Editing Fertility rite (section)

==Geographical varieties==

===Ancient Greece===

Central to fertility rites in [[classical Greece]] was "[[Demeter]], goddess of fertility... Her rites celebrated the procession of the seasons, the mystery of the plants and the fruits in their annual cycle of coming to be and passing away."<ref>M. I. Finley, ''The World of Odysseus'' (Penguin 1967) p. 158</ref> But most "women's festivals... related in some way to woman's proper function as a fertile being (which allowed her to promote the fertility of crops too, by sympathy)".<ref>J. Boardman ''et al'', eds., ''The Oxford History of the Classical World'' (Oxford 1991) p. 269–70</ref>

Because of his link to the grape harvest, however, "it is not surprising to see [[Dionysus]] associated with Demeter and [[Persephone|Kore]] in the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]]. For he, too, represented one of the great life-bringing forces of the world."<ref>F. Guirand ed., ''The New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology'' (1968) p. 160</ref>

===Phoenicia===

Ancient Phoenicia saw "a special sacrifice at the season of the harvest, to reawaken the spirit of the vine"; while the winter fertility rite to restore "the spirit of the withering vine" included as sacrifice "cooking a kid in the milk of its mother, a [[Canaanite religion|Canaanite]] custom which [[Mosaic law]] condemned and formally forbade".<ref>Guirand, p. 77–9</ref>

The death of [[Adonis]] – "a vegetation spirit who...was manifest in the seed of corn" – was marked by "the most beautiful of Phoenician festivals...celebrated immediately after the harvest".<ref>Guirand, p. 81–2</ref>

===Australia===

[[Durkheim]] explored Australian ceremonies "to assure the prosperity of the animal or vegetable species serving the clan as [[totem]]".<ref>Emile Durkheim, ''The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life'' (London 1971) p. 327</ref> Such ceremonies took the form both of "oblations, whether bloody or otherwise", and of "rites which...consist in movements and cries whose object is to imitate the different aspects and attitudes of the animal whose reproduction is desired".<ref>Durkheim, p. 351</ref>

Durkheim concluded that "as the rites, and especially those which are periodical, demand nothing more of nature than that it follow its ordinary course, it is not surprising that it should generally have the air of obeying them".<ref>Durkheim, p. 361</ref>

===Christian===
In the [[Parables of Jesus|parables of Jesus Christ]], such as the [[Parable of the Sower]], "the sower sows the word," where the [[seed]] is the word of God.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Barnes|first=Charles Randall|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-CsVAAAAYAAJ|title=The People's Bible Encyclopedia: Biographical, Geographical, Historical, and Doctrinal : Illustrated by Nearly Four Hundred Engravings, Maps, Chats, Etc|date=1912|publisher=People's Publication Society|language=en}}</ref> The parables of the mustard seed and the growing seed explain the [[Kingdom of God (Christianity)|kingdom of God]] in which growth is due to God and not to man  and follows its own schedule .<ref>{{Cite book|last=Longenecker|first=Richard N.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JojVvncUgk0C|title=The Challenge of Jesus' Parables|date=2000|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=978-0-8028-4638-9|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Edwards|first=James R.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0MjWS_4La_EC|title=The Gospel According to Mark|date=2002|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=978-0-8028-3734-9|language=en}}</ref> In John 12:24<ref>{{Cite web|title=John 12:24 Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.|url=https://biblehub.com/john/12-24.htm|access-date=2021-11-17|website=biblehub.com|archive-date=2021-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917133738/https://biblehub.com/john/12-24.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[death and resurrection of Jesus]] compared to the core, which falls to the ground and dies and then produces a lot of seeds. In many [[Christian tradition|Christian traditions]], Easter service at dawn, or the service of the Resurrection, is held in the Acre of God, where the bodies of the dead are "sown as a seed".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of DIASPORA|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diaspora|access-date=2021-11-17|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en|archive-date=2021-11-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117062136/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diaspora|url-status=live}}</ref>

Many fertility rites that have spiritual origins such as European Christians and Pagans drew their methods from "myths, imagery, and ritual practices from the religions".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ancient Roots, Historical Challenges|url=https://pluralism.org/ancient-roots-historical-challenges|access-date=2021-11-17|website=pluralism.org|language=en|archive-date=2021-11-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124093345/https://pluralism.org/ancient-roots-historical-challenges|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Agriculture|Agricultural]] practices role in transforming “the wild” into habitable places were prevalent in (western). Alongside education and medicine, agriculture helped spread western power and influence through [[Christian mission|Christian missions]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Sundkler|first1=Bengt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y1p61xARWY4C|title=A History of the Church in Africa|last2=Steed|first2=Christopher|date=2000-05-04|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-58342-8|language=en}}</ref>

===Arabia===
Some authors believe that fertility rites took place around the [[Kaaba]] in pre-Islamic times. During the autumn pilgrimage to the Kaaba, rituals performed there included performing the circumambulation naked, holding vigil in front of [[Mount Arafat]], giving offerings to the pillars at [[al-Mina]], and offering sacrifices. According to [[Barnaby Rogerson]], it is likely these rituals were a part of a fertility cult, ensuring continuation of the life-cycle. In the cult, a mother goddess represented by a trinity was worshiped, along with a heroic young god would die and be reborn in an unending cycle due to his father, the supreme god. This was symbolized by agriculture and movement of the celestial bodies in Arabia. [[Allat]] was the fertility goddess with al-Rabba (the sovereign), [[Manat (goddess)|Manat]] and [[Al-Uzza]] being her epithets. Thuraiza or [[Muzdalifah]] was the heroic young god and Allah was the father. [[Benjamin Walker (author)|Benjamin Walker]] says the Kaaba was honored by orgies and that its name means "virgin". Fertility rites took place in the temples of the Great Goddess and the color green was associated with her.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Rogerson | first = Barnaby | publisher = [[Hachette UK]] | title = The Prophet Muhammad: A Biography | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=X65ktPBZRToC&dq=kaaba+fertility+rite&pg=PT22 | page = 22 |date = 4 November 2010 | isbn = 9780748124695 | access-date = 28 August 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last = Maria Zalewski | first = Wojciech | publisher = [[Wipf and Stock]] | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cs8SBQAAQBAJ&dq=benjamin+walker+fertility+rite+women&pg=PA269 | title = The Crucible of Religion: Culture, Civilization, and Affirmation of Life | page = 269 |date = 13 February 2012 | isbn = 9781630875329 | access-date = 28 August 2019 }}</ref>

===Islamic traditions===

It is believed in some Islamic traditions that a tree transfers its blessings (''[[barakah]]'') and thus trees were planted on graves. The custom of beating people with twigs is derived from an old fertility rite, with the tree transferring its life force. This practice was performed in [[medieval Egypt]], particularly in [[Cairo]] by a jester called the '''Ifrit al-mahmal'', when the [[mahmal]] carrying the covering of the Kaaba was exhibited. A similar practice also happens in the [[Deccan]] region of India during [[Muharram]]. Pilgrims to Mecca and tombs of saints are also garlanded since it is believed they preserve the life force of a tree.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Schimmel | first = Annemarie | publisher = [[State University of New York Press]] | url = https://archive.org/details/SCHIMMELDecipheringTheSignsPhenomenologicalApproach | title = Deciphering the signs of God: a phenomenological approach to Islam | page = [https://archive.org/details/SCHIMMELDecipheringTheSignsPhenomenologicalApproach/page/n22 19] | access-date = 28 August 2019 }}</ref>

=== Mesoamerica ===
Agricultural fertility was and continues to be of primary concern for [[Mesoamerica|Mesoamerican]] cultures. Many ritual activities performed by Indigenous communities in [[Mesoamerica]] were directed to deities of land and rain, as their understanding of fertility was intimately related to specific geographical attributes, such as bodies of water, mountains, and caves. In [[Mesoamerica|Mesoamerican]] worldview, agricultural success was believed to be directly related to survival and prosperity. For this reason, ceremonies and religious rites offered to rain and earth deities were an integral part of most aspects of their socioreligious organization. Archaeological evidence throughout Mesoamerica attests to the magnanimous importance of fertility rituals for the [[Olmecs|Olmec]], [[Maya civilization|Maya]], and [[Aztecs|Aztec]] civilizations.<ref>Arnold, Philip P. "Fertility." In [[David Carrasco]] (ed). ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures''. : Oxford University Press, 2001</ref>