If you’re anything like me, fall is your favorite time of year. After the blistering heat of summer that has spent the last four months scorching sidewalks and skin, it’s nice to have a little bit of cool air and less humidity floating around.
Fall as a season has developed its own staples here in the States. Whenever we think of fall, images of hoodies, bonfires, and pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks tend to be what cross our mind. As a kid, I enjoyed raking the leaves in my backyard with my brother and then getting to spend the rest of the afternoon jumping in and out of them. Fall decorations like pumpkins, scarecrows, and fake leaves adorned our living room and kitchen. As my family has gotten older, our traditions have changed. My mom now spends time in the kitchen baking various cinnamon-related goodies and after the sun goes down we sometimes sit out on our back porch and enjoy a fire in our mini outdoor fireplace. It’s a relaxing, easy-going time of year for us.
I bet for many of you, those traditions sound similar. But what about in other countries? How do they celebrate the season? Here are a few examples of various fall traditions from around the world:
Germany. November 11th is known in Germany as St. Martin’s Day, the Feast of St. Martin, or Martinstag. The origin of the celebration isn’t completely clear, but there are various stories behind the man known as St. Martin that contribute to the celebrations. One story is that St. Martin met a man outside the gates of Amiens who asked if he had anything warm to wear. St. Martin, who had only a military cloak on him, decided to share by tearing the cloak in two and offering one half to the man, who was extremely grateful for his kindness. During this holiday, children decorate their own lanterns and then parade up and down the streets singing a song. Once the lantern celebration is done, people return to their homes and drink mulled wine, hot cocoa, and enjoy “Weckmänner,” which are baked goods in the shape of a man holding a clay pipe in his mouth.
India. Diwali, or Dipawali, is celebrated in October or November and is one of the most important holidays in India. The festival, originating as a harvest festival that marked the last harvest before winter, is a religious celebration that looks to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, for a successful financial year. It takes place over five days, each day involving a different type of activity such as decorating homes with clay lamps or doing some spring cleaning. The people also participate in the event by coming together with family and enjoying fireworks, strings of electric lights, bonfires, flowers, and sharing sweets.
Thailand. Loi Krathong is a festival of light that is celebrated in Thailand and the exact date of celebration varies depending on the Thai lunar calendar. For this holiday, people make krathongs, or lotus-shaped lanterns, out of dry bread or banana leaves and decorated with incense sticks and a candle. They are released into rivers, canals or ponds while making a wish. Sometimes people will even release eels and turtles along with the lanterns. The festival may have originated as a way to pay respect to the river spirits, as some of the krathongs include small coins as offerings. One of the festivities that may look familiar is the tradition of the floating lanterns. People purchase special paper lanterns that will rise into the air once they are lit with a candle. Sometimes thousands of lanterns can all be seen in the air at a time. If you’re wondering why this would be familiar, this particular custom was the inspiration for the lantern scene from Tangled. The lanterns function exactly as they do in the movie and are traditionally lifted into the air at the same time by the family.
So there are some sneak-peaks into how other countries get into the fall spirit! As for me, I’m going to spend my brisk autumn even with some hot chocolate, a blanket, and…Netflix.