Celebrating the harvest at Rievaulx Abbey

Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 September 2012

A traditional medieval feast will be celebrated at Rievaulx Abbey on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 September, as the beginning of Autumn is marked with Michaelmas festivities, including music, dance and living history.

Michaelmas is the feast of St Michael the Archangel, and in medieval England, this was a strictly-enforced day when no work was to be done – other than that required for the relaxation of mind and body to support the worship of God. The feast follows one of the busiest times of the year for rural England – the harvest – so would have been a welcome break, and a chance to let their hair down after the long days and nights harvesting crops to trade and tide over the winter months.

Over the weekend, costumed performers from York City Levy will recreate a 15th century celebration, with a living history encampment where visitors can meet some of the residents who would have lived and worked on the Rievaulx estate 600 years ago. Visitors will also be welcome to join in the celebrations, with music and dance from re-enactment duo, Hautbois.

“The harvest was one of the most important times in the medieval calendar – a good crop would lead to a comfortable winter, but a poor harvest could easily leave families starving and with nothing to trade. Michaelmas gave everyone a reason to celebrate an end to the backbreaking work, or pray for help through the dark months of winter,” comments English Heritage’s regional events manager, Jon Hogan. “Often, a goose would be roasted for the traditional feast, and some villages had a tradition of making a special St. Michael’s Bannock, a cake that had to be shared by every person present.”

Indeed, according to legend, there is one food that should not be harvested after Michaelmas – blackberries. The legend tells of how Archangel Michael threw the devil out of heaven on 29 September. Angry after landing in a bramble patch, the devil either spat or urinated – depending on which story you believe – on the blackberries, cursing them so that after 29 September each year, they would taste woody and unpleasant!

The Michaelmas feast is the last in Rievaulx Abbey’s season celebrating the Medieval Year. It runs from 11.00am to 5.00pm, with the site itself opening from 10.00am to 6.00pm. Admission prices are £6.50 for adults, £6.00 for concessions and £4.50 for children. English Heritage members get in free.

For more information, please call 01439 798228 or visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/rievaulx

ENDS

For further media information, please contact:

Jay Commins – PRO English Heritage (Yorkshire)

Tel: 0113 251 5698

Mob: 07810 546567

Email: jay@fim.org.uk