Harvest is an important time for farmers. It’s the culmination of a year's work and investment. And it’s a time of celebration, which is why harvest festivals are important in rural areas.
Ample food and the freedom from the necessity to work in the fields are two central features of harvest festivals with eating, merriment, contests, music and romance being the main themes in harvest festivals around the world.
The full moon nearest the autumnal equinox is called the Harvest Moon. So, in ancient traditions Harvest Festivals were traditionally held on or near the Sunday of the Harvest Moon. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September. In some years it occurs in October.
During a harvest celebration, people bring in produce from the garden, the allotment or farm. The food is often distributed among the poor and senior citizens of the local community; or used to raise funds for charity.
If you'd like to do something with the kids this harvest time, we've compiled a quick list of suggestions.
- Have a look at The Campaign for School Gardening. Run by the RHS, it provides a wealth of practical information as well as running fun competitions such as “Young School Gardener of the Year”.
- The BBC and RHS have teamed up and provide some great tips for gardening with children of all ages. Why not get them interested?
- Gardening with Children runs a club - membership of which allows access to all sort of useful resources that can help your budding young gardeners get even more enthused
- Why not make corn dollies? As an old tradition, to preserve the spirit of the corn, the final ears used to be fashioned into corn dollies (also known as 'kirn-babies' (also spelt kern), ivy girls, and mell dolls), and kept in the farmhouse all winter, before being ploughed into the first furrow in spring. Corn dollies can be woven into a variety of shapes including chandeliers, horns and horseshoes. The Eden Project website shows you how to make your own corn dolly.
- You can celebrate the part bread has to play in the harvest by baking a mini harvest loaf with flour that has been milled as locally as possible from the most locally grown grain possible.
- Or you could visit a local wind or watermill. Sacrewell Farm is a great local example or there’s Whissendine Windmill near Oakham or Heckington Windmill near Sleaford.
