Barley Harvest Thanksgiving

Definition and Meaning

The Korean name Maekchu Gamsajeol means "a festival of thanksgiving for the harvest of barley and wheat (麥秋)." The Chinese character maek (麥) refers to both barley and wheat. Because it is observed on a Sunday, it is also called Barley Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday. Together with the autumn observance of Thanksgiving, it is regarded as one of the principal thanksgiving observances of Korean Protestantism. Today it is more widely understood as an occasion to give thanks for having passed the first half of the year than as thanksgiving for a grain harvest.

Biblical and Historical Background

The name comes from the Feast of Harvest in the Old Testament. Exodus 23:14-16 lists three feasts that Israel was to keep each year: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering. Of these, the Feast of Harvest is described as the feast of "the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field."

The same feast is also known by other names:

• Feast of Weeks: This name appears in Exodus 34:22 and Deuteronomy 16:9-10. It derives from the practice of counting seven weeks from the time the sickle was first put to the grain before keeping the feast.
• Pentecost: This name arose because, according to Leviticus 23:15-16, the feast was kept on the fiftieth day.

Acts 2 records the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples on this day of Pentecost. For this reason, the day developed into Pentecost in the Christian liturgical year. Definitive records of when Korean churches began observing Barley Harvest Thanksgiving in July are difficult to find. The practice is generally understood to be a custom timed to early summer, when barley is harvested in Korea.

Practice in Korean Churches

Many churches observe the first Sunday of July as Barley Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday. The service on this day generally includes the following:

• A sermon reflecting on the grace received during the first half of the year.
• A thanksgiving offering given by the members.
• In some churches, the chancel is decorated with grain or fruit, or members' reasons for thanksgiving are printed in the church bulletin.

Views differ within the church on how this observance should be kept:

• Those who favor keeping it as it is: They regard it as a tradition that expresses gratitude in a way suited to Korea's agricultural calendar and way of life, and they value it as an opportunity to give thanks at the midpoint of the year.
• Those who call for reconsideration: They point out that the biblical Feast of Harvest (the Feast of Weeks) has already been carried forward into Pentecost. They therefore hold that applying the name of the Feast of Harvest to a separate observance in July departs from its original meaning. Some churches holding this position rename the observance, for example as "First-Half Thanksgiving Sunday," or do not observe it separately.
• Churches that follow the liturgical year: Churches that emphasize the liturgical year, such as the Anglican Church of Korea and Lutheran churches, reportedly often do not keep Barley Harvest Thanksgiving as a separate observance.
• Criticism regarding offerings: Some church members and pastors also criticize the observance for becoming a day that emphasizes offerings.