Anglican's tend to think of harvest festivals as celebrations that mark the end of harvest when all crops have been safely broad in’ However, many rural celebrations of the past were also held at the beginning of harvest. In England it has historically been the custom to attend church on August 1
st with a loaf from the first grain that was harvested in order to make bread to be used in the Holy Communion. This day was known as
Lammas Day.
At Saint Francis-in-the-Streets this year we thought it would be a good thing to revive this old custom with a unique Family Eucharist service on 2
nd August. Instead of using the usual unleavened bread, the bread without the yeast that we normally use at Holy Communion, we will have a small loaf of leavened bread to symbolize the first fruits of the harvest.
