A History of Solstice Feasts
By: Janice Harper
Published: March 23, 2011

As the cold, dark winter turns to spring and the earth nudges baby sprouts into the brightening sunlight, gardeners and farmers around the globe plant seeds for a bountiful harvest to come.  And while most people know that every culture celebrates the harvest in some fashion or another, fewer know that the Spring Solstice has been a time for feasting all over the world for nearly five thousand years.
At Stonehenge, for example, archaeologists have found remains of cattle and pig bones dating as far back as 4,500 years ago which indicate that the animals were moved hundreds of miles to be slaughtered for annual solstice feasts.  And University of Sheffield Archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson has been studying the archaeological remains of Stonehenge to find out who fed the builders of the one of the Seven Wonders of the World in his project, Feeding Stonehenge.  Today hordes of tourists, travelers, and scholars come together at Stonehenge to celebrate the coming of spring, where cordials made of Dandelion and Burdock root are shared in what is believed to be an ancient tradition dating back thousands of years.
Elsewhere the Persian celebration of Nowruz, or “New Light” marks the Persian New Year which begins with the Spring Equinox.  In her book, Happy Nowruz: Cooking with Children to Celebrate the Persian New Year, author Najmieh Batmanglij provides recipes and essays on the food and feasts marking this joyous holiday.   Celebrated in Iran, Central and South Asia, the Crimea and Balkans, Northwest China and elsewhere, Nowruz is a celebration of life and fertility.  Children roam from house to house banging on pots and pans in anticipation of treats, reminiscent of Halloween Trick-or-Treaters.  Families gather together for elaborate feasts to commemorate the New Year.  Noodle soups rich with spinach and dill are served to represent the untangling of the year’s troubles, while eggs represent fertility and fish are served to welcome abundance in the coming year.
After the family feasts, people make visits to friends and distant family members, with the young first honoring their elders.  Each home is readied for the procession of visitors, with pastries such as rose-drenched Baklava, and cookies rich with saffron, piled high.  Fresh and dried fruits, a variety of nuts, hot tea and cold sherbet are also served.
The Jewish celebration of Passover and the Christian celebration of Easter are two other types of Solstice celebrations, with elaborate feasts to commemorate important religious events – Passover memorializes the Exodus of Jews from their enslavement in Egypt, and Easter celebrates the rising of Christ following his crucifixion.  In each case, feasts to give thanks to the Lord and partake of the fruits of the earth, honoring the Solstice spirit of hope and growth, mark the beginning of Spring time.
But more importantly are the personal celebrations among families, communities, and friends which bring us together to celebrate the coming of Spring by sharing food, drink and music, whether with spontaneous feasts that friends throw together as the weather warms, or personal “traditions” that emerge when one great Solstice celebration calls for making it an annual event. 
Tell us your favorite way to celebrate the Solstice, and the special foods you associate with this week of celestial wonder?
Photo by HeyRocker

Comments:
Sheila
March 26, 2011

Great article.  Only one thing -- there is no such thing as a spring solstice.  The solstices are the longest and shortest days of the year -- the summer and winter solstices.  The beginnings of spring and fall are called equinoxes, because the night is equal in length to the day.