Background info on 1944 Austria calendar medal

CoinHusker

Does anyone collect or have any information on medals from Nazi occupied Austria? This one is dated 1944 and lists all of the Sunday's in 1944 as well as "holiday's" such as Easter, Pentecost, Memorial Day, Hitler's birthday and Harvest Festival. It's the Harvest festival that I am most curious about. In 1943 the Nazi's used the "Harvest Festival" (Erntefest) as a code word for a action to kill the remaining Jews in Poland, etc..according to information I found on the Holocaust Museum's website. I was wondering if this "Harvest Festival" (Erntefest) was co-opted by the Nazi's or was it created by them? Also, was it common to have these "secular" holiday's mixed in with religious?

Thanks in advance for any help or info.

CoinHusker

My interest in the medal is because I collect numismatic items with the image of "the sower". But the background on each is fascinating in and of themselves.

WillieBoyd2

The calendar medal obverse also has astrological symbols around the edge and a planet Saturn with rings emblem at the bottom.

This may mean nothing but "The Ushers" or the "House of Usher" was a magic and astrology supply store in Venice, California which manufactured astrological tokens in 1936 which also had the Saturn emblem on them.

House of Usher Zodiac Good Luck Coin - Leo
Obverse: Zodiac symbol Leo the lion crouching in jungle grass
Reverse: The word "LEO" coming out of a star / LUCKY NUMBERS 2-7-9-5 / LUCKY DAY SUNDAY
Brass, 26 mm, 7.36 gm

YQQ

Erntedankfest
is a annual religious festival in German speaking countries. It is held in late fall and it is to thank God (which ever one you have faith in) for the harvest of the current year. Farmers contribute some of their produce by delivering it to the church. The church then uses volunteers to distribute the goods to the "not so fortunate" people in the area.
I have never heard of the Erntedankfest being anything else than a day of giving Thanks.
Never heard about it having any political connection. But... AH was capable of doing anything...

CoinHusker

Here's a link from the National Holocaust Museum. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/aktion-erntefest-operation-harvest-festival

CoinHusker

@YQQ said:
Erntedankfest
is a annual religious festival in German speaking countries. It is held in late fall and it is to thank God (which ever one you have faith in) for the harvest of the current year. Farmers contribute some of their produce by delivering it to the church. The church then uses volunteers to distribute the goods to the "not so fortunate" people in the area.
I have never heard of the Erntedankfest being anything else than a day of giving Thanks.
Never heard about it having any political connection. But... AH was capable of doing anything...

Thank you for the info!!