Yours’s season
From the middle of November till the first week of December is a great season for harvesting the rice on the top of the mountain in Pai, Mae Hong Song, Thailand.
The sunset in the evening lights up the rice field. Everything is gold like the Erebor treasures in the dwarven kingdom (the Hobbit movie). It is a wonderful natural creation.
Harvesting rice is a tradition for the people who are farmers in the rural area in Thailand, as many of them do agriculture. Their methods for harvesting the rice are quite simple, they do not use any machines for harvesting owing to the technology which has developed. they don’t use machines because they aren’t available in remote areas, or because the mountainous region is too difficult to bring machines
Therefore, many farmers in rural areas decided to use the local tools which they invented by themselves. The local tools for harvesting are usually made from bamboo or wood. When the farmers start harvesting their rice, they have to celebrate the rice in their own land as they believe in the power of traditional belief. That’s why they have to worship something to the gods of nature. It is the first faith for them as they believe in the spirit of rice. You may ask, “What’s the rice spirit?” The southeast Asian people believe that any living thing has a spirit, including nature. For Asian people, rice is not only food, ingredient, or product from the field, but it is involved in religions, death, and rebirth. For example, the farmers believe, every rice seed that has been sown in the land must die first before it grows into the rice.
Moreover, harvesting is also a symbol of community collaboration. In the past, a farmer did not pay income for people who come to harvest in their rice fields. Instead, they shared food with the helpers. When they finished harvesting, they sang together and had a small party with their co-workers. Helping the neighbor during the harvesting, it was rebuilding the collaboration in their society.
During the covid-19 pandemic, the economy in Thailand has got a lot of obstacles including farmers. The rice fee is unpriced, so many farmers could not sell their crops. In addition, they have to pay their debts to the bank to which they have taken a loan. It is a sad story. However, a farmer can solve these problems by using the old tradition which their ancestors taught them in the past, called “Harvesting without income ‘’. They invited the residents in their village to participate in harvesting rice in their fields. The residents in the village are quite understanding of the troubling situation in the pandemic time. They understand the voices of the host who needs help. They decided to help the host who invited them.
Finally, Harvesting is not only the traditional or a farmer’s lifestyle but also the collaboration during the Covid-19. It is time for helping many people who are facing the hardest time.