Harvest Festival .....
 

On the second monday of October in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving (or, if you live in la belle province, Jour de l'Action de grace) ... this year it will be on October 12. Traditionally, Canadians will get together for Thanksgiving dinner .... usually turkey with all the tirmmings, often followed by pumpkin pie. This holiday has its roots in the harvest festival. I remember clearly that there was a harvest festival service at All Saints Church in Clayton, and because I attended All Saints School, I went every year. We took baskets of fruit, veggies, and bunches of flowers to the church. I do believe that these gifts ended up going to the poor; but I'm not sure about this. My grandad used to put together a basket of produce from his allotment back of Rishton Rd. Some might remember those allotments: my grandad had one, as did Tommy Pilkington, Tom Noble, and Basil Brierly.

Do they still have Harvest Festivals? Does anyone else remember going to them?

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My first ex mother in law (Welsh Methodist) insisted that I attend chapel for the harvest festival every year.
anything for a bit of peace:rolleyes:

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if ya get pumpkin pie eric, glad they done away wi em its crap.:eek:

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Pumpkin Pie ... fantastic ... but if you don't like the taste, feel free to slam it into the face of your least favorite politician:D

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My mum every year used to order a box of fruit and veg for the harvest service at church from andys florists .. and it would be all neatly cellophaned up and a ribbon bow on it, then id take it to church and all the other kids would be there with their homemade boxes ... all wrapped up with silver foil and clingfilm over the top.

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Harvest Festivals are still going strong in local churches but with a slightly different emphasis. In the old days (1950s) the centrepiece was always a "wheat sheaf" made of bread, from a local confectioner. Fruit, etc. was taken out to local pensioners afterwards. These days produce or money tends to be given to local good causes, e.g. Maundy Grange in Accrington, or to the Bishop of Blackburn's harvest appeal. Day schools still hold harvest festival - I've just been to two, at Green Haworth School and St. Paul's School, Oswaldtwistle. The old tradition of Harvest Queen seems to have died out in the local churches.

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We had a Harvest Queen festival at Hyndburn Park (either Infants or Juniors) during the 50's when a queen and her attendants were chosen and wore long dresses but my memory fails there as I don't remember the event itself or how we celebrated it, anyone help restore my memory? Does anyone also remember the Infant teachers?

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You had Infant teachers? Wow!

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Wonder at what age they started at teachers training college, Less :rolleyes:

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I can remember them even though they weren't held in catholic churches.
What I remember more is coming out of 10.o'clock mass at St, Mary's and running up Union Rd. to Holy Trinity church for the 'Coffee and Bun' morning!
Don't know what the priest would have said but I got the best of both 'worlds'

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Coffee and Bun was a tradition in Nonconformist Churches on New Year's morning. We always celebrated it at John Street Christian Institute, Oswaldtwistle. I'm thinking back to the 1950s. The buns were made at Lockwood's, 48/50 Union Road - may have been called something else then! Mr. Borwick of Walter Street used to make the coffee - always very strong. I think Rhyddings Methodist maintained the tradition for a long time - don't know whether it's still celebrated or what the origin of the custom was!

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Perhaps the coffee was to counteract a New Year hangover?:rolleyes:

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Not necessarily so - we had them at methodist sunday school - most of them had 'signed the pledge'.

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I can remember when members of Spring Hill Methodist Church used to organise a kind of Saturday Summer Fair on the old Grammar School playing fields where Mount Carmel is now .
Free coffee and buns were one the features .

My favourite was going on the swing boats .

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I recall attending a "Festival of Queens" in Accy town hall circa 1970 dressed as Antley Meths page boy. I suspect a similarly named festival would have different target group these days.