European harvest festivals

Harvest festivals are annual events held by people of certain region in the time of harvest.

Saint Leopold III

Saint Leopold III (1073 – November 15, 1136) was the Margrave of Austria in period between 1095 and 1136. He is the patron saint of Austria.

The Saint Leopold feast is on the 15th November. In Austria it is the start of the wine season. Many parties held in the nature. Wine is tasted. Traditional music is performed.

Stift Klosterneuburg

On this day people go on the pilgrimage to the Klosterneuburg Monastery (in German Stift Klosterneuburg). Klosterneuburg is the city of some 25,000 people located on the Danube, just north of Vienna. The monastery is especially famous for its wine Leopolsberg which is for centuries prepared by the vintner monks.

"Fasselrutschen" or "sliding down the cask" is the name of tradition held on the 15th November. Klosterneuburg's wine cellar include huge 454 hectoliters (12,000 gallons) barrels from 1704. People climb on top of the cask (barrel) and slide down. This is done for good luck.

"Posviceni" is the name of religious harvest festival held in Czech Republic. People thank God for the good harvest and ask him to bless the crops.

Czech tradition called "Obžinky" is held after the harvest. People make wreaths of rye, flowers, straw etc. Local girls put these wreaths on their heads. Then they go to the person owning the land. They put a wreath on his head. The wreath is kept in a special place until the next harvest. What follows is the party with dancing.

All kind of beliefs concerning harvest existed in Czech Republic. Before the harvest people used to roll on the ground. They did it as they used to believe that the soil gives them strength to work for hours.

The second belief was that there is a relation between number of rolls people make and the number of grain bundles collected during harvest.

For Czech peasants the last bundle collected in the harvest had magical powers. It could heal and bring fertility, both for humans and animals. Let's explain. Part of this bundle was given to the bride and groom. After the wedding it was placed on the bride's bed.

It supposed to ensure the safe birth of her first baby. Part of the bundle put in the place where the poultry laid their eggs supposed to ensure more eggs.

The "boroda" or beard is a bundle of wheat left on the field after the harvest was finished. The boroda also included ribbon and straw cord. Boroda should give enough food for the field mice and prevent them to eat the grain placed in peasant's barns.

There used to be something similar to the boroda. It combined the bundle of wheat and some flowers. Everything was tied with some ribbon. This was called "dido" or "grandfather" and served as the decoration, some sort of lucky charm. It stayed in the home until after Christmas.

In other parts of the country people dressed the bundle in female clothes and called it "baba" or "old lady".

French region of Bourgogne or Burgundy is famous for great wines. On the Saint Vincent's day, which is on the 21st January, local people organize big parades. People carry the statue of the saint. Local wine producers are in the parade too.

The most famous parades are in villages of Cote-des-Nuits and Cote-de-Beaune. These parades have their Templar knights too. They are members of the "Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin".

Parts of Europe famous for their sheep and cows organize festivals dedicated to them. In Switzerland cows are decorated with flowers. They also wear big cow bells. These parades are known as the Alpabzug.

The deceased had their role in German harvest festivals. In the past German peasants used to break the first pieces of straw brought to the barn with the words "this is the food meant for the dead".