The
corn dolly is an ancient harvest custom, still widely
practiced throughout Europe. In ancient europe it was customary at harvest
time to leave a small
portion of the grain in the field, often twisted or tied into
the shape of a man or the symbol of a god or goddess. Sometimes,
it was even dressed in men's or women's clothes, kept in a cradle, or hung
atop a pole. This bundle or
effigy (immortalized in Burns' ballad of John
Barleycorn) was believed
to contain the essence of the spirit of the grains- a representation of
the solar deity who would be burned and 'reborn' as the spring grain. At
the end of the season (usually at the winter solsticee),
the bundle would be ritually sacrificed, burnt, or plowed under to ensure
the year's crops.
In
later times, corn dollies evolved into a household tradition, with elaborate
symbolic figures crafted from straw, which
were usually hung over doors or in barns and burnt at Christmastime; sometimes
small grain dolls were kept in cradles or given 'pride of place' in the home
through the winter. Today the corn dollie is little more than a craft tradition,
with each region 'specializing' with a particular design.
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