October 19, 2016 - International Harvest Festivals and Local Events in SoCal

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: NOT SURE YET

Happy Harvest Festivals!

HELLO FOLKS!!! HAPPY HUMP DAY!!

Cannot believe it's Wednesday already! It just seems to come so quickly these days!

Anyhoo, my girlies have a half day of school today - I'm not even sure why - but who really cares!  That means, no lunch making before school; no cleaning dirty lunch boxes after school and three extra hours to spend with my little babes.

Nonetheless, my morning was off to a busy start.  After driving the girls to school, I had to scoot over quickly to get Punkin to the groomer for her very first beautifying appointment! 

She really was a smelly beast so I cannot wait to have a nice clean and fluffy doggie later this afternoon!

Then I had to make a stop at the post office and the health food store for a smoothie (yes, this was a necessity!) before heading back to the school to pick up the girls by 11am.

They like when Mommy picks them up and they don't have to take the school bus on half days.

My afternoon is filled with a little shopping spree for Kelsey.  She grew so fast that the fashion boots I bought her last year (that she wore like a handful of times) are already too small!!

So, we'll be getting her a new pair for this season. 

Kelsey liked these Kenneth Cole zip boots

Kelsey did an initial search on some retail sites and found a pair of boots she liked, so we'll try these on in-person at the mall.

A day of shopping together also always includes getting some eats! Not sure what we'll be in the mood for, but with the new food court at the mall, I'm sure the selection will be intense!
​

Autumn is hands down my favorite season of the year and I consider myself extremely lucky to live in a geographic location that experiences the beauty of the foliage and the glory of its colors.

Autumn is also referred to as "harvest" time  throughout the world. In fact, Harvest was the English name for the season until Autumn began to displace it in the 16th Century.

Many "autumn" words mean "end, end of summer," or "harvest."

Way before the convenience of grocery stores and restaurants, the seasons had an impact on human lives far more intimately than they do today.  The Harvest was the  time of year that was crucial to human survival, and as such, was a time of great celebration.

According to Shareable.net:
"At harvest, people would know whether they would be well fed through the winter and beyond. To celebrate the harvest, festivals emerged. Ancient Romans paid homage to Ceres, the god of corn; Greeks to Demeter; and the Egyptians to Min, to name a few."

Depending on the specific climate and crops in various places around the globe, harvest festivals vary in terms of when celebrated.

However, one commonality shared by all is that it is indeed a joyous time, typically involving feasting among family and publicly, with foods that are drawn from crops that come to maturity around the time of the festival and enhanced with lots of merriment, music and cultural traditions.

Instead of focusing on local events today, I thought I would feature a few of the international harvest festival traditions from around the world.

Depiction of first Thanksgiving Celebration in 1621 (wiki)

Thanksgiving: American Harvest Tradition
Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the  fourth Thursday of November and was officially declared a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

As Americans, we pay homage each year to this holiday which originated in the fall of 1621, when Pilgrims celebrated their successful wheat crop and overflowing store cupboards with a three-day feast.

The hosts shared their meal of partridge, wild turkey, and fish with the Massasoit and Wampanoag Native American tribes.  

Olivagando, Magione's Oil & Harvest Festival (perpetual traveler.com)

Olivagando, Magione's Oil & Harvest Festival: Italy
We move on from our beloved American harvest holiday to that of Tanya and my "homeland's."

Held between Halloween and Christmas, this two-day festival, known as Olivagando, is celebrated in conjunction with the feast day of St. Clement, patron saint of metalworkers and blacksmiths.

Anyone involved in the process of producing olive oil is brought together for this celebration which includes the blessing by a priest upon the new oil at a special mass.
 
According to perpetualexplorer.com:
"That evening, there is a massive medieval feast held at the Castle of the Knights of Malta. All the dishes are made from the original recipes that have been served since the castle was built around 1150 CE. Special entertainment is provided by the Magione Theatrical Company, who sing, dance, and spin magical tales of love, history, and folklore."
​

Sukkot - The Jewish Harvest Festival (wiki)

​Sukkot - The Jewish Festival of Harvest
Also known as the Feast of Booths (Sukkot means “booth”), this week-long festival celebrates both the harvest and commemorates the Israelite's 40 years wandering in the desert.

​Temporary dwellings known as Sukkahs are built and lived in for the duration of the festival and four types of plants, called the four species, are used in prayers and blessings throughout the festival.

According to NationalGeorgraphic.com, 
"The Sukkahs' meaning is twofold: they imitate both the dwellings built by the Israelites and the dwellings built by farmers to protect the crops during harvest."
​

Lammas Festival (pinterest)

Lammas The Pagan Harvest Festival: United Kingdom
 
Lammas is a holiday celebrated in some English-speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere, usually between August 1st and September 1st and it is a festival to mark the annual wheat harvest, and is the first harvest festival of the year.

The word Lammas derives from the Old English phrase hlaf-maesse, which translates to loaf mass. 

Early Britons baked bread from the new crop to leave on church altars, and corn dolls decorated bounteous feast tables and it's said that tenants would also present freshly harvested wheat to their landlords.

Punkin - ready for the harvest!! (c)travelincousins.com

(c)travelincousins.com

Well, my little Punkin is so clean and groomed!! She even has a beautiful Harvest bow and bandana!!!

AND she smells WONDERFUL!!! She looks like a little harvest dog!!!

Hope it's a great day for you!!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 3 DAYS

Here are some fun things to do

Good Day Everyone!
How is everyone faring?

In case you are wondering I did get to go to the gym yesterday, however I still have one bag left to unpack and I still have to pack my Mendocino bag TODAY!

Why today you might ask. I'm not leaving for 3 days. Well I have a manicure appointment this evening (btw I'm so over the Disney nails and yet I don't know what to do next), and I make it a point not to pack with a fresh manicure. So I have no choice but to get it done by this afternoon at the latest.

I did however manage to get over to Dave's and assist him in his packing. 

I also managed to order the rest of our Halloween costumes! But I'll wait until next week to really start talking Halloween with you. Throwbacks and all. Nothing scary. I'm easily spooked and I don't like scary things.

Another thing that I had to do was upload all the thousands of pictures taken from this last trip. Did I mention to you guys that Dominic can't find his camera? This truly depresses me, and I have made so many calls to try and locate it from the various lost and founds (hotels/parks/etc) but have since come up empty handed. 

So that would be 2 cameras that were lost on this trip - Dave C's and Dominic's. SUCKS. 

On to brighter things.
I ordered tickets for the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade. We usually go and watch the boat parade from the ground, and this year we will sort of be in it! Fun Stuff!

​I booked the room for our last night in Europe for our Amazing Euro Ski Circuit. Leaving me only one location left to book and the tickets for the FIS.

​Now a bit of W2GW
(Where to go Wednesday)
And one event that I always suggest is:
Rise of the Jack-O-Lanterns

With locations in Los Angeles, New York, and New Jersey and this year, they've DOUBLED the number of intricately carved 100+ pound pumpkins on display!
Artists spend 10-15 hours on per pumpkin to illustrate and carve to perfection. They're also bringing back our iconic multi-pumpkin structures that consist of dozens of illuminated jack o’lanterns assembled into life-sized pieces of art.
You’ll see classic fan-favorites like life-sized dinosaurs, dragons, and safari animals, as well as a number of new structures featuring time-honored characters from some favorite movies, including one that will make you feel like you’re in a galaxy far, far, away.
CLICK HERE for more info

Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns

We went a couple of years ago and it was definitely memorable!

This fabulous fundraiser is also happening this weekend in Los Angeles:
STRUT YOUR MUTT

According to Timeout.com - This isn't your average dog walk! Best Friends Animal Society's annual event and fundraiser to help homeless pets is back this year with a walk through Exposition Park and a canine-themed fest. Gather your pack and check out the pet contests, treats and fun for dogs and humans alike, all in support of shelter pets in need. Register now to complete challenges and win cool prizes. Your registration, and anything else you raise, goes to the participating LA area shelter or rescue group of your choosing.
CLICK HERE for more info
WHERE: ​
​700 Exposition Park Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90037 
WHEN: 
Registration Opens: 7:00 AM
Walk Starts: 9:00 AM
Event Ends: 1:00 PM

And another:
Halloween and Mourning Tours

Also according to Timeout.com - 
​History buffs, make your way to the Heritage Square Museum this Halloween. On the first day of their annual two-day event, learn all about death and mourning etiquette during the Victorian era, including how even the intricate details on clothing played a role in showing the loss of a loved one. You'll also get the scoop on the Spiritualism movement, and can have your fortune told, if you dare. Then, take place in a funeral held inside one of the museum's historic homes. On the second, more family-friendly day, children can play period games, make 19th-century harvest crafts and listen to (only slightly) spooky ghost stories.
Note: The program is more family friendly on Sunday (only), as children ages 2 to 12 may come play period games, make 19th century harvest crafts, trick or treat and listen to spooky stories.​
CLICK HERE for more info
WHERE: 
Heritage Square Museum,
3800 Homer St., Los Angeles 
WHEN: 12pm-5pm Friday - Sunday

​Be sure to also take a looksie over at all the wonderful Harvest Festival Traditions from around the World that Elisa has posted today!

I'm gonna get my booty in gear and get busy over here. Come back and see us tomorrow for some Throwback Thursday fun.

Catch ya later gator,
​-T