiful harvests while others celebrate a plentiful yield. Harvest festivals are often big, boisterous acknowledgments of the economic or...
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The stunning variety of crops around the world that end up on family tables are celebrated, recognized, and praised in a multitude of festivals, including the annual Thanksgiving feasts in the fall in North America and the European Midsummer celebrations on or near the longest days of the year. Some festivals are held in hopes of encouraging bountiful harvests while others celebrate a plentiful yield. Harvest festivals are often big, boisterous acknowledgments of the economic or dietary importance of certain crops to a region or group of people, such as the yam in Western Africa or sugarcane in parts of the Caribbean. Given the diversity of the world's geography and climates, during every month of the year in some part of the world, a community, village, religious group, city, or even entire country is celebrating the beginning or end of a life-giving harvest. This book looks at how regions of the world pay homage to the harvest and everything it represents. Each title in this series contains color photos and illustrations throughout, and back matter including: an index and further resource lists for books and online resources. Key Icons appear throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content rich non-fiction books. Key Icons in this series are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are set in boldfaced type in that chapter, so that readers are able to reference back to the definitions-building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Sidebars are highlighted graphics with content rich material within that allows readers to build knowledge and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Video features throughout have QR codes linked to online videos that provide supplemental interviews, documentaries, and historical clips. Text-Dependent Questions are placed at the end of each chapter. They challenge the reader's comprehension of the chapter they have just read, while sending the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects are provided at the end of each chapter as well and provide readers with suggestions for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. And a Series Glossary of Key Terms is included in the back matter containing terminology used throughout the series. Words found here broaden the reader's knowledge and understanding of terms used in this field.