9781422276594

civilizations often lived uncertain of what the next day or week or month might bring. Making sure to give thanks to the rain god or the spirits so that they might provide nourishment was a central part of life. Farmers believed that spirits dwelled in crops, causing them either to thrive or die. Some cultures believed that when the fruits, grains, or vegetables were harvested, the spirits would be released to exact revenge on the farmers who had displaced them. Most early civilizations also held the belief that gods of the Sun, Moon, water, and Earth could either help humans or interfere with them and that the gods needed to be tended to constantly to make certain that the land would produce. Ancient rituals were initiated to appease angry spirits and sometimes vengeful gods. Communities would perform rites to show the spirits that they were grateful, and they would pray to the spirits for a good agricultural season. These rites could include animal and human sacrifices, offerings of food and alcohol, and ritual dances, songs, and prayers. When ancient Egyptian farmers harvested ripe corn, they would weep and pretend to be grief-stricken. If this was not done, the spirit they believed dwelled within the corn would supposedly become angry. ■ One God versus Many Over time in many parts of the world, monotheistic religions—those that believe in one supreme god—began to replace polytheistic pagan faiths. (In this context pagan refers to people who do not believe in one god, but many gods who are closely connected to nature and the natural world.) Judaism, Christianity, and Islam became powerful religious systems that gradually won over pagans, either through force or gentler conversions. Many of the old harvest rites and traditions persisted, however, and continue to be performed in some form even today. The Jewish festival Sukkot serves both to commemorate the Israelites’ ancient days in the wilderness and to celebrate the ongoing harvest. In the Islamic regions of Africa, many harvest festivals are steeped in ancient spirit and ancestor worship , and dishes made from the harvest’s first fruits are ritually sprinkled on the ground to please and thank the spirits. In present-day Europe, many pre-Christian autumn harvest festivals have been renamed for important saints, and European Christians and their descendants throughout the world dance with abandon around bonfires into the wee hours of the morning as their pagan ancestors did thousands of years ago.

Origins of Harvest Rites and Festivals n

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