Many Forks Baptist Church in the Gum Log section of Union County, Georgia traditionally held Homecoming or Decoration Day the fourth Sunday each year in May. It wasn't held last year due to the Covid pandemic. It's a long held mountain custom to decorate the graves of loved ones on Sunday morning, then preaching in the country church. After the worship service, they had dinner-on-the grounds. In the olden days, loads of food were spread on picnic tables under the shade trees. People ate, fellowshipped until that afternoon when a singing was held in the church. It was a popular event decorating graves and seeing folks at homecoming you hadn't seen for maybe a year or longer. Unfortunately many young people aren't interested in Homecoming and this mountain tradition is passing away. I used to attend each year Decoration Day with my family. I enjoyed it very much, but like many aspects of our culture, Homecoming is fading away.
Here's a poem I wrote several years ago about the Homecoming or some folks called it, Decoration Day.
It's homecoming
at Many Forks Baptist Church.
Folks come from miles
to meet and to decorate
the graves of loved ones.
The sun ricochets through
pine trees, old-timers lift
hymns in the country church.
Kinfolks congregate
under the oaks, spread
dinner-on-the-grounds:
Aunt Dot with her walnut cake,
Cousin Frances stirs potato salad,
the tables are loaded
with all kinds of food,
nephews break the wishbone.
Aunt Mary Lou cuts up
with the Henderson boys,
Uncle George Lee places flags
on the graves of soldiers.
It's a yearly get-together,
a time to share memories
of laughter and tears,
a family gathering at Gum Log.
--Brenda Kay Ledford
Reprinted from the poetry book,
Sacred Fire,
by: Brenda Kay Ledford
The mountain women outdid themselves cooking, baking, and loading the tables with scrumptious
food at the homecoming held at Gum Log each year.
Here's one of the groups that sang spirit-filled Gospel songs in the Many Forks Baptist Church
after dinner-on-the-grounds.
8 comments:
Sounds like a wonderful time to connect, worship and celebrate .
What a wonderful tradition. Our church had homecomings and all day meetings, but not on Decoration Day.
Decoration Day was such a big social event. It was a good day to exchange genealogy,place flowers on departed ones graves, and eat some of the finest foods by the best cooks. Hope this tradition never goes away.
BVLW
Brenda, I enjoyed this post so much. My sister and I talk a lot about how we miss the family reunions and Memorial Days at the old country church where all my Mother's family is buried. It is so sad now that my Mother and all her brothers and sisters are dead and gone, no one gets together any more. There were some good cooks back then and the picnic tables would be loaded with good old country cooking. It was wonderful.
I've just read your Mother's Day post. I'm so sorry you lost you Mother. That is such a sweet picture of her. My Mother died in 2007 and I think about her and miss her every day.
Oh, Brenda Kay, you make my heart hurt. It is all so true. Our beautiful country has wandered so far away from the God of our fathers and then we wonder what is wrong. Thank you for the beautiful memories.
Brenda, your post touched my heart. Decoration day was a special time for me as a child. I only had one grandfather,(who died before I was born) and no flowers to put on his grave except ones we gathered in the wild. And there were lots of graves with only unmarked stones for markers; I always felt a bit sorry for those people who had no one to leave flowers in remembrance of their lives. I believe we have similar backgrounds. Also, that was one of the times I got a new dress!
your post made me teary eyed. It is so sad to see these types of things fade away as people and things change. Your poem was so sweet.
Brenda, I enjoyed this post. Down in south Georgia where I grew up, the little rural churches often had "dinner on the grounds" and Mother took Gay and me along with her. My four brothers, the Council Brothers Quartet, were one of the groups that sang at these events. And the food was always so good. Love your photos.
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