In
olden times, harvesting crops was a community chore, in which everyone
had a specific task they specialized in, and the process was laid out by
tradition. The corn harvest, as it existed before machinery is
described in detail, as well as the customs that made it easier
(hint-cider). And the superstitions.
The last sheaf of
corn was always saved. This was believed to contain the corn spirit,
which was gradually condensed as harvest progressed until it reached the
final sheaf to be cut. Often the sheaf was scattered on the fields in
spring, returning the spirit to the fields. In some areas it was hung up
for the hungry birds to peck on New Year’s Day; in others it was made
into a corn dolly. This tradition exists across Europe and it is
believed by many in the pagan tradition that this is a relic of the
millennia-old belief in the Dying-and-Rising God or God of the Green,
who dies in Autumn to be reborn the following Spring.
Read
all about a traditional harvest at Foklore Thursday
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