But did you know …

That traditionally harvesting in this country began on the 24th September in medieval times, and when all of the crop was safely harvested and stored there would be the ceremony of ‘Calling the Mare’. All farmers wanted to boast that they had the best reapers and tried to be the first farmer in the locality to bring in the last of the crop.

They used to fashion the last sheaf of the crop into a rough shape of a mare and sent it around to other farmers who were still hard at work on their harvest, the meaning understood, that ‘wild horses would be among their crop’ if they didn’t hurry up with the job. Farm workers would run around to neighbouring farms and throw the ‘mare’ over the hedge into the fields still being harvested and shout ‘Mare! Mare!’ before running away.

A farmer who received the ‘mare’ would then double the effort to bring in his crop before another neighbouring farm and if he was successful, he would then throw the ‘mare’ over the neighbour’s hedge. The farmer who was the last to finish bringing in his harvest would keep the ‘mare’ on display for the entire year so that all could see he had been the slowest that year.

It was all good natured and meant that the harvest was usually gathered in before the autumn weather turned towards winter and there was wheat and other crops to sustain everyone throughout the coming bad weather.

The Christian interpretation of this time of year is one of thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest and churches and alters are traditionally adorned with the years harvested produce. It is in fact a continuation of the ancient and sacred festival of Mabon, the pagan second harvest celebrated on 21st September, which predates the Christian harvest festival services by millennia.

A more familiar celebration of this month is the making of corn dollies. The corn dolly is traditionally the representation of the Goddess of the Corn. who the people believed was present in their fields and needed to be kept alive until the next year’s sowing. The corn dolly was made and placed in the field until the next harvest. Farmers and other country folk would also make the corn dolly as a symbol of the fertility of the fields and the people and place them in their homes until the next harvest when a new dolly would be made and the old one burned.

The corn dolly is still a popular decoration but sadly these days the full meaning of
the corn dolly is forgotten. There are many different patterns of dolly, all with their own special meaning, but a simple corn dolly is easy to make. Why not have a go and bring your own fertility and prosperity into your home until next year’s harvest?

Here’s a link.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQQVil7za88Nl7scQMXAV86y-w_2YtX3nlHphCro8IAuHiiUHDv