By the fall of 1858, Belgian settlers in the area, the first of whom had arrived in 1853, were ready to celebrate the harvest and give thanks for good crops and other blessings, setting aside hardships, homesickness, and loneliness for a time. They spent days preparing for the kermiss, a centuries-old Belgian custom combining religious and secular celebration that usually lasted three days. Reportedly the first such celebration in America, it was held in Rosiere, Wisconsin, on the same Sunday in September 1858 as the kermiss in their native Belgium. Father Daems from Bay Settlement said mass, and afterward a band led the people to an improvised hall, pausing along the unpaved road as people danced. For several days there was dancing, eating freshly baked bread, kaset, chicken booyah, trippe, jut, and Belgian pies, drinking homemade beer, and playing games such as catching the greased pig, climbing the greased pole, foot races, and wrestling matches. As the Belgian community grew, new settlements developed, new churches were built, and more kermisses were held, eventually stretching from the last Sunday in August until November as each community took its turn. Over the years, the celebration of kermiss changed.