A school's in-season farming vacation ( by Hamu)

When I was a schoolchild (Showa 23-32; 1948-57), there were special agricultural in-season vacations in southern Okayama Prefecture, in June and November every year, which lasted 3 or 4 days at a time.

I think that this kind of vacation was carried out throughout the whole country, even if there was some difference in time depending on the region.
In my hometown of Setouchi (Okayama prefecture), June is the rice-planting season　and November is harvest time.

In those days, most agricultural work was carried out manually, particularly rice planting and harvesting which required a lot of help.
Therefore, schools were closed, and children returned home as the labor force.

At that time, children were part of the respectable task force, who supported agriculture as their family business.

When I became a high school student, the system changed and these agricultural in-season vacations were not carried out automatically throughout the whole school, but given only on request.

Maybe you cant imagine but, at that time, in a school in a farming village, there were farming in-season vacations twice a year in addition to long spring, summer and winter vacations.

I don't know when this system started or how long it continued.
Probably, it was necessary at that time, because agricultural work fully depended on human power.

Hamu

I remember that there were farming in-season vacations when I was in elementary school.

Since my family business was not farming, I would help my classmates farm. I did what I could as a child, but it seemed that I was after all almost playing.

When they hung the bundles of rice on the rack to dry, I helped by carrying them.

I recall with nostalgia that in those days, there were horses in the farmhouse.

Asahidake