There is no reason to have every harvest celebration be the same in your D&D game since it isn’t true of reality. Here are d4 fun rituals to flavor your in game celebration.
- Migration. Have a specific group of NPCs celebrate the harvest by congregating at a specific location. The location could be where the congregating groups forged a lasting peace, be the literal hub of their people’s origin, or maybe it has a land feature that is relevant to them. (ex: a crater where their god slew a mythic foe, giving them their freedom)
- Pyres. Everyone carries a ton of baggage. Some cultures celebrate the harvest by getting rid of broken or unwanted clutter and setting it on fire. There are others who take the pyres a bit further and create wicker representations of the things that cause them stress and toss them onto the blaze.
- Absurd Attire. It can be fun to let loose after all the labors surrounding the harvest. Is there a better way to decompress than donning a gaudy frock, paint your face loud colors, and dance around town? I don’t think so. And there is nothing stopping them from decorating the animals in equally comical ways.
- Indulge. Through most of the year people have to be concerned with their spending, eating habits, and general moderation. However, once a year the town gets together to celebrate the abundance of resources in ways that are fun, but could be gross. They find enjoyment in a day of overeating, overdrinking, and destructive competitions.