oats-mother

Updated: May 7, 2025

At Christmas the straw of the wreath is placed in the manger to make the cattle thrive. Amongst the Slavs also the last sheaf is known as the Rye-mother, the Wheat-mother, the Oats-mother, the Barley-mother, and so on, according to the crop. In the district of Tarnow, Galicia, the wreath made out of the last stalks is called the Wheat-mother, Rye-mother, or Pea-mother.

Sir James George Frazer - The Golden Bough