LL-L "Holidays" 2004.09.18 (14) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 19.SEP.2004 (14) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: john feather <johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk>
Subject: Holidays

Ron, thanks for your good wishes.

I don't think anybody outside the Church celebrates Michaelmas in England.
Like Lady Day in the spring it's a quarter day on which traditionally,
especially in agricultural areas, contracts start and debts are paid.

Our funny date of 5 April for the end of the tax year came about because
when 11 days were removed in 1752 (in the switch from the Julian to the
Gregorian calendar) 25 March Old Style became 5 April.

"Harvest festival" has the specific meaning of a church service in autumn
when the church is traditionally decorated with sheaves of wheat and (at
least nowadays) small gifts of food are made to help the poor. "Harvest
home" is a celebration at which a farmer "treats" his employees to a
"harvest supper" when the (grain) harvest has been brought in. In her book
"Innocent" Marie Corelli described the same thing after the hay harvest (in
the West Country around 100 years ago) so perhaps it was a question of
picking the most important harvest of the year.

John Feather johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Holidays

Thanks, John.

I happen to be rather interested in harvest festivals, partly because there
are versions of them in almost every culture on earth.

Your description of harvest festivals in English churches fits that of
churches in Northern Germany as well.  It used to be my favorite festival as
a child.

Ms. Kramer-Freudenthal (http://www.sassisch.net/rhahn/kramer/) writes about
the North German harvest festival tradition in one of her stories:
http://www.sassisch.net/rhahn/kramer/oorndank.htm

Michaelmas, too, is very rarely celebrated in Northern Germany nowadays.
However, that it used to be celebrated (supposedly before the Reformation)
can be seen in one of the two native names for "September": _Michelimaand_
(_Mychely-Maand_, the other one being _Harvstmaand_).

Here for completeness:

January: Sneymaand (<Sneemaand>, <Sneemoond> "snow moon/month")

February: Ysmaand (<Iesmaand>, <Iesmoond> "ice moon/month"), Horning (?),
Hornung (?)

March: Lentmaand (<Lentmaand>, <Lentmoond>"lent moon/month")

April: Ooster-Maand (<Oostermaand>, <Oostermoond> "Easter/Astarte month")

May: Maymaand (<Maimaand>, <Maimoond> "May/greening moon/month"), Horning
(?), Hornung (?)

June: Braakmaand (<Braakmaand>, <Brookmoond>"fallow (period) moon/month")

Juli: Haumaand (<Haumaand>, <Maumoond>, <Heumoond> "hay moon/month")

August: Aarnmaand (<Aarnmaand>, <Oornmoond> "reaping moon/month")

September: Mychely-Maand (<Michelimaand>, <Michelimoond> "St. Michael's
moon/month"), Harvstmaand (<Harfstmaand>, <Harfstmoond> "harvest
moon/month")

October: Wynmaand (<Wienmaand>, <Wienmoond> "wine moon/month"), Saatmaand
(<Saatmaand>, <Sootmoond> "seed moon/month)

November: Nevel-Maand (<Nevelmaand>, <Nebelmaand>, <Nevelmoond>,
<Nebelmoond> "fog moon/month")

December: Kristmaand (<Christmaand>, <Christmoond> "Christ moon/month")

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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