, by Yvonne Aburrow
Food is the product of the earth; the earth is a mother goddess, literally the matrix of our physical existence. We are all products of the stars: earth, animals, plants; all the elements were forged in the reactions in the heart of stars. We are what we eat, so it is important to eat healthily & well
Cooking and eating connect us to the earth and each other. All shared festivities involve special and symbolic food. In Paganism, the body and the earth are sacred; spirit is immanent in matter, not transcendent and beyond it.
Dieting is DIE with a T
The modern fad of dieting was invented in the 19th century by fundamentalist Christians, but the idea of abstinence and self-denial is rooted in transcendent monotheism, as can be seen from the stories of medieval saints who starved themselves to death (see The Forbidden Body: Why Being Fat is not a Sin by Shelley Bovey). In most of Africa, when western women visit, African women are seriously worried by how thin the western women are. The Third World is often given as a reason why we should be thin - this is just an excuse for being obsessed by thinness.
Comparison with other cultures
In our culture, we consume to excess (mostly possessions rather than food) but we don´t know how to enjoy the simple pleasures of life - sharing food with friends, dancing round bonfires, swimming naked in the sea. We have largely lost of the art of just being, obsessed as we are with possessing stuff. This - in my view - is because we have lost our connection to the earth.
Luckily for us Pagans, our path is about reconnecting with the earth and the cycles of the seasons. How do we do this? By celebrating the festivals, the cycles of the Sun and Moon, talking to the trees… How do you celebrate a festival? By feasting.
Other cultures have a more sensible attitude to food. Without the puritanical inheritance which is evident in Britain and America, they still enjoy cooking and eating. In Italy, socialising is done with food accompanied by wine. There is also a tradition in many countries of noisy appreciation of food - belching and even farting were considered a compliment to the chef in many cultures.
In most major religions, there are special foods for their religious festivals - the Passover meal in Judaism, the barfi sweets at Diwali in Hinduism, the feast of Eid Al Fitr after Ramadan when the new moon rises, Christmas pudding, etc.
In ancient times the Goddess was often depicted as fat, with big curvy hips and breasts. She is the fat of the land, the valley overflowing with milk and honey.
Seasonal festivals
Paganism, or more specifically the folk tradition, which is 75% Paganism and 25% Christianity, also has traditions of specific food at the festivals.
- Samhain - apple-bobbing (the apple is the food of the underworld, because it symbolises eternal youth, the Land of Apples, Avalon). Nuts for divination.
- Yule - Christmas pudding, chestnuts, the wassail bowl (mulled ale or cider, sometimes with lambswool which is stewed apple), roast boar (the sacred beast of Thor), roast goose (goose was the sacred bird of Odin)
- Imbolc - the name is derived from ewe’s milk, as this was the time of the year when the ewes lactated.
- Spring Equinox - Easter eggs, Simnel cake (Mothering Sunday, originally associated with Lady Day, 25th March)
- Beltane -
- Midsummer - strawberries (fruit of the sun)
- Lammas - bread, beer (products of John Barleycorn)
- Autumn Equinox - cider, blackberries, roast goose at Michaelmas (Odin again)
Rites of passage (birth, initiation, marriage, death)
Rites of passage also have traditional foods: there is always a feast and a cake and plenty of wine or champagne. The Romans gave walnuts to newly weds to symbolise fertility. The initiate of the Eleusinian Mysteries was shown an ear of corn to symbolise (presumably) the cyclical nature of life.
The environment
As Pagans honour the earth, good food goes hand in hand with protecting the environment - organic foods are better for our bodies and better for the earth. Free range eggs & meat give the animal a better life and they taste better.
Cooking and alchemy
The process of cooking is like alchemy - the transformation of ingredients into a new thing, the stirring of the cauldron of knowledge, the production of the magic potion. There are three main stages in alchemy - the Nigredo or blackening (well that usually comes last in cookery but never mind); the Albedo or whitening (just add flour); the Rubedo or reddening (that’s how you know to add the tomatoes). Anyway cookery is a kind of magic, and the stirring of the pot can be used for scrying, meditation, or spells (see Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett).
Food & healing (nutrients, herbs, etc.)
Most food, unless it’s laden with chemicals, is good for you. It contains protein, vitamins, carbohydrates, fibre, etc. It smells nice when it’s cooking and some of it even has medicinal properties. The proverbial chicken soup of Jewish mothers really exists and is very effective, I’m told. Herbs have been used for thousands of years as medicines - a Neanderthal burial included herbs for the various ailments the deceased was suffering from.
Symbolism of food
- Nuts - fertility, the Child of Light within the womb of the Goddess
- Apples - the Underworld, the Land of Youth
- Pork - sacred to Thor and Cerridwen
- Goose - sacred to Odin
- Strawberries, oranges - the Sun
- Wheat, bread, beer - John Barleycorn, the harvest
- Cider - ecstatic frenzy or seidr
- Honey & mead - ambrosia, nectar, the food of the gods (bees are the messengers of the gods)