Taking a Look at Feasting and Fasting

Eating is a delicate topic and fairly consistent in our everyday lives. We live in a country that is able to have the typical three meals a day and snack in between meals. Holidays are also an excuse for many people to eat, to feast. Thanksgiving and Christmas are holidays that are mostly correlated with eating, preparing meals for an entire day to be eaten in an hour. During these meals we continue to eat until we are stuffed, eventually needing to sleep off the food we have just engorged ourselves with. However, where did the idea of feasting as a celebratory act come from? On the opposite end of the spectrum is fasting. When we think about fasting we often think of starving ourselves for no reason, or Gandhi fasting as a political protest. We see fasting as an act of religion, for example Ramadan for those who practice Islam. The idea of fasting was not a concept that came from nothing; it was to appease the gods and to practice religion. Looking at these concepts and attempting to understand the basis of feasting and fasting one can take a look at the historical context. As we look at the monks and Christianity, the Islamic religion, and the puritans one begins to fully understand that feasting and fasting was an act of religion that was regulated to reflect the commitment to ones religion; whether that be by celebrating with a feast or fasting to show faithfulness.

Feasting: explain.

Fasting is primarily an act of willing abstinence or reduction from certain or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day (24 hours), or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive, limiting particular f...

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...pecial days for the community to gather and offer thanks and prayer. These days of thanksgiving were celebratory and “in addition to religious observances often included feasting and games"(P.R. Newswire, Fasting and Feasting).

Conclusion.

Works Cited

Addison, Bill. "Feasting After Fasting." Atlanta 52.4 (2012): 44. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Aziz, Barbara. "Ramadan: Holy Month Of Fasting, Feasting." National Catholic Reporter 31.14 (1995): 8. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2013

Jotischky, Andrew. A Hermit's Cookbook: Monks, Food and Fasting in the Middle Ages. London: Continuum, 2011. Print.

PR, Newswire. "Fasting and Feasting -- The Puritan Way." PR Newswire US 19 Nov. 2012: Regional Business News. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Wilson, Bee. "Last Supper." New Statesman 129.(2000): 50-51. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 18 Nov. 2013.