Five Harvest Festivals

Researched and described by Mrs. Lucht's Third Grade, 1997-98
Valley View Elementary School

Pawnee Indians Corn Harvest

by April, John,Krist, and Joaquin

The Pawnee Indians lived in the seven hills. They planted corn in early spring. At harvest time, the sound of the drum went through the hills and each leader would bring a pole with the best ears of corn strapped on it with a feather and a black streamer. Dancers formed a circle. The leaders walked into the middle of the circle and stuck the poles in the ground. All the people in the circle raised their arms over their heads. Then they bowed to Mother Corn to give thanks for the corn harvest.

Thanksgiving

by Zach, Jessica D, Jessica H, and Matt

The Indians and Pilgrims had a feast together. It took place in October,1621, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Pilgrims were thankful for surviving the bad weather and for the good harvest. The day was filled with praying, eating, and celebrating. It was not the first celebration like this in America, but lots of poems, songs, stories, and plays have been written about it. Thanksgiving now takes place on the fourth Thursday in November here in the United States.

Sukkot

by Jael, Jesus, Edward, and Sabrina

Sukkot is a Jewish harvest festival in September or October. For eight days, the Jewish people give thanks. They give thanks for the good things of the earth like wheat and grapes and for the Torah. Sukkot is also called the feast of the In-gathering or Festival of Booths.

Cotton Picking

by Samantha, Paul, Amber, and Zylania

During the 1800's in the southern United States, people used slaves to pick cotton. Picking cotton was boring and hard. So the slaves sang songs as they picked. The songs were passed down from family to family. The slaves didn't like to work in the fields, but the songs made it a little better.

Husking Bees

by Shelby, Nicky, and Trace

The fall was a busy time of year for the early pioneers. They had work parties called bees. The activities centered around work. In the fall, piles of corn were made on one side of a barn. People from the village came around about seven o'clock to help husk the corn. Everybody ate a big dinner around ten o'clock and danced after they were done. It was so much fun, it's hard to believe any work was done.

Bibliography

Beall, Pamela & Nipp, Susan. Wee Sing America. Price, Stern & Sloan, 1987.

Greene, Carol. Holidays around the world. Children's Press, 1982.

Kalman, Bobbie. Early village life. Crabtree Publishing Co., 1981.

Morrow, Betty. Jewish holidays. Garrard Publishing Co., 1967.

Viola, Herman J. Why we remember. Addison Wesley, 1998.

World of music. Levels 3 & 4. Silver, Burdett & Ginn, 1988.