Guldize - Cornish Harvest Festival
Slide 1
Guldize, also called Nicklydize, is a festival held near the end of September near Michaelmas and the Autumn Equinox. The date varies but is always in line with the last harvest.
Guldize is almost always accompanied with the Crying of the Neck ceremony.
Slide 2
The whole community finishes the harvest and farmers are traditionally very generous.
Crying the Neck was revived by the Old Cornwall society as a ceremony, and the following explanation is given in The Story of Cornwall by Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin -
Slide 3
“In those days the whole of the reaping had to be done either with the hook or scythe. The harvest, in consequence, often lasted for many weeks. When the time came to cut the last handful of standing corn, one of the reapers would lift up the bunch high above his head and call out in a loud voice”
Slide 4
"I 'ave 'un! I 'ave 'un! I 'ave 'un!"
The rest would then shout,
"What 'ave 'ee? What 'ave 'ee? What 'ave 'ee?"
and the reply would be:
"A neck! A neck! A neck!"
Everyone then joined in shouting:
"Hurrah! Hurrah for the neck! Hurrah for Mr. So-and-So"
(calling the farmer by name.)"
Slide 5
In Kernewek that’s-
An Tregher (the reaper) – “Yma genef! Yma genef! Yma genef!”
An Re erel (the others) – “Pandr’us genes? Pandr’us genes? Pandr’us genes?”
An Tregher – “Pen Yar! Pen Yar! Pen Yar!”
An Re erel – “Houra! Houra! Houra!”
Slide 6
Each community would have their own straw dolly pattern of some significance for the last neck of corn to be made into.
Sources
The Cornish Traditional Year, Simon Reed (pages 26 - 36)
https://calendarcustoms.com/articles/crying-the-neck/
