The hills have bronzed under summer’s heat and ripened with autumn’s advent; the leaves set the hills ablaze with crimson, gold, and yellow; and a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables fill the root cellars, a many-hued abundance. The apple trees stand heavy-laden with ruby gems. Amid their leaves, we glimpse the clear, intense blue of fall skies. It’s the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, close bosom-friend of the maturing sun,” to use the words of English Romantic poet John Keats.
And it’s the season for harvest festivals.
The History of Harvest Festivals
The roots of harvest festivals reach into the bedrock of history. Gathering the main cereal crop—typically corn, wheat, or rice—has always occasioned celebration. Many cultures personified their staple crop as a “mother” figure and held religious ceremonies of thanksgiving to the divine for the bountiful crop. This sometimes took the form of offering the first fruits, grains, or meats to the gods. The Romans feasted in honor of the goddess Ceres. During the spring harvest, the Egyptians celebrated a
festival in honor of Min. The Celts enjoyed the
celebration of Lughnasa in honor of the god Lugh. Some festivals included musical and sporting events, too. The cessation of work in the fields coupled with abundant food from the harvest made this an obvious time for feasting.
