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Kern Baby 1902
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Kern Baby 1902
One of the customs of the festival of Ceres, observed in the northern part of Northumberland at the close of the reaping not the ingathering. Immediately the sickle was laid down and the last sheaf set on the end the men shouted that they had " got the kern". Then a curious image was produced, an imae dressed in a white frock with coloured ribbons and crowned with corn ears, stuck on a pole and held aloft by the strongest man of the party while the rest circled round it.
1902
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Media ID 23041518
© Mary Evans Picture Library
Corn Custom Festival Festivities Harvest Headed Kern Northumberland Northumbrian Nov17 1902
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative image captures the essence of a time-honored tradition from the early 1900s in the northern part of Northumberland, England. The scene depicts the conclusion of the harvest festival in honor of the Roman goddess Ceres, with the men having just finished reaping the last sheaf of corn. The moment is marked by the exclamation, "We've got the kern!" This term referred to the last sheaf, which was then transformed into an intriguing figure. A woman's image, dressed in a white frock adorned with colorful ribbons, was affixed to a pole. The strongest man of the community held the pole aloft, while the rest of the villagers circled around it. This peculiar figure, known as the Kern Baby, represented the spirit of the harvest and ensured a bountiful yield for the following year. The Kern Baby custom was an essential part of the harvest festivities in Northumberland, taking place at the close of the reaping, not during the ingathering. This photograph, taken in 1902, offers a glimpse into the rich agricultural heritage and community bonds that once thrived in this region. The image is a testament to the simple joys and traditions that defined rural life in the early 1900s. It invites us to reflect on the significance of the harvest and the importance of coming together as a community to celebrate the bounty of the land.
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