Two New Bern photographs illustrate an old harvest tradition
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Christ Episcopal Church, interior decorated for a harvest or thanksgiving festival, ca.1920-1930. |
by John B. Green III
Since ancient times many cultures around the world have developed rituals to observe the turning of the seasons, the times of planting and reaping, and the storing away of the harvest to sustain the community until the time of planting would come again. The Anglican Church tradition of the harvest festival was transported to the English colonies at an early date. The basic harvest festival was a religious service of thanksgiving for the bounty of the harvest in a church decorated with samples of the local crops. Following the service, the edible decorations along with other donated provisions would be distributed to the poor.
Two photographs found in our collection illustrate the decoration of New Bern's Christ Episcopal Church for harvest or thanksgiving festivals in the early twentieth century. A close examination of the offerings reveals sheaves of wheat, stalks of corn and cotton, potatoes, collards, apples, and many other items of local produce.
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The Daily Journal (New Bern), Wednesday, 29 Nov 1905. |
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Christ Episcopal Church, interior decorated for a harvest or thanksgiving festival, ca.1900. |
