Miķeļi is the Latvian harvest festival held around the autumn equinox to honor the seasonal transition.
Miķeļi is part of Latvia’s traditional seasonal calendar and is associated with the completion of major fieldwork and the gathering of crops. It falls around the end of September, close to the autumn equinox, when daylight and darkness are nearly equal.
Traditional observances have included preparing special foods, singing seasonal songs, making decorations, and recognizing the importance of the harvest for the coming winter. In Latvian folklore, Miķelis is linked with autumn and the ripening or gathering of crops.
Miķeļi is distinct from Jāņi, Latvia’s midsummer celebration, and Mārtiņi, a later autumn festival associated with the transition toward winter. The spelling includes the Latvian letter ķ, so the name may appear without diacritics in English-language references.