from Zariste’s Concise Guide to World Religions

One of the four festivals of the Goddess, Harvestfete is held on the autumn equinox, often with festivities starting in the late afternoon or after dark. This autumn festival celebrates the harvest and deceased ancestors, with the Autumn Queen and her mate the Fire King as its patrons.

Festivities begin with the last sheafs of the harvest being twisted into wheat maidens. Families will often fashion their wheat maiden together in the late afternoon. This wheat maiden will be plowed into the fields on Plantfete held on the spring equinox.

The traditional fare of Harvestfete is pheasant, autumn vegetables, and apples cooked over bonfires. Each ingredient is served in both salty dishes and sweet dishes, a tradition borrowed from the Twins’ Balance Day celebration (also on the equinox.) Spiced cider is also served for the first time since the previous winter.

The main entertainment of Harvestfete is pantomimes about ancestors and the afterlife. These often somber performances are set to equally somber music. Unlike Longnight, there are no traditional tales for these pantomimes, so the theme is left to the whim of hosts or performers.

For those who experienced the death of a loved one in the previous year, they celebrate and honor the deceased by sharing tales about them, serving their favorite food and drinks, and visiting their grave to leave gifts and share news. If the deceased is particularly well-loved, this tradition can continue for many Harvestfetes to come.

---

In The Nightmara Affair, Devon holds a masquerade on Harvestfete to introduce Kiera to the court, echoing his traditional summer masquerade where they met two months earlier.