There are many holidays celebrated by different Christian denominations. The Orthodox Church breaks records in this. All the holidays that are celebrated there, in their total amount to approximately half of the calendar year. There are also holidays that are the same for everyone - this is the great day of the Resurrection of Christ (Easter), as well as the Nativity of Christ. The third common holiday for all is the Harvest - it is, to put it simply, Thanksgiving Day. The harvest is always celebrated at the beginning of autumn, after the harvest.
Where does this holiday come from?
Even in ancient times, this holiday was considered one of the most significant for the whole year. Since agriculture was practically the only source of food, people valued every vegetable and fruit grown on earth. Even our ancestors - pagans, who had no idea about God, and even more so Christianity, revered the earth, called her mother and sacrificed to her in gratitude for everything she gave at the end of the summer.
The very first mention of gratitude for food is recorded on the pages of the Bible a little after the creation of the world, when two brothers(descended from the first people on Earth) offered food as a sacrifice to God. By doing this, they thanked Him for the fact that they have something to eat and do.
Since man is a social being, he cannot exist in a limited and isolated space. Therefore, it is necessary to build communication in communicating with people. It is impossible to do this without having the habit of giving thanks for the attention, help and more.
So it is on a more global level. We are given by nature, God, the harvest every year in large quantities, so we must have a grateful heart.
How did the Jews celebrate it?
The Jews knew that the all-seeing God was waiting for sincere thanksgiving. For this reason the gift of Cain was rejected, for he harbored envy in his heart rather than gratitude. God is not dependent on people in any way. He is self-sufficient, therefore, giving life to man and everything to life, He expects that people will bring the first fruits to Him as a token of gratitude. When God told His people how to live, He gave direct instructions about the Feast of the Harvest. In the book of Exodus, a direct command is written that one must observe and observe this holiday (here it is first mentioned that the harvest is the harvesting of the first crop from the sown in the field). Then later, in the book of Deuteronomy, we can see exactly how the Jews celebrated this holiday. It says here that you need to count 7 weeks from the time the first harvest in the field begins. After that, the days of the Harvest come - the time when the people collect all the best in one place (as much as the person himself wants to give), then have fun andthanks God. This was done so that every Israelite would remember that he was in slavery to the Egyptians, and now has his own land and crops.
Harvest at Protestant Church
Today, many churches are celebrating and waiting for Harvest time. There is not a single spiritual teaching that would reject gratitude. Christians, having faith in God, are convinced that everything in their life is sent from Him. Even if we do not take material things, a lot has been given to us for a comfortable life for nothing. There are beautiful words about material things: you can buy medicines, but you cannot buy he alth; bed, but not sleep; food, but no appetite; and affection, but not love. Every day we receive sunlight for nothing, we feel the coolness of the wind, we rejoice in the rain, we walk in the snow, we admire the autumn painting on the leaves and the frost patterns on the glass with delight. Christians know that every moment is precious and there is no time for grumbling or dissatisfaction. It is by realizing the gifts of God in their lives that believers give thanks for them every day, and especially on the Feast of the Harvest in the church.
Each church has its own traditions of celebrating this day. For some, this is a fixed day on the calendar, many Christian communities celebrate with lunch and tea, thereby feeding the hungry and the underprivileged. Another feature of the Harvest is the almost designer decoration of the church: still lifes, compositions, and thematic creations are created from the products brought by the parishioners. Everything that is possible in the meeting room is decorated, but special attention is paid tospace in front of the pulpit (a special place for sermons and instructions).
Harvest for US Residents
For North Americans Harvest is generally a public holiday. True, there it has a slightly different name - Thanksgiving Day, which in our language means Thanksgiving Day.
In these countries, the holiday originates from ancient times, when English settlers arrived on the mainland, it was in 1620. On a frosty November day, having overcome a very difficult path across the ocean, having endured a strong storm, settlers landed on the shore and founded the Plymouth Colony on the territory of the current state of Massachusetts. Winter that year was very severe, frosty and windy. The people who arrived, having no well-equipped living quarters, had a very difficult time adapting to the new conditions. Almost half of the people from the settlers died (there were about 100 people). In the spring, when the survivors began to cultivate the soil, it turned out that it was stony and not suitable for farming. But what was their surprise when, after some time, they received a very good harvest from everything planted. Wanting to share the joy, Bradford, the first settler governor, organized a day of thanksgiving to the Lord. In the autumn of 1621, together with 90 local Indians invited, the colonists arranged a Thanksgiving feast, sharing a meal with the guests. Subsequently, this holiday became a national and state holiday on the mainland, despite the fact that Harvest is a Christian holiday.
Orthodox interpretation of Thanksgiving
ThoughOrthodox believers do not define any of their holidays as Harvest, they also have days of thanksgiving to God for the harvest and His gifts to people. In this religion, Harvest days are some holidays that mention food and harvest. Such days include Honey Spas, Khlebny Spas, Apple Spas and some others. These holidays fall at the time when agricultural work ends in the fields, this is the period from early August to early October. These days, Christians of this faith also thank God for everything they have in the new harvest, for strength, he alth and food. And also very closely such holidays have something in common with folk signs. For example, everyone knows the saying: "Honey Savior, prepare mittens in reserve." That is, in this way they draw an analogy with Christian holidays and folk observations of the weather.
How is the holiday currently celebrated?
In our age of modern technology and creative thinking, there are still people who tend to attribute the gifts of nature not to their automated work, but to God's blessing for people. Harvest is currently a holiday that has two meanings. The first is gratitude to the Lord for multiplying the number of planted products by several times. It is not for nothing that the Bible says: "… what you sow, that you will reap … you will sow bountifully - you will reap bountifully, you will sow poorly, you will reap poorly …" And so it turns out: a person plants a bucket of potatoes, gets 10 buckets, plants a ton, gets 10 tons. The second meaning is summing up someactions and thoughts, as well as an assessment of their lifestyle. The Christian Harvest involves people evaluating how their lives correspond to Biblical principles, whether they act as Christ taught.
Why is it important to give thanks?
A grateful heart is always valuable. Who wants to do something for you if you take it for granted? Everyone is pleased to receive gratitude for a good deed. Christians believe that everything they have in life is sent by God. And indeed, the rains in early June, which are vital for all plants, do not depend on us. Even the best watering cannot replace a good June rain! The amount of solar heat and light, which are also food for our vegetables and fruits, does not depend on us. We do not regulate the frosts in early April, which can kill the emerging life in the kidneys. For the timely rains, the opportunity to plant and harvest, Christians should thank the One who provides all this. Therefore, the Feast of the Harvest was introduced.
If we take into account only the scientific aspect of gratitude, then scientists have long proved the fact that contentment with life determines its quality. It takes into account both the state of he alth (it is much better for grateful people), and activity, as well as close friendships and success in professional activities.
Harvest: the meaning of the holiday on a spiritual level
Thanksgiving isn't just celebrated for the purpose of eating, bearing the best fruit, and socializing (although that's important). Christians also pay special attention to the spiritual component of this day. HolidayHarvesting in the church is also held in order to remind the parishioners of what we sow in life. On this day, everyone asks himself the question: "Am I sowing good in relationships with others? Do I have love for others, patience, mercy, compassion, because these qualities are now very necessary for people?" etc.
What does the Bible say about Harvest?
Much attention in the Bible is given to the spiritual meaning of the holiday. There are a lot of references to different books that in one way or another reveal the meaning of this day. The Feast of the Harvest is also illuminated in the Holy Book as the end of the age. It raises the question of the soul: the autumn of life is coming, soon a person will have to die, where will his soul be after death? The Bible draws the attention of all people to the fact that everyone must be saved. That is, you need to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sake of every sinner, so that by believing in Him, a person goes to heaven and not to hell.
