Harvest or Thanksgiving Celebration on the Corn Islands

Beginning in mid-August each year, nearly every Christian denomination on the Corn Islands takes part in the Harvest Celebration, an ecumenical service that unites churches of diverse traditions and perspectives. The celebration primarily involves the so-called “traditional churches,” which were the first established on the islands, including the Baptist, Episcopal, Moravian, and Catholic congregations, as well as Evangelical churches such as the Assembly of God, Tabernacle, and Apostolic branches.

The Harvest is, at its core, a celebration of Thanksgiving. It begins with the Thanksgiving Service of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, the first church founded on the islands, usually held on August 25 or the nearest Sunday. During the service, congregations gather to offer prayers, recite Bible verses, and share poems in English, Spanish, and Miskito, reflecting the islands’ ethnic and linguistic diversity, as well as their unity in faith. The occasion is filled with hymns and songs that honour the spirit of gratitude and community.

Every Sunday until late November, congregations visit the church designated as that week’s host, joining its members for worship and fellowship. Visiting churches typically perform a special song, prayer, or poem, while the local pastor, priest, or church leader delivers the main message.

Traditionally, the host church is adorned with the fruits of the season: plantain, breadfruit, cassava, sugar cane, lime, and other local produce. The celebration also features traditional baked goods such as coconut bread, soda cake, corn cake, pico, light cake, and cassava or cuoco (malanga or taro) cake. Other distinctive cultural elements, such as handmade doormats, decorative kitchen cloths, and the traditional harvest basket, are also central to the occasion. The baskets, often handmade by parents for their daughters, are filled with goods such as guava jelly, homemade hot pepper sauce (locally known as chinense pepper), and other local delicacies, and are presented as offerings during the service. These items are typically sold afterwards by the host church to raise funds for community or church projects.

The Harvest Celebration has been observed on the Corn Islands for over half a century and is also celebrated on the mainland, particularly in Afrodescendant and Indigenous communities, where congregations come together to give thanks for the season’s abundance, labour, and blessings.

Harvest remains an integral part of the intangible cultural heritage of the Corn Islands. Beyond its religious significance, it serves as a living expression of the islands’ cultural identity, bringing together faith, food, music, and craftsmanship in a collective act of gratitude and celebration.