23 July 2024

Feast of the Visitation – The Importance of Harvest in Folk Tradition (Workshop 3)

Despite the intense heat, a truly vibrant and sensory workshop took place in Deszk as part of the FolkReAct project.

The feast commemorates the July day when the Virgin Mary, carrying Jesus in her womb, visited Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist. Since this day also marks the beginning of the harvest season (traditionally, women followed the male reapers, harvesting with sickles), the celebration was named after Mary, the protector of the harvest.

At the start of the workshop, the children prepared a traditional sweet curd cheese flatbread together, which they heartily enjoyed at the end of the session.

While the pastry was baking, they visited the Learning Garden, where they explored and tasted the summer vegetables and fruits growing there, including tomatoes, grapes, apples, and pears. 

They learned about the importance and process of harvesting, and even gathered some of the ripe rye. They also learned to identify the medicinal and culinary herbs in the garden, collecting them for plant weaving.

Using traditional weaving techniques, the gathered plants were attached to a weaving loom. This plant-weaving activity produced beautiful, living summer pictures, and the children proudly took their handmade creations home.

Get a taste of this sweet, curd-cheese-filled atmosphere and admire these colourful, summery creations!