First fruits
The first part of a harvest, offered in thanks before anyone eats.
Also: firstfruits, bikkurim
First fruits are the earliest produce of a season, set aside as an offering of thanks before the rest of the harvest is eaten. The custom appears in the Hebrew Bible, in which pilgrims brought their first fruits to the Temple at Shavuot, in the Greek and Roman festivals, in the Zulu and Swazi first-fruits ceremonies and in the Fijian and Native American harvest rites. The offering is made to a deity, to the ancestors or to the chief, and often marks the point from which the new crop may be enjoyed.
Region: Europe