The Ripe Corn Festival was customarily held in the early part of this moon to acknowledge Selu, the Corn Mother. The festival respects Mother Earth as well for providing all foods during the growing season. All the fruits and nuts of the bushes and trees of the forest were gathered as this time. A wide variety of nuts from the trees went into the nut breads for the various festivals throughout the seasons. Hunting traditionally began in earnest at this time.
Small children fast only until noon.
Our day is started by going to water that morning and fasting until sundown. In October and March there would be major feasts at the Mother Town, Echota, following the fasting, but during other months, the fasting and ceremony would take place in each local village with the local Police Chiefs and Clan Mothers officiating. After the fast, everyone would chew a bit of a bitter root they received at New Years, or drink a tea made from it. They would wade out, facing the rising sun, and dip seven times under the water, while reciting prayers. Water is a sacred messenger to Unequa.