9781422276594

■ The Purpose of Fire Bonfires traditionally have both a festive and a practical purpose. During the Midsummer (St. John’s) harvest festivals of Europe, the ashes from the all-night bonfires were regularly mixed with seed and sprinkled around the prepared fields as a form of fertilizer. In some places in Europe, such as Andorra, this rite has carried over into the present day, though it is now primarily a ceremonial blessing of the fields. Fire serves as a purification rite: burn away the old and begin anew with a fresh planting cycle. In many cultures, flames were believed to purify by consuming or driving away evil spirits or witches. In ancient pagan Europe, fires were lit to keep away evil gods or spirits that could potentially find their way into the crops. While the belief in harmful spirits has declined, traditional bonfires continue to be held all over Europe on Midsummer night, lighting up hilltops and beaches, their flames casting flickering shadows while both young and old dance around them. Finally, fires were also used to burn the remnants of crops after the fields were cleared, providing both an easy means of disposing of the unneeded parts and a way to celebrate the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. These traditions continue in many regions throughout the world today. ■ Present-day Harvest Rites and Festivals with Ancient Roots The various harvest celebrations around the world today are differentiated by the relationships that people have with the land. In Africa, harvest festivals in small villages still center on local crops that villagers rely on for survival. Many people who have moved away from their birth- villages travel back to take part in the yearly traditions and rites while relatives—often parents or grandparents—remain to farm the first fruits that are offered and eaten in these rituals. Similar practices can be found in parts of Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In Cambodia, during the harvest festival Chrat Preah Nengkal, farmers offer a special meal to the cows that have plowed their fields, interpreting which foods the cows eat as a sign of how successful the harvest will be. For most Western societies of Europe and North America, present-day harvest festivals such as Thanksgiving involve the preparing and eating of first fruits that historically grew in

Thanksgiving & Other Festivals of the Harvest

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