Lenape Green Corn Festival
Schedule
Sat Aug 17 2024 at 11:00 am to 05:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
400 Stevens St., West Cape May, NJ, United States, New Jersey 08204 | Cape May, NJ
The Green Corn Festival is celebrated by many Native Americans in one form or another. These early people were very grateful for their harvests. Tribes held several festivals each year to say prayers of thanks to their gods. One of the most important was the Green Corn Festival. This festival was held in late summer or early fall, when the corn they had planted had ripened on the stalk. The expression “green corn” refers to ripened sweet corn, corn you could eat.
These early people were great farmers. They depended on three staples - corn, beans, and squash. In the Woodland areas, these foods were so important that they had a name - “The Three Sisters”. The Three Sisters were mixed together to make a dish called succotash.
The corn was always special, even after the Green Corn Festival, some corn was left on the stalk to additionally ripen, to help the drying process. Dried corn and dried corn meal were both very important staple items to help these early people eat well through the long winter ahead.
Follow the field of Rea’s green corn on Bayshore & Steven Streets in WCM to celebrate these great farmers, the Lenape,
Where is it happening?
400 Stevens St., West Cape May, NJ, United States, New Jersey 08204, 400 Stevens St, Cape May, NJ 08204-1076, United States,West Cape May, New JerseyEvent Location & Nearby Stays: