“Celebrations often include specific types of food. Give three examples and explain their origins.

Food and celebration are often shown in art pieces as they give a deeper meaning to many

social habits and emotions. Often times, meals are eaten for ritual services, religion, etc. One

example that comes to mind when linking food and celebration is communion. As a Christian this is

something we perform at church every month. Before service, a small cracker and little container of

grape juice are given to everyone. This is to represent the body and blood of Christ and to honor the

sacrifice he made. We celebrate Christ for his sacrifices and the grace he offers to everyone no matter

what. The act of taking communion originates during the Last Supper of Jesus.

Another example of a celebration that involves food is Thanksgiving. Many Americans

celebrate this day by feasting with family and friends on foods like turkey, ham, green beans, bread,

mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie etc. We usually take this day as a day to be extra thankful for the

people we have in our lives, our country, and any blessings we have. Thanksgiving originates back to

1621 when, “the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag shared an autumn harvest feast that is

acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies” (History.com

Editors). The pilgrims were so thankful for their first successful harvest so they had a large feast of

their foods and crops to celebrate this success.

When thinking of food and celebration I also think of eating cabbage and black eyed peas on

New Year’s Day. This is something any people to as it is thought to bring good luck and prosperity in

the new year and is a way to celebrate the new year to come. It is a little unclear as to where exactly

this originated. Many say, “It started during the Civil War in Vicksburg, Virginia when the town ran

out of food while under siege and the inhabitants were lucky enough to discover cow peas (a.k.a.,

black-eyed peas).” It is also known that, “Southern slaves who celebrated emancipation as ordered by

President Abraham Lincoln on New Year's Day, January 1, 1863. After the war, peas were always

eaten on the first day of January” (Ballinger).

Food is a way to bring people together, which is why it is so often used for celebration and

practiced in many different religions.

Work Cited

Our Chapter 5 PowerPoint

History.com Editors. (2009, October 27). Thanksgiving 2022. History.com. Retrieved September

16, 2022, from https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving#:~:text=In

%201621%2C%20the%20Plymouth%20colonists,by%20individual%20colonies%20and%20states.

Ballinger, A. (2021, December 28). What's the deal with peas on New Years? Oliver's Markets.

Retrieved September 16, 2022, from https://www.oliversmarket.com/whats-the-deal-with-the-peas-

anyway/