At the beginning of summer every year, the plains and highlands of Ajloun Governorate are decorated with golden ears of wheat that embrace the sun’s rays, announcing the start of the harvest season, which is one of the most ancient agricultural seasons and the one most closely linked to the people’s memory and their social and cultural heritage.
The wheat harvest season, or what is known as “yellow gold,” is an annual occasion that farmers await because it represents a basic source of livelihood, in addition to its heritage value that embodies man’s relationship with his land through long decades of work and giving.
Those interested in heritage and environmental affairs confirmed that the harvest season in Ajloun is not just an agricultural process to collect the crop, but rather represents an integral part of the popular heritage that the people have preserved generation after generation, as families cooperated among themselves to complete the work of harvesting and threshing amid an atmosphere of social solidarity and popular chants that are still present in memory.
They explained to the Jordanian News Agency (Petra) that maintaining wheat cultivation in Ajloun contributes to enhancing food security and preserving agricultural diversity, in addition to protecting the cultural heritage related to the land and agriculture, stressing the importance of supporting farmers and encouraging younger generations to adhere to this ancient national heritage.
The former Director General of the National Center for Agricultural Research, Dr. Nizar Haddad, pointed out that harvesting operations in the past were carried out using hand sickles before the introduction of modern agricultural machinery. Farmers would start their day in the early hours of dawn to avoid the heat of the sun, then the ears would be collected and tied into bundles before being transported to the threshing floors.
He added that the bayaders constituted a social and cultural forum for the people of the villages, where experiences and popular stories were exchanged, and many activities related to the season were held, which made the harvest a part of the cultural identity of the local community.
Farmer and poet Rasmi Al-Zaghoul said that wheat is a symbol of giving and goodness in the Jordanian countryside, indicating that the harvest seasons were and still are occasions that bring together family and neighbors in a way that reflects the spirit of cooperation and love.
He added that the sight of golden ears spreading across the fields inspires pride and pride and embodies man’s connection to the land, which has always been the source of food security and economic stability for rural families.
Housewife Intisar Abu Zaytoun pointed out that the wheat season is also linked to many household customs that families still maintain, including storing wheat and grinding it to prepare local bread and traditional popular dishes that rely on wheat products.
She added that women are essential partners in the various stages of the season, whether in preparing food for workers or in cleaning grains and preparing them for storage, which reflects the important role of rural women in supporting agricultural production.
