Harvestide (also known as the Autumn Equinox, the Feast of Avalon or the Witch’s Thanksgiving) takes place when the harvest is winding down. Scarecrows, harvest queens and nut-gathering occur at this time. The fields are nearly empty, because the crops have been plucked and stored for the coming winter. The seasons are dramatically changing, as the leaves turn to brilliant oranges, reds and yellows, the tang of frost enters the air, and animals start to migrate. There is a sense of hurrying in the air for humans and animals alike — a time to gather root vegetables, dry herbs, collect seeds and seed pods for your storehouse, stack the woodpile and make the house ready for the snows and winter gales that are soon to arrive.
