FOLKLORISTS BELIEVE THAT the first festivals
arose because of the anxieties of early
peoples who did not understand the
forces of nature and wished to placate them.
The people noted the times and seasons when
food was plentiful or not and reacted
accordingly. Harvest and thanksgiving festivals,
for instance, are a relic from the times when
agriculture was the primary livelihood for the
majority. Festivals also provided an opportunity
for the elders to pass on knowledge and the
meaning of tribal lore to younger generations
and give them the opportunity to let off steam
in an acceptable yet controlled way.
General agreement exists that the most
ancient festivals and feasts were associated with
planting and harvest times or with honouring
the dead. These have come down to us in
modern times as celebrations with some
religious overtones. Harvest festivals are still
carried out in many Christian churches and
celebrate the fullness of the harvest. Among the
most attractive are the harvest-home festivals in
Britain where, in the autumn, parish churches
are decorated with flowers, fruits and vegetables.
Harvest suppers where a community join
together to celebrate the bountiful harvest have
their beginnings in the pagan beliefs of the three
harvest sabbats
