The Lunar Harvest Festival is a festival that is not based on a particular day of the autumn but is based on the phase of the moon and the weather at night. If in the night sky the moon is full and there are no clouds it is thought by those who live in crop agriculture-based villages that they will have a good harvest.
Variants
There are multiple variants of this superstition over the words “good harvest”. One of these is that there will be no rain the next morning and the crop can be harvested without issue. The other is based on the moon itself as the moon affects the tides it must therefore affect the crops themselves. This is of course scientifically inaccurate. The belief behind this is that the crops will be drawn closer to the moon and would increase the yield of the crops.
How It Is Observed
The following day the crops are then harvested, appropriately processed and stored. After this, people take a half-day off and street parties happen. Various food items are made which can relate to the crop that was harvested, for example for wheat, bread and pies are made. The
Shire Horses will be given food that is not regarded as part of their normal diet and would be regarded as a treat by the horses.
How Do They Know There Will Be A Festival The Next Day?
As the inhabitants of the villages have no source of electricity. The majority of the population use sunlight as a form of telling when they should go to or out of bed. While others will use candles to keep working into the night so it would not be unthinkable for them to see the moon at night. There is of course village guards who will patrol the streets at night to ensure that the inhabitants, the goods stored and the
Shire Horse are kept safe. Therefore the guards who are on a circular watch will also see the Moon and be able to see if there will be a festival the next day.
