Fall Festivals

This October, several Fall Festivals are occurring throughout Hampton Roads. The entire area will be full of pumpkin gatherings, hay rides, pumpkin spice drinks, and the overall abundance of ORANGE. But before we discuss the many fun options, have you ever thought about what a fall festival really is? Who decided pumpkins would be the fruit of October? Fall Festivals are actually reminiscent of actual harvest times. The funny thing about harvest time is that a lot of countries have crops, but because of climate and placement on Earth, no one has the exact same harvest time. So why do so many countries have something during the fall? It’s partly due to the fact that fall festivals align themselves with the autumn equinox, “the the time when the sun crosses the plane of the earth's equator, making night and day of approximately equal length all over the earth.” Harvest festivals and autumn equinox often go hand in hand, and the traditions of one are often intermixed with the other. One of those traditions is pumpkin carving. Pumpkins are indigenous to North America; however, and it was not until Irish immigrants came over to America that pumpkin carving began. Pumpkin carving actually began as turnip and potato carving, so when the immigrants came over, they kept the tradition alive with pumpkins instead.While we certainly have changed some traditions, others have been reinvented and kept alive even to this day.  Now you know! On to the fun events this month.

October 16 and 17 - Military Family Fun Festival

This event will be dedicated to military families at Virginia Beach. Fun times will be had by brave people who try the mechanical bull, and kids get to enjoy petting zoos and tummy-ache-inducing cotton candy. Also on the

October 17 - Great Dismal Swamp Fall Festival

Here, guided tours on the nature trails during the day will lead into archery and crafts at nights

October 24- Fall Bazaar

Located in Portsmouth, this fun festival will be filled to the brim with handmade clothing, accessories, and trinkets; all sold right next to fried funnel cakes and pumpkins

Which one are you going to? Comment below or tag us on social media!

Written by Keira Zirkle

Like this post? Follow us on social media