Erntfescht

The Harvest Home is a long-standing Germanic tradition of celebrating the harvest. At this time, community and families would help to ensure that their neighbors and relatives would have food to prepare for the coming winter. Families would exchange different crops from farms and gardens. The tradition was observed by different tribes and regions at different times, but the tradition continued through the Christian era and is very much alive, particularly in Eastern Pennsylvania, even today.

On this day, you are invited to bring a bit of anything you have grown in your garden or farm. These items will be presented as offerings to the gods and goddesses. Offerings may be presented to any Teutonic deity, but the honored deities will be Dunner (Thor), Siwwa (Sif), and Idunn. Offerings will also be presented to wights who help to keep the land bountiful and from whom we draw our most immediate connections to a wider spirituality.

You are invited to swap seeds, herbs, or food items from gardens, also. If you do not have a garden, any items may be offered.

We are very excited to be holding this event at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University.

This is a potluck event, so food item needs will be listed at a later time. :)