September 2012

 September 2012

HARVEST

Harvest must be one of the most important and oldest celebrations in the life of rural, agricultural communities. It demarcates the end of one year with hopefully a successful harvest, and the start of the next, a celebration probably stretching way back to the time our nomadic ancestors first settled down and took up farming.

We don't tend to have much to do with food production these days, even those of us who live in rural areas, relying instead on a trip to the supermarket. Even those of us who grow a few vegetables in our gardens aren't usually completely self-sufficient. Get a bad crop, and we toddle off to 'Tescos' instead. This could not have been the case in the past, when adequate food production and a good harvest, really did mean life or death!

 

And so in Parish Churches up and down the country at this time of year, and especially in agricultural communities, churches are decorated with flowers, harvest offerings are bought and blessed and Harvest Festivals are celebrated.

The traditional old Harvest Hymns are sung, ‘We plough the fields and Scatter’ for example.

Village revelry in the past would include perhaps a fair, a day of work, a harvest supper, drinking and dancing.

The harvest offerings would have been distributed to the poor and needy… a tradition we still continue in Carbrooke. All donated food offerings to our Harvest celebrations this year, will be donated to ‘Watton Food Bank’, a local organisation which collects and distributes food amongst our local poor and needy.

Carbrooke Heritage Group are always interested to hear and collect together more about Carbrooke Heritage, anecdotes, memories, photos. If you have anything that may be of interest please contact us.