Chapter 45 Divine Communion: Communion with the New Grain

Now, we have seen that sometimes man represents the corn-spirit, and sometimes animals represent the corn-spirit, and in both cases the corn-spirit is slain by representation and eaten as communion.We shall naturally turn to the savage races if we are to find an instance of the actual killing of the corn-spirit in person.But the Harvest Suppers of the European peasants provide unmistakable evidence that the beast was eaten as a sacrament as a representative of the corn-spirit.But we may further presuppose that the new corn itself is eaten as a sacrament, that is, as the body of the corn-spirit.In Varmland, Sweden, a farmer's wife bakes a loaf of bread in the shape of a girl from the grains from the last sheaf and distributes it to the family.In this instance, the loaf represents the corn-spirit who is regarded as a maiden; just as the Scots also regard the corn-spirit as such, braiding the last sheaf in the shape of a woman and calling it a maiden.In general, it is thought that the corn-spirit dwells in the last sheaf; so to eat the bread of the last sheaf is to eat the corn-spirit itself.It is the same at La Pallis in France, where a figure made of flour is hung from a fir-tree and carried by the last harvest cart.Both the tree and the doughnuts were sent to the mayor's house, and kept until the grapes were harvested, and then a banquet was held to celebrate the harvest, and the mayor broke the doughnuts into small pieces for everyone to eat.

These examples are eaten in human form representing the corn-spirit.In other cases, though the new corn is not baked into human form, the solemnity with which it is eaten is sufficient to show that it is eaten as a sacrament, that is, as the body of the corn-spirit.For example, farmers in Lithuania used to perform the following ritual when they ate new grains.Around the time of the autumn plowing, when all the grain has been harvested and threshing begins, the Lithuanians hold what is known as the Sabarios, a word that means "mixed together" or "threw together". , each farmer selects nine handfuls of the best from various crops—wheat, barley, oats, jute, beans, lentils, etc., and divides each handful into three, twenty-seven in total, and throws them in a heap, mix it up.These seeds must be threshed for the first time, winnowed for the first time, and specially reserved for storage.Some of these mixed grains are used to bake small bread, and the whole family eats one; the rest is added to barley or oats to make beer.The first beer brewed from the mixture was drunk by the farmer with his wife and children, and the second brew was given to the servants.After the beer is brewed, the farmer chooses a night when there are no strangers, kneels in front of the beer barrel, sucks a can of beer, pours it on the mouth of the barrel, and says: "O fertile land, let rye, barley, and all kinds of grains Let's all prosper." Then he took a bucket to the main room, where his wife and children were waiting for him.A black rooster or white rooster, or a flower rooster (not red) and a hen of the same color and the same litter are tied on the ground, and they must all be hatched in the same year.Then the owner of the field knelt down, holding the wine jar, thanking God for the harvest, and praying for a good harvest in the coming year.Then, everyone raised their hands and said, "O God, O Earth, we offer you this pair of rooster and hen voluntarily." After speaking, the owner beat the chicken to death with a wooden ladle because he could not chop it. After the first prayer, the two chickens were killed, and he poured out a third of the beer.Then her wife cooked the chicken in a new pan that had never been used.Then place a bucket on the floor, with the bottom up, and put a piece of the aforementioned small bread and boiled chicken on it.Next, take out the new beer, and use a spoon and three cups, all of which are specially used for this time.When the master spooned the beer into the cup, the whole family knelt around the barrel.Then the father prayed and drank three glasses of beer.The rest followed suit.Then bread and chicken, followed by another round of beer, and finally three glasses of nine each.No food can be left. If there is anything left, the same ceremony will be held the next morning to eat it.The bones were given to the dog, and if he hadn't finished eating, the rest was buried under the dung pile in the cowshed.This ceremony takes place in early December.Unlucky words were not allowed throughout the day.

This is a custom about two hundred years ago.Today, in Lithuania, when eating bread made from new potatoes or new grains, people at the same table pull each other's hair.The significance of this custom is less clear, but the pagan Lithuanians did have a similar custom in their solemn ceremonies.Many Estonians on the island of Auxerre have to bite into the iron before eating bread baked in new grains.Biting the iron here is obviously a kind of witchcraft, which can make the spirits in the valley harmless.In Sutherland [formerly a county in northern Scotland, presently an area of ​​the Scottish Highlands. ], so far, when new potatoes are dug out of the ground, the whole family has to eat them, otherwise "they (potatoes) will get angry, and the potatoes are not easy to preserve."Yorkshire [formerly a county in northern Scotland, now divided into three counties: North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire. ] In one place there is still the custom of the priest to cut the ears of corn in the field; and the man who gave me this material thinks that the corn thus cut was used for communion bread.If the latter part of the custom he narrates is true (as similar examples prove him to be), then this custom shows that the Christian practice of taking the Eucharist absorbed much older Christian practices.

It is said that the Aino or Ainu people in Japan divided different kinds of millet into male and female respectively, and all kinds of millets are collectively called "Umurek haru Kamui", the sacred couple's grain.Therefore, before smashing millet to make cakes for everyone to eat, the old man first took some to make sacrificial cakes.After the cake was ready, the old man prayed to the cake very earnestly, saying: Oh, God of Valley, we worship you.You are growing very well this year, and your smell will be very fragrant.you are so nice.Vulcan will be delighted, and we absolutely love it.O God, O God of Ceres, nourish the people.I eat you now.I worship you and thank you.After praying, pick up a piece of bread and eat it.From then on, people can eat the millet harvested this year, dedicating this food to the Ainu gods for blessings with many prostrations and prayers.No doubt the corn was regarded as a sacrifice to some god, but that god was the seed itself, and it was only a god if it blesses man.

There is a tribe in the Nigri Mountains in southern India called Berg or Badag, where the person who sows the first handful of seeds and cuts the first handful of ears of grain is a Kurumba.He was from another tribe, and the Bergs considered all members of this tribe to be sorcerers.The grains of the first handful of ears were "ground into flour on the same day and made into cakes as the holy body of the new grain. The Berg and his whole family ate this cake and sacrificed the leftover poultry as the meat of the common sacrifice."Among the Indians of southern India, eating new rice is a family feast called bongol.The new rice is cooked in a new pot, and the time of ignition is calculated by Indian astronomers, at noon on the day when the sun enters the Tropic of Capricornus.The whole family eagerly watches over the rice cooking pot, because how the rice soup is boiled will affect the crops in the coming year.If the rice soup is opened quickly, the harvest will be bumper in the coming year, and if the rice soup is opened slowly, the harvest will be poor in the next year.A portion of the freshly cooked rice is dedicated to Ganesha; then each eats a little.In some parts of northern India, the festival of the new valley is called "Navam", which means "new valley".When the new corn is ripe, the proprietor goes to the field with the auspicious object, picks five or six ears of barley sown in spring, and one of millet sown in autumn, and brings them home, toast them, and serve them with jaggery, butter, and curds.Some are thrown into the fire in the name of the village gods and ancestors; the rest are eaten by the family.

Someone has described the ceremony of eating new yams in Onisha Village on the Niger River as follows: "Each leader takes six yams, cuts a palm tree branch, puts them in front of his gate, roasts three yams, Get some kola fruit and fish. When the yam is roasted, Libia (the country doctor) takes the yam, mashes it into a paste, and divides it into two parts; The eater first blows the air off the hot yam, then stuffs the whole thing in his mouth, and says: 'I thank God for letting me eat the new yam.' Then he chews it with relish, and eats the fish." In the Nandi people of British East Africa, when the millet grains are ripe in autumn, every woman who has a field will take her daughter to the field, and they will pick some mature ears of grain.Then each woman puts a grain on the necklace, chews a grain in her mouth, and rubs it on her forehead, throat and chest after chewing.They showed no joy; they mournfully cut some new corn, which they took home to dry in the attic.Because the ceiling was made of slats, many grains fell into the fire through the cracks, where they crackled and crackled.People do not prevent this waste; for they think the crackling of the corn is a sign that the spirits of the dead are eating it.After a few days, use Xingu to cook porridge and eat it with milk for dinner.The whole family eats a little porridge and spreads it on the walls and small roofs; they also put some in their mouths and spit it out to the east and outside the hut.Then the parents hold a little grain in their hands and pray to God for health and energy.The same was done with the milk, and all present prayed after him.

Among the Kafu people of Natal and Zululand, no one is allowed to eat new grains until the festival, which is the beginning of the Kafuli year, at the end of December or the beginning of January.All were assembled in the king's cabin, and there was banquet and dancing.They hold a "people's tribute" before they disperse.All kinds of crops from the field, such as millet, corn, pumpkin, and the meat and "medicine" of animals used for sacrifices are mixed together, cooked in a large pot, and the king personally holds this food in everyone's mouth Let it go.After eating the divine food, everyone will be deified for the whole year and can harvest crops immediately.It was believed that if any man ate the new corn before the festival, he would die; if he were found, he would be put to death, or at least all his cattle would be taken away.There is a rule of the sanctity of the new valley that is well expressed. To cook the new valley, a special pot must be used for cooking the new valley. A wizard rubs two so-called "husband and wife" sticks to light a new fire.

It is a rule among the Bechuanas that they must be clean before eating new crops.The time for cleansing is on a certain day at the beginning of the New Year in January, which is designated by the leader.It begins in the great meeting hall of the clan, where all grown men meet.Each of them took some gourd leaves, which the locals called "Lerotse" (something between a pumpkin and an edible gourd), crushed the leaves, and used the squeezed juice to smear the large leaves. on the toes and navel; and many indeed spread the juice on the joints of his whole body, but according to those who know better, this is a vulgar practice departing from the ancient custom.After this ceremony in the great house, each one returns to his own house, and the whole family gathers together, men, women, and children, each being anointed with the sap of the leaves of quinoa.Some of the leaves were also mashed, put in a large wooden basin, mixed with milk, and let the dogs lick them clean.Then, each family member's porridge plate is wiped with quinoa leaves.After all the cleaning is completed (not before cleaning), people can freely eat new grains.

The Bororo Indians in Brazil believed that eating new corn before the blessing of the sorcerer would kill them.The ritual of the blessing is as follows: the half-boiled chaff is washed and placed before the sorcerer, who dances and sings for hours on end, and continues to smoke, stirring himself up to a state of frenzy, whereupon he takes a bite of the corn and trembles in every limb , shouting from time to time.As long as a large animal or a large fish is killed, the same ceremony should be held.The Bororo people firmly believe that whoever touches corn or meat that has not been offered before the ceremony is completed, he and his entire clan will die violently.

Among the Creek Indians in North America, the busk festival (busk, that is, the festival of new tastes) is the main ceremony of the year, held in July or August.At this time the grain is ripe, signaling the end of the old year and the beginning of the new.None of the Indians eat or even handle any of the new crops before the festival begins.Sometimes each village holds its own Busque Festival; sometimes several villages join together to hold it together.Before the festival of Bousque, the people provided themselves with new clothes, new utensils, and new furniture; they threw away their old clothes and rags, and all the corn and other old provisions that were left in a heap, and burned them in the fire.In preparation for the ceremony, all fires in the village are extinguished and the ashes are removed.In particular, the stove (that is, the altar) in the temple should be dug up to remove the ashes.Then the high priest took some snakeroot roots, some green tobacco leaves, and a little new corn and put them under the fire, and then ordered that it be covered with white mud and sprinkled with clean water.On the altar, use the green branches of young trees to make a thick pavilion.At this time the women at home clean their homes, refresh the old stoves, wash all the kitchen utensils, and prepare them for new fires and new grains.Public squares or shrines are carefully swept away, along with the smallest crumbs of past feasts, "so as not to contaminate the new grain of sacrifice."Before sunset, all utensils that contained food or were used for food in the old year should be removed from the temple.Then a messenger summoned all those who did not violate the ritual rules of the new valley and those who did not violate the marriage rules to the holy place, and began a solemn fast.But women (with the exception of six elderly women), children, and those who have not reached the rank of warriors are not allowed in the square.There are sentries at the four corners of the square to prevent any unclean people and animals from entering the square.Strictly abstaining from food for two nights and one day, believers drink bitter water boiled from the root of the snake tree, "in order to induce vomiting and cleanse their sinful bodies."In order that people outside the square can also wash, an old man put some green tobacco leaves on a corner of the square; an old woman took the tobacco leaves and distributed them to all the people outside. torment their souls."During this general fasting period, women, children and the infirm can eat in the afternoon, but not before noon.On the morning of the end of the fast, the women take some food from the old year and put it outside the shrine.They put the food before the hungry crowd, but all this food was taken away and cleared away before noon.After noon, the sun was westward, and the messenger shouted that everyone should stay in the house and not do bad things. The old fire must be extinguished and thrown away without leaving any sparks.Then there was silence.Then the High Priest rubbed two pieces of wood together to get a new fire and put it on the altar under the green pavilion.This new fire is believed to atone for all past sins except murder.Then some new corn was brought; and the high priest took a little of every kind of corn, spread it with bear's fat, and offered it, along with the meat, to the generous Spirit of Vulcan.This is the New Valley Sacrifice, a one-year atonement sacrifice.He also consecrates sacred laxatives (snake tree root and kasina or catharsis) and pours a little of it on the fire.At this time those who remained outside approached, but did not enter the holy place; so the high priest made a speech, encouraging people to observe the old rituals and customs, announcing that the new sacred fire had washed away the sins of the previous year, and seriously warned the women that if Some of them did not extinguish the old fire, or stained with anything unclean, and they had to leave, "or the fire will hurt them and others".A fresh fire was then taken and set outside the square; and the women happily took it home, and set it on their clean hearths.When several villages and towns jointly hold festivals, the new fire may be carried for miles.So use the new fire to make new grains and eat them with bear oil, which is indispensable.Sometime during the festival, people rub the new grains on their hands and then on their faces and chests.In the festivals that followed, the warriors put on their rough uniforms, covered their heads with white down, and held white feathers in their hands, and danced around the holy pavilion, under which was a new fire.The ceremony is held for eight consecutive days, during which sexual abstinence is strictly enforced.Towards the end of the festival, the warriors hold a false fight; then the men and women, standing in three circles, dance around the sacred fire.Finally, all the people covered their bodies with white mud and went to bathe in the stream.When they came out of the water, they thought that no matter what wrong they had done in the past, they would be safe now.So they went away happily and peacefully.

The Seminole Indians in Florida and the Creeks belong to the same ethnic group. The descendants of this group still hold a cleansing ceremony and festival every year, called "Green Valley Dance", and eat new grains at the meeting.At dusk on the first day of the festival, they drink a nasty so-called "black drink," which causes diarrhea and cleanses the stomach; There must be a time of year when you are going to be sick.While drinking the potion, the dance began, and the warlock also joined in the dance.The next day they ate green grains; the next day they fasted, perhaps because they were afraid that contact with ordinary food would contaminate the holy food in their stomachs; Even tribes that do not cultivate the land sometimes hold similar ceremonies when they pick the first wild fruits or dig the first roots of the season.For example, among the Sally and Tinni Indians of Northwestern America, "when young people eat the first berry or the root of a tree in season, they always speak first to the fruit tree or plant, begging it to take care of it. Some tribes pick wild There are annual ceremonies of the first harvest when picking fruit or tree roots, and among the salmon-eating tribes there are ceremonies when the 'socket' salmon begin to swim in schools. These ceremonies are not prayers of thanks, but Rituals, guaranteeing a good harvest, or a plentiful supply of something desired, if these ceremonies are not performed with formal reverence, there is a danger of offending the spirit of something and not having it." For example, these Indians People love to eat the shoots or twigs of wild raspberries, and a solemn ceremony is held when they first eat the shoots of the season.The sprouts are cooked in new pots, and the people gather and stand in a great circle, with their eyes closed, while the chief or sorcerer who presides over the ceremony calls upon the Raspberry Spirit, begging him to forgive them and to reward them with good shoots.After this part of the ceremony is finished, the boiled twigs are placed in newly made plates and handed over to the priest, and a small portion is distributed to everyone present, who eat it respectfully and politely. The Thomson Indians of British Columbia boiled sunflower roots (Balsamorrhiza Sa Rittata, Nutt) to eat.But they used to regard it as a fetish, and there were quite a few taboos about it; for example, women who dug or roasted such roots had to abstain from sex, and any man was not allowed to go next to the stove where women roasted the roots.When young people eat the first berries, roots, or other produce of the season, they say the following prayer to the sunflower root: "I inform you that I am going to eat you. Help me to climb forever, so that I can always Climb to the top of the mountain, may I always be quick! Sunflower root, that's what I beg of you. You are the greatest of all gods." If the man who eats does not pray, he becomes lazy, and in the morning Will not be able to sleep. These customs of the Thompson Indians and other Indian tribes in the northwestern United States are significant because they clearly indicate a ritual motive for eating the first fruits of the season, at least one of many .The motivation in these Indian examples is the belief that the survival of the plant depends on a sentient, somewhat powerful spirit, and that one must pray to him before eating a part of its fruit or root in order to be safe.Since this is true for wild fruits and wild fruit roots, we can deduce with a certain degree of certainty that the same is true for planted fruits and roots such as yams, and this is especially true for grains such as wheat, barley, oats, rice, and corn.In all these cases we seem to be justified in inferring that the scruples with which the savages eat any of the first fruits, and the ceremonies with which they relieve them, arise at least in a great measure from the idea that vegetation or The tree lives by a spirit, or even by a god, whose permission or care must be sought before it can eat its new harvest without incident.The Ainu people definitely affirmed this point: they called millet "God Valley" and "God of the Valley", and they had to pray to him and worship before they ate cakes made of new millet.Even if some examples do not explicitly affirm that the gods inhabited the first fruits, it seems to be implied: there are solemn preparation rituals before eating them, and those who dare to eat them without performing the established rituals think that they will suffer disaster.In all these instances, therefore, the trial is the sacrament, the communion with God, and at any rate with a mighty spirit, and we shall not be improperly said. All the customs of using new or special containers to store the newly harvested grain, and all the practices in which those who communicate with the gods must be clean in order to legally participate in the activities of communicating with the gods are inclined to this conclusion.Of all the pre-taste cleansings, the sacramental nature of the ritual is perhaps most clearly expressed in the pre-taste catharsis practice of the Creeks and Seminoles.The intention of this is to prevent contamination of the holy food by contact with common food in the eater's stomach.For the same reason Catholics partake of communion fasts; and among the Maasai, nomads of East Africa, young warriors eat only meat and milk, and they are obliged to eat only milk for many days, and then meat for many days, When the two foods are exchanged, they must make sure that the old food does not remain in their stomachs; their method is to take a strong laxative. In some of the festivals we have examined, the tasting of the new communion was celebrated at the same time as the offering of the new corn to the gods or spirits; and after a time the sacrifice of the new corn overshadowed, if not eliminated, the sacrament.What had been nothing more than an offering of the new corn to the gods or spirits was now a preparation for the eating of the new corn; and now that the higher spirits had received their share, men were free to enjoy the rest.This view of the new harvest shows that people no longer think that the new harvest itself has the status of a god, they are just gifts from the gods, and people must express their gratitude and worship to the benefactors and return part of their gifts to them.