Wednesday was the Autumn Equinox which is Latin meaning equal and night. This means that the Earth is pretty much upright, leaning neither to nor away from the sun. In turn, our days are the same length as our nights, i.e. equal. Tonight there should be a Harvest Moon, being the full moon closest to the Autumn Equinox and this year, it will be a Supermoon with a Blood Moon eclipse! (I'm getting out of my depth here so I suggest you google it or go outside and have a look for yourselves - pretty spectacular by all accounts!)
I have just (7.20pm) taken the above photo from my front door - amazing sight!
Anyway, the point is, this explains why in Britain we have a Harvest Festival at this time! This is to celebrate the produce of the land and dates back to Pagan times. Services are held in churches and schools and gifts of food are brought for the poor and needy.
I remember my schoolday harvest festivals when we brought in fruit, vegetables and flowers and these were then taken to the local old peoples home. Sometimes there would be a wonderful wheatsheaf of bread on display and we would all sing harvest themed songs and hymns giving thanks for a good harvest. The array of colourful produce could easily compete with the best market stalls.
Sadly, but possibly more relevantly, our local church today held their Harvest Festival service and asked for gifts of tinned and dried produce and toiletries! I cannot imagine it being the vibrant display of times gone by but, on a practical note, means the goods can be delivered to the needy (in this case the local Food Bank) without the fear of perishing.
In other countries around the world the main harvest is found at different times in various places. The celebrations involve eating, merriment, contests, music and even romance! In the United States it is known as Thanksgiving and has become a national holiday! That makes our celebration look a tad underwhelming!
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