University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1912-11-27

Today you are thinking, perhaps, of
the big turkey that will lie on the
Thanksgiving dinner table. But what
of the day itself? How did it origi-
nate?
In the Book of Judges we read of
the Canaanites: And they went out
into the field, and gathered their vine
yards, and trode the grapes and held
festival, and went into the house of
their god, and did eat and drink"
Later the Hebrews adopted this
harvest celebration as an act of wor-
ship to Jehovah. 1t was called the
Feast of Tabernacles because every
one lived in booths or tents during
the festival in memory of the years
when the nation had no settled home
In Ancient Greece.
The harvest festival of Ancient
Greece, called the Thesmophoria, was
akin to the Jewish Feast of Taber-
nacles. 1t was the feast of Demeter,
the foundress of agriculture and god
dess of harvests, and was celebrated
in November. by married women only.
Two wealthy and distinguished la
dies were chosen to perform the sa-
cred function in the name of the
others and to prepare the sacred
meal. which corresponded to our
Thanksgiving dinner.
On the first day of the feast. amid
great mirth and rejoicing, the women
went in procession to the promontory
of Colias and celebrated their
Thanksgiving for three days in the
temple of Demeter. On their return
festival was held for three days in
Athens. sad at first but gradually
growing into an orgy of mirth and
dancing. Here a COW and sow were
offered to Demeter, besides fruit and
honeycombs.
The Romans worshiDped this har
vest deity under the name of Ceres.
Her festival. which occurred yearly
on October 4, was called the Cerelia.
It began with fast among the COM
I mon people, who offered her a sow
and the first cuttings of the harvest.
There were professions in the fields.
with music and rustic sports, and the
ceremonies ended with the inevitable
feast of Thanksgiving.
The Harvest Home in England
In England the autumnal festival
was called the Harvest Home, which
may be traced back to the SaxOns in
the time of Egbert. 1t was known in
Scotland as the Kern and was pc
culiarly secular method of celebrat-
ing the close of the harvest. This
still has it's local survivals, although
they are fast passing away before the
modern innovation of a general har-
vest festival for the whole parish to
which all the farmers are expected
to contribute, and which their labor
ers may freely attend. This festival
begins with a special service in the
village church, beautifully decorated
for the occasion with, fruit and flow
ers. It is followed by dinner in a
tent or in some building sufficiently
large and continued with rural sports
sometimes including a tea-drinking
for the women.
"In the northern part of Northum-
berland," writes Henderson in his
"Folk-lore of North England" "the
festival takes place at the close of
the reaping. not the ingathering. All
circle round this "kern-baby," or har-
vest queen, and proceed to the barn.
where they set the image on high and
proceed to do justice to the harvest
supper"
"Crying the Mare"
In Herefordshire final handful of
grain was left uncut But it was tied
up and erected under the name of a
mare, and the reapers then, one
after another, threw their sickles at
it. to cut it down. The successful one
called out. 81 have her.. "What have
your" cried the rest. "A mare, a
mare a mare" he replied. What will
you do with her." was then asked.
"We'll send her to Tom Jones" or
some other name, referring to some
neighboring farmer who had not yet
got all his grain cut down. This
piece of rustic pleasantly was called
CRYING the Mare"
Extraordinary festivals were pro-