Prior to 1948, the
harvest season in Palestine, particularly the olive harvest known as mawsim
al-zaytoun, was a deeply ingrained and joyful cultural cornerstone, far
more than just an agricultural event. It was a time when entire families and
communities, from elders to toddlers, would gather in the groves for days or
weeks of collective labor and celebration. Preparations began with the first
September rains, believed to bring barakeh (blessings) for the
year ahead. The work involved picking olives by hand or using small rakes and
spreading tarpaulins beneath the ancient trees, many of which had been planted
by ancestors generations before. The atmosphere was one of shared purpose,
filled with conversation, laughter, singing, and storytelling. Meals, such
as musakhan (sumac-spiced chicken) and mujaddara,
would be prepared and shared in the shade of the trees, often accompanied by
fresh bread and mint tea 🍵🫖
The celebration extended beyond the fields. After the harvest, the crops were taken to local olive presses, which operated around the clock, filling the air with the pungent aroma of fresh oil. The first taste of the new, gleaming green oil was a moment of great pride and satisfaction. Beyond olives, other important crops like wheat and barley were also harvested with community feasts, traditional dabke dances, music, and food sharing, reinforcing strong social bonds and a profound connection to the land. This annual cycle of planting and harvesting was central to the self-reliant subsistence economy of most rural Palestinian communities, symbolizing a deep, generational link to their identity and heritage that was celebrated with communal joy and unity 🌿🍈
