What is a Harvest Festival

I know many of you already believe you know what a harvest festival is, but perhaps you were not aware of all the history related to Harvest festivals and Harvest Moons. Tonight we are going to answer the question, what is a Harvest Festival, and cover some of the traditions related to it. In today's mechanized society, the need for harvest festivals is pretty slim and this time of year just seems to rush by and quickly turn into the holiday season. Tonight, I would like to take a little time to stop and smell the proverbial dried leaves...

What is a Harvest Festival? A harvest festival is the annual celebration which occurs around the time of the main harvest of a particular region. Each region has it's own harvest time, so the dates are not necessarily set in stone. These festivals traditionally include large meals with family and friends. Usually the meals are centered around the particular crop that has been harvested. The concept behind the festivals are to give thanks for a plentiful harvest. The hard work is now done and it is a time for farmers and families to celebrate. These celebrations will include eating, playing, music, contests and romance.

The word, "harvest" is from the Anglo-Saxon word, "Autumn". It then came to refer to the season for reaping and gathering grain and other farmed products. It is a celebration of the food grown on the land. As we talked about last week, the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox is called the Harvest Moon. This is why, in ancient traditions Harvest Festivals were traditionally held on or near the Sunday of the Harvest Moon. Early English settlers took the tradition of harvest thanksgiving to the United States (at the time North America), the first harvest Thanksgiving was held in the U.S. in 1621 by the Pilgrims.

Harvest Festivals remind Christians of all the good things that God provides for them. This makes them want to share with others who are not so fortunate. In schools and in Churches, people bring food fro home to a Harvest Festival Service. After the service, the food that has been provided is usually made into parcels and given to people in need.

At the start of the harvest, communities would appoint a strong and respected man as their "Lord of the Harvest". He was responsible for negotiating the harvest wages and organizing the workers. The end of the harvest was celebrated with a big meal called the Harvest Supper. The "Lord of the Harvest" would sit at the head of the table and a goose stuffed with apples was the centerpiece of the table along with a variety of vegetables.

Encyclopaedia Britannica traces the origins of Harvest Festivals to the "animistic belief in the corn (grain) spirit or corn mother." In some regions, the farmers believed that a spirit resided in the last sheaf of grain to be harvested. To chase out the spirit, they beat the grain to the ground. Other places wove some blades of the cereal into a 'corn dolly' that they kept safe for luck until seed-sowing the following year. The corn dolly had a place of honor at the Harvest Banquet table.

Now you too can answer the question, 'what is a Harvest Festival?'. Hopefully you enjoyed this little bit of historical trivia. Have a wonderful evening.

Until tomorrow...