Olive Harvest Festival


 

The Palestine Fair Trade Association (PFTA) Olive Harvest Festival is held annually in Jenin on the first Thursday of November. This festival celebrates the Palestinian olive harvest in the Palestinian farmers' tradition of Jaru'a, or harvest celebration, during the olive harvest. The festival gathers PFTA’s farmers, members of olive producing cooperatives, representatives from PFTA's regional cooperatives, European and American fair trade distributors, and international volunteers helping Palestinian farmers in the olive harvest activities.


Program


Fair Trade Exhibit: Various Palestinian fair trade producing cooperatives, fair trade processors, and traders showcase their products and programs. A number of fair trade buyers from the United States, Canada, and Europe visit the exhibit. Exhibit joins Palestinian fair trade producers and international fair trade distributors and buyers and provides an opportunity for networking, leads, and exchange of knowledge and expertise between buyers and producers and between the Palestinian and international fair trade movements.


Olive Oil Tasting: Provided by Canaan Fair Trade, featuring various varieties of Palestinian olive oils from different regions in Palestine.


Outdoor Festival: An outdoor festival is held in the evening. Festival activities include:


Olive harvest dinner Musakhan: The traditional Palestinian olive harvest dinner is prepared with Taboun bread soaked in olive oil topped with a rich serving of sautéed onions spiced with sumac, roasted almonds, and roasted chicken. The Taboun oven is heated with the crushed olive pits that are generated from the olive pressing.


Folkloric Entertainment: Local traditional bands sing the Palestinian harvest songs and traditional melodies. International guests join farmers in performing the harvest dance to the harvest melodies with various dabke steps.


PFTA extends an invitation to international visitors and solidarity groups to join in the olive harvest celebration and share this intimate moment with the Palestinian farmers.