Celebrations
Eating and sharing food plays an important part in most celebrations and festivals throughout the world. Some of these are based upon religious beliefs and events, some are linked to the changing seasons and some to personal or family events.
Why do people have a big dinner at Christmas?
Christmas (25th December) is a Christian festival. However, early Christians combined Christmas with older pagan festivals celebrating the re-birth of the sun after mid-winter day. At this dark and cold time of the year, when food was in short supply, a feast was a welcome way to celebrate. The Victorians introduced many of the food customs we associate with Christmas today including Christmas cake, sweet mince pies and roast turkey.
Why do some people give eggs at Easter?
Like Christmas, Easter is a Christian religious festival which adopted older pagan traditions. The egg was a symbol of new life in many ancient cultures and so played a part in spring festivals. In the past, people painted and decorated hen, duck and goose eggs at Easter. In Victorian times, some shops sold chocolate eggs but these were very expensive. Today, chocolate eggs are cheaper and very popular.
Which foods are eaten during other religious celebrations?
During the Hindu festival of Divali sweets are given to family and friends and traditional Indian foods, such as curries and samosas, are eaten. One of the special foods eaten during the Jewish festival of Passover is Matzoh, a flat, crispy cracker. Many different foods are eaten around the world to celebrate the Muslim festival of Id, such as savayya, made out of fine, toasted noodles. A number of the foods eaten during the Sikh festival of Baisakhi are very popular today throughout Britain such as vegetable biriyani.
What other celebrations is special food eaten at?
Wedding feasts around the world usually involve a cake and traditional foods. In Britain birthdays are often celebrated by sharing a decorated cake with candles; the birthday boy or girl has to make a wish while blowing them out. Other celebrations are more casual and unplanned; families and friends might celebrate a sunny day in summer, for instance, by having a picnic or barbecue.
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