Tradition and hard work

The harvest of wheat, barley, and other grains was once among the most significant periods of the year. It was a time when people came together to collectively gather the crops they had carefully nurtured throughout the year. Beyond ensuring survival through food provision, harvesting also represented a vital social event that strengthened community bonds.

Preparations for Harvest

Preparations for harvest began long before the actual reaping. Farmers meticulously planned when to start harvesting, as it was crucial to pick the crops at the right moment when the grains were fully ripe. They relied on methods such as testing the grains and used the moon and stars to determine the optimal time for harvesting. In the past, farmers used simple tools like sickles and scythes for harvesting, which was physically demanding work. The sickle was the primary tool for cutting, while the scythe was used for larger surfaces and bigger plants. Harvesting was not just a time of hard work, but also of mutual assistance. In many villages, farmers came together to help each other with the harvest in the fields. This ensured that all crops were harvested on time before they could be damaged by storms or other natural disasters. Women also assisted in harvesting crops and cooking for the workers, while children helped with less demanding tasks.

Harvest Day in Domanjševci

At our dislocated unit in Domanjševci, we still celebrate the traditional Harvest Day. Here stands the ethnographic house known as the Domanjševci domačija, where various events take place, including the Festival of harvest, dancing, and singing. It’s a day-long event that showcases harvesting as it once was. After a traditional breakfast, the locals of Domanjševci gather in the fields and demonstrate the cutting of wheat, as well as the binding and stacking of sheaves onto an old farm cart. Fieldwork continues by demonstrating three different threshing techniques: a threshing machine, manual threshing, and a horse-powered threshing machine. The process concludes with stacking straw into “oslica,” the traditional method of storing straw. The event then moves to the threshing barn, where visitors can witness the threshing processes. After the demonstrations, all participating workers enjoy a well-deserved lunch known as ” mašinski obed”. At the Domanjševci homestead, we also grow grains. In the future, we aim to equip the ethnographic house with a mill that will grind wheat and corn into flour. This will enable us to showcase the entire process from cultivation to processing at the homestead. Today, harvesting is significantly easier due to mechanization and modern technologies that allow for faster and less strenuous harvesting of crops. Nonetheless, at our event, we aim to demonstrate how this work was traditionally done, thereby preserving our ancestors’ practices.