Harvest Festival Pt II
27 May 2020Maggie Oz
There have been so many inventions in the span of human existence that it's difficult to pin down the most important. For all our cleverness there's really only one item that has survived the millennia since its inception more or less unchanged.
Developed in the late 19th century on Earth, the Denim Blue Jean is still the ultimate "me time" clothing.
It was into a 3/4 pair of these that I stepped in the early evening of the 27th of May 3306, in preparation to join the festivities down on Nexus 7.
I also shrugged on a white cotton blouse and knotted it at the front. A pair of simple flats were on my feet.
James and his Mum had just arrived and we were about to head to the shuttle to go to the planet. Ling was wearing a gayly coloured sari of silk and James, as always was in his long shorts and Rugby jersey.
Pris and Mon were coming too, Pris in a long floral cotton dress and Mon wearing the fairly odd fashion of the moment for young folk of the Empire. I'm not sure what you'd call it, but to me, it looked very much like she had everything two sizes too big and worn the wrong way around. Sort of a skirt and legging thing with what was more or less a top that seemed to have missed.
"Shall we head off?" I asked as I walked back into the room putting my earrings in. Everyone nodded agreement so we headed for the tube car.
We jumped a shuttle to the surface and the party was already starting on the way down. There were bottles of wine and other liquors in nearly everyone's hands and a happy smile on most faces.
The shuttle dropped us off and we made our way out to one of the many parks in the hab domes. All of them had been set up with the traditional long tables; long straight tables with chairs and no reserved seating. You just sat where ever and with whomever, all were welcome at any table.
We had been invited to the park of the El Jefe. El Jefe are the Patriarchs/Matriarchs of the farmworkers, elected by a complex system of experience, leavened with popularity and salted with wisdom.
As we approached the park we met up with Roy and Commander Salome,
"Hello, Roy! " I called and waved him over, we embraced
"Oh, it's been too long again!" I said to him, I was so happy to see him
"We must make more time for things like this I think Maggie," He replied gesturing to the festivities in the park
"And Commander Salome, I'm surprised but delighted to see you here!" I said
"Oh please, call me Jo, " She replied, I baulked a bit at hearing "Joe" but recovered quick enough for her not to notice, I think, "It was all Roy's idea really, I'd not heard of this event before, makes a great change from the Dining Hall of the Ach W hey James?"
"Too right! You've not met my Mum have you?" James replied as he proceeded to introduce his Mum as well as Pris and Mon.
"Mum? Can I go and join the other kids?" Mon asked pointing to a group of equally appallingly dressed, yet super-cool kids.
"Yes off you go, but stay in sight OK" replied Pris
Mon dashed off a few paces then dropped to a casual saunter.
We were spotted by El Jefe and he hastened over
"Ay ya! How honoured we are to have the Lady of Aztalan come to our gathering" he loudly declared
"Please El Jefe, there is no Lady Aztalan tonight, I am just Maggie. My friends and I have come to say thank you for your toil in the fields and join in the joy of the harvest. This is your night and we are truly honoured to share at your tables with you"
"Of course please join my wife and me at our table"
"Thank you, El Jefe. I have a small token of our gratitude to you and your team" I handed him a bottle of Lavian Brandy, his eyes lit up
"We will toast with this tonight!" he said with an infectious grin
After I had brought in the last load of workers yesterday I made 2 more trips. One was to Palekereg where I filled Fat Bottom Girl with all the wine she could carry, nearly 800tonnes. I then collected a similar amount of what is generally known as "consumer technology".
The first I donated to the organisers of the festival feast to make sure everyone had something to drink, the second I gave to the parents' organisation of Nexus7 and their staff of volunteers had been beavering away all night to make up little gifts parcels for all of the children.
We moved over and sat at a huge table, at least 20 meters long, everyone crammed in. To one side was a colossal kitchen where an enormous range of foodstuffs was prepared. Almost every cuisine was represented there and it was just a case of "Help yourself and come back for seconds".
Much of the food had also been donated and a goodly portion of it had been given as a "bonus" by the farmers upon whose farms they had been working. Everything was fresh and natural .... and delicious.
We ate and drank and chatted, everyone was everyone's friend, I've scarcely known such a welcoming gathering.
As the night went on the entertainment started. It's wasn't a formal thing, someone would just stand up and sing the first few bars of a song and soon everyone joined in. Other times an instrument of some kind, a violin, a guitar, a flute might be produced and the owner would launch into a favourite tune.
Few of the songs or tunes were familiar to me but they were easy enough to pick up as they sang of simple things, the coming back home, the going away, the joy of working together, the hope of better future and what we'll all do, together, when those days come.
The songs of simple honest folk.
Soon everyone stood up from the tables and gathered around a large bonfire.
Then came the special event for the night. A familiar tune struck up by those with instruments and El Jefe danced around the gathering.
"The news, The news please bring us your news, tell us what's new in the news that youse knews" he sang in a deep and melodious voice
Another man stepped forward of a knot of people on one side of the fire
"It's joy that I bring you, my family and I, my daughter will marry her beau that I spy"
sang a proud father, pointing to his daughter's fiance
"It will be 2 weeks Tuesday, please all do attend, Now adieu that I bid until we meet then!"
Cheers and laughter followed the announcement while the band played on, soon El Jefe invited another to sing their news.
"My brother is ill, as you all know, and for his health, we fear,
but his days are bright from all the cards and thoughts he's got from here"
And so on the ditty went, it was a way of passing between each other the news of the community which had been apart for many months and had some rapid catching up to do. Hatches, matches and dispatches were all brought into song, as well as birthday wishes and even the occasional grievance, all thrashed out in an environment of merriment.
For one who replicates themselves and perpetuates their genetic makeup through the centuries, I'm not much of a valued specimen.
I'm too tall and stick thin, which makes me look even taller. My arms are too long for my body. I have thin hips but a biggish bum.
I have boyish looks with harsh cheekbones that make me look quite severe, "resting bitch face" I think they call it.
I have nearly every recessive gene, pale skin, grey eyes, red hair and I'm not terribly clever.
But everyone has something.
My blessing is a very good Contralto singing voice, the concerts I give in the cockpit of my ships on long haul runs are amazing!
I caught El Jefe's gaze as he swept around the crowd for the next "news item", he looked pleased when I waved
-Here goes nothing-
I caught the rhythm of the music and sang with everything I had, making it up as I went along.
I've searched the brightly blazing stars and the void of endless night
I've flown through nebula, neutron stars, meteors and blight
Two hundred years I've sailed the void, to trade, to mine, to fight
But the greatest treasure I ever found was being here tonight
Corny, but from the heart, which was the whole point, the crowd loved it.
I found myself deeply humbled by these folk and the bonds they had. They might be called Slaves, I had more credits than all of them put to together but they have wealth that some folk can only dream of, and many don't even know exists.
After the news was finished we all stood about the fire and drank and chatted some more.
I stood, wrapped in James' arms, holding his mother's hand on one side and Pris' on the other.
Roy and Jo linked arms with us as well.
I'd never known such a happy time.
As things turned out, I wouldn't know another ......