Many cultures around the world observe first-fruits ceremonies, and a few prominent examples are listed. In ancient Greece the Thargelia festival was dedicated to Apollo, involving the first bread baked from newly harvested wheat. The Proerosia festival included offerings to Demeter. In Sri Lanka the first part of the rice harvest is offered in a Buddhist ritual. In the Shintō tradition of Japan the first rice sheaves are offerings (shinsen) to the kami (god or sacred power). First-fruits ceremonies in Africa influenced the modern festival of Kwanzaa. Multiple Native American tribes hold first-fruits ceremonies, and in northwestern North America some communities hold rituals for the first salmon of the season.
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