Falcarius
The Unwieldy Clawed One
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- Apr 23, 2007
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When I was in first school, that's between 4 and 9 years old, our school would have a Harvest Festival celebration. The festival is more or less the equivalent of Thanksgiving. The main difference is it is not a national holiday here, Thanksgiving is a secular celebration with religious traditions while here it is completely a religious festival, and we do not eat turkey here in the Uk. Harvest Festival is traditionally held on the Sunday closest to the Harvest moon, which of course is when the moon is at its fullest as it is nearest to the autumal equinox. Obviously, like anything to do with astrology the date changes. The Harvest Festival is usually two or three weeks after Saint Giles day (1st of September), but can be nearly as late as the Oxford Martyrs day (The week before Oxford Martyrs day I think is the latest). Being more or less a Protestant rather than a Catholic, I have to admit I only know who Saint Giles was, when his feast is, because we have a road named after him in Oxford and annual fair named after him, which takes place there on the first Monday and Tuesday following the first Sunday after St. Giles day. The Fair always starts on the first fall week the school starts in Oxford.
Both legally and technically, the first school I went to was not a religious school; it may as well have been so as it was in all but name. The school would make us sing songs about about Jesus in assembly, pray to Jesus before lunch, and they would take us to church quite regularly. I really really hated having to sing hymns and songs about Jesus. Seriously, what kid wants to be made to sing ''Holy Holy Holy', 'How Great Thou Art', 'Hallelujah chorus from Messiah' or whatever annoying religious songs I was made to sing and I seem to remember the lyrics of no matter how hard I try to forget? The only song I seem to remember that I liked was ' Jerusalem' and that only as it should be England's national anthem. England does not have an de jure or official national anthem, as all the members of the union have to have 'God Save The Queen' as the official anthem.
I have told you the story about the gargoyle a while back I have another one I find amusing, you know I said I hated singing religious songs about Jesus, well, I once prayed to Jesus not to make me sing songs about him.
I have to say in Jesus' defence, I did get let of going to nearly all of the assemblies for the last two years at that school. I conveniently had to go with a few other borderline retarded children to special educational needs class during first lesson and assembly. Playing scrabble, doing spelling tests, reading; 'Choose your own adventure story' and 'One two three away' books totally owns singing songs about Jesus.
I remember when I was about eight years old we had an harvest festival assembly for what seemed like an age at the time, it was only one whole lesson, but the wooden floor was rock solid and hurt when you sit still cross legged for too long. We celebrated the Harvest Festival by listing to the headmistress telling us how "our hearts should be full of unprejudiced brotherly love and kindness for unfortunate" ( I think that was even in one of her very own sentences), and how the Harvest Festival reminds Christians of all the good things God gives them like successful harvests.
The wall of the stage would be covered in evergreen tree branches, while the floor of the stage was 'covered' or 'decorated' with food. All the school children were all requested to bring in a tin can of food, it is supposed to be fruit and vegetables traditionally, but all the food was going to be given to the pensioners in an old peoples' home afterwards, and tin cans are more easily to transport. We would also do singing hymns like a "Come ye thankful people, come", "We plough the fields and scatter", and "All things bright and beautiful". The deputy headmaster would play the acoustic guitar, and some other teacher the piano, while the headmistress would make sure all the school children were singing their right parts (in other words Falcarius).
We would make corn dollies just before the first break (or recess if you like) and for a while after. The making of corn dollies goes back many thousands of years. It was a Pagan custom and evolved from the beliefs of the corn growing people who believed in the Corn Spirit. Corn dollies are traditional made from the last sheaf of corn cut. The Corn Spirit was supposed to live or be reborn in the plaited straw ornament or corn doll and was kept until the following spring to ensure a good harvest. The historical cities have their own special local tradition of a different sort of corn dollies. For example, Oxford's is a 'crown' due to Oxford being the kings hideout during the English civil war. It is also worth noting Olly Cromwell was the Member of parliament and was born in Huntingdon which is now in Cambridgeshire. On a random note, Cambridge's corn dolly is apparently a 'hand bell' and/or 'umbrella' according to my mother.
About a half an hour before lunch we went to the field as he had a competition from all the people who brought some kind of food in. Each person who brought something in would be entered once into a prize draw for having a ride on the local radio station helicopter which they use to do weather and traffic reports. Three people got to go in the helicopter. I remember when the helicopter did finally did land in the school yard I was surprised the wind from the propellers was so strong it felt like it was blowing me over. So the best part of four hundred kids hoped in anguish they would win. I remember the first person who won was some kid from the year younger than me. The next person was some girl who was one of the teaching assistants daughters. I remember thinking at the time it was a bit fishy and was most likely fixed. The final person was some kid from the year youngest year so he was to scared to go on the helicopter. So another name was called out and it was my name I still feel kind of bad as it was my name, and I think that kid probably regrets not going now.
After lunch we would go to church, which is a Ecumenical church (by that I mean a co-operation of Protestant denomination: Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, and the like). We mainly listened reverend tell about being good little Christians, and after that we had to draw the inside of the church or something in the church. Despite most churches in Europe being several hundred years old, the one we went to is barely four decades old. It is strange for a church as all the walls and roof is curved, so it looks more like a skateboard ramp than Jesus' house. Up until a few years ago, out the front of the church every morning an old man and his wife would hold a small table top sale to raise money for charity; I think they are both dead now. The inside of the church is plain: the lectern is some huge stone elevated on brickwork, the pews are simplistic almost garden bench looking, and the baptismal font is marble very contemporary, with cobbled stones on the floor around it. The church was minimalistic before it was even trendy.
After lunch some children, around thirty children, one of the teachers, and about three or four teaching assistants went to the old people's home to give out the food. I was one of the children, I was supposed to go to spacial educational needs classes but I could not as the spacial needs teacher was also one of the people who was going to the old peoples home. Both the school and the old peoples home is in a very poor working class area. For example, 36 % of children who live in poverty, and Oxford is supposed to be a affluent city. I don't think I will ever forget what it was like in the old peoples home. Each pensioner had a small box room no more than eight foot by eight foot. The rooms had very few possessions; a bed, wardrobe and radio is just about most of them contained. On a ground floor was a common room. It still makes me sad thinking how I stood in the common room being benumbed by injustices of the pensioners living in such squalid living conditions. The building looked like it had been hardly been maintained since the building had been made. I think it embarrassing that people who fought for freedom not only for the UK but for throughout the world during the second world war had been condemned to such a sorry state. I strongly believe society is only as good as it treats its most vulnerable members.
Both legally and technically, the first school I went to was not a religious school; it may as well have been so as it was in all but name. The school would make us sing songs about about Jesus in assembly, pray to Jesus before lunch, and they would take us to church quite regularly. I really really hated having to sing hymns and songs about Jesus. Seriously, what kid wants to be made to sing ''Holy Holy Holy', 'How Great Thou Art', 'Hallelujah chorus from Messiah' or whatever annoying religious songs I was made to sing and I seem to remember the lyrics of no matter how hard I try to forget? The only song I seem to remember that I liked was ' Jerusalem' and that only as it should be England's national anthem. England does not have an de jure or official national anthem, as all the members of the union have to have 'God Save The Queen' as the official anthem.
I have told you the story about the gargoyle a while back I have another one I find amusing, you know I said I hated singing religious songs about Jesus, well, I once prayed to Jesus not to make me sing songs about him.
I have to say in Jesus' defence, I did get let of going to nearly all of the assemblies for the last two years at that school. I conveniently had to go with a few other borderline retarded children to special educational needs class during first lesson and assembly. Playing scrabble, doing spelling tests, reading; 'Choose your own adventure story' and 'One two three away' books totally owns singing songs about Jesus.I remember when I was about eight years old we had an harvest festival assembly for what seemed like an age at the time, it was only one whole lesson, but the wooden floor was rock solid and hurt when you sit still cross legged for too long. We celebrated the Harvest Festival by listing to the headmistress telling us how "our hearts should be full of unprejudiced brotherly love and kindness for unfortunate" ( I think that was even in one of her very own sentences), and how the Harvest Festival reminds Christians of all the good things God gives them like successful harvests.
The wall of the stage would be covered in evergreen tree branches, while the floor of the stage was 'covered' or 'decorated' with food. All the school children were all requested to bring in a tin can of food, it is supposed to be fruit and vegetables traditionally, but all the food was going to be given to the pensioners in an old peoples' home afterwards, and tin cans are more easily to transport. We would also do singing hymns like a "Come ye thankful people, come", "We plough the fields and scatter", and "All things bright and beautiful". The deputy headmaster would play the acoustic guitar, and some other teacher the piano, while the headmistress would make sure all the school children were singing their right parts (in other words Falcarius).
We would make corn dollies just before the first break (or recess if you like) and for a while after. The making of corn dollies goes back many thousands of years. It was a Pagan custom and evolved from the beliefs of the corn growing people who believed in the Corn Spirit. Corn dollies are traditional made from the last sheaf of corn cut. The Corn Spirit was supposed to live or be reborn in the plaited straw ornament or corn doll and was kept until the following spring to ensure a good harvest. The historical cities have their own special local tradition of a different sort of corn dollies. For example, Oxford's is a 'crown' due to Oxford being the kings hideout during the English civil war. It is also worth noting Olly Cromwell was the Member of parliament and was born in Huntingdon which is now in Cambridgeshire. On a random note, Cambridge's corn dolly is apparently a 'hand bell' and/or 'umbrella' according to my mother.
About a half an hour before lunch we went to the field as he had a competition from all the people who brought some kind of food in. Each person who brought something in would be entered once into a prize draw for having a ride on the local radio station helicopter which they use to do weather and traffic reports. Three people got to go in the helicopter. I remember when the helicopter did finally did land in the school yard I was surprised the wind from the propellers was so strong it felt like it was blowing me over. So the best part of four hundred kids hoped in anguish they would win. I remember the first person who won was some kid from the year younger than me. The next person was some girl who was one of the teaching assistants daughters. I remember thinking at the time it was a bit fishy and was most likely fixed. The final person was some kid from the year youngest year so he was to scared to go on the helicopter. So another name was called out and it was my name I still feel kind of bad as it was my name, and I think that kid probably regrets not going now.
After lunch we would go to church, which is a Ecumenical church (by that I mean a co-operation of Protestant denomination: Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, and the like). We mainly listened reverend tell about being good little Christians, and after that we had to draw the inside of the church or something in the church. Despite most churches in Europe being several hundred years old, the one we went to is barely four decades old. It is strange for a church as all the walls and roof is curved, so it looks more like a skateboard ramp than Jesus' house. Up until a few years ago, out the front of the church every morning an old man and his wife would hold a small table top sale to raise money for charity; I think they are both dead now. The inside of the church is plain: the lectern is some huge stone elevated on brickwork, the pews are simplistic almost garden bench looking, and the baptismal font is marble very contemporary, with cobbled stones on the floor around it. The church was minimalistic before it was even trendy.
After lunch some children, around thirty children, one of the teachers, and about three or four teaching assistants went to the old people's home to give out the food. I was one of the children, I was supposed to go to spacial educational needs classes but I could not as the spacial needs teacher was also one of the people who was going to the old peoples home. Both the school and the old peoples home is in a very poor working class area. For example, 36 % of children who live in poverty, and Oxford is supposed to be a affluent city. I don't think I will ever forget what it was like in the old peoples home. Each pensioner had a small box room no more than eight foot by eight foot. The rooms had very few possessions; a bed, wardrobe and radio is just about most of them contained. On a ground floor was a common room. It still makes me sad thinking how I stood in the common room being benumbed by injustices of the pensioners living in such squalid living conditions. The building looked like it had been hardly been maintained since the building had been made. I think it embarrassing that people who fought for freedom not only for the UK but for throughout the world during the second world war had been condemned to such a sorry state. I strongly believe society is only as good as it treats its most vulnerable members.
