Food is an important element in the celebration of
festivals…with Easter just around the corner, we thought we describe some
typical dishes enjoyed at festivals during the four seasons.
Spring
China
- Lantern Festival 花灯节/元宵节
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| Paper lanterns being released into the night sky... Photo by Harry Huang licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 |
This traditional festival has been celebrated for more than
2000 years in China.
Celebrated on the 15th day of the Chinese in New Year, it marks the
end of New Year celebrations. At this time lots of beautiful lanterns are
released into the sky, symbolising the old ‘you’ being left in the past, for it
to be replaced with a new 'you'. In the
north of the country people enjoy eating 元宵(Yuanxiao) – these are sweet rice flour
balls with different fillings, such as sesame or peanut-butter. In south China 汤圆(Tangyuan) are eaten – these are
similar to Yuanxiao but are prepared differently.
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| Yuanxiao balls - Photo by Alison licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 |
UK
- Easter
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| Simnel Cake Photo by cormac70 licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0c |
Easter day is traditionally celebrated
with the sharing of chocolate eggs and rabbits. It is like Christmas because
the best bit is in the morning when children wake up to find an Easter egg or small pile of chocolate waiting for them! One of the
most popular (and fun!) activities for children is an Easter egg hunt. This is where the
parents hide lots of tiny chocolate eggs in a garden or outdoor space and the children have to
try and find them.
There are also foods with a religious reference to the
Christian origins of the festival. For example, Hot Cross Buns (the cross an
obvious symbol to Jesus). Simnel cake is another dish popular in spring time. There is a myth that the eleven balls of marzipan on top of the cake represent Jesus’ twelve disciples, although this is in fact untrue.
Another fun activity for children is making chocolate nests. This requires a wheat
cereal, coated in chocolate and shaped to form small ‘nests’. Small chocolate
eggs are added to complete the nest.
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| Hot Cross Buns Photo by IZATRINI licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 |
Summer
China
- Duanwu Festival端午节, translated as the Dragon Boat Festival.
As with many Chinese festivals, it is traditional to eat a type of dumplings called Zongzi粽子. These sticky rice dumplings are prepared by the whole family. Apart from eating dumplings, as you expect a popular activity during this festival is racing dragon boats which were common in southern China.
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| Zongzi: Photo by Alpha licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. |
UK
- May Day
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| Dancing around the maypole. Photo by Elf Sternberg licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. |
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| Delicious Trifle.... Photo by Chris Schultz licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. |
The first of May is recognised as the first day of summer but
unfortunately there is no traditional dish for this occasion. British summer
dishes typically include fruit that is in season at this time of year, such as
strawberries and raspberries. One of the most famous puddings is called Trifle,
and consists of a mixture of fruit, cream, cake, custard and alcohol. It’s very
indulgent but also very delicious.
One of the highlights of British summer time is watching the
grass tennis tournament, Wimbledon when it is customary to
enjoy a bowl of strawberries and cream. Other events in the south of England where traditional summer
food is enjoyed include the Henley rowing regatta and
‘Ladies Day’ at Ascot racecourse. Glasses of
champagne and Pimm’s are drunk to wash it all down.
Autumn
China
- Mid Autumn Festival 中秋节
Like many other Chinese festivals, this occasion has
been celebrated for around 3,000 years. Through the different dynasties, the
moon on the 15th night of the eighth month of the year has been
worshipped by all members of Chinese society. Sometime this was done in the
belief that this would bring good a good harvest but also just to appreciate
the beauty of the moon. Not surprisingly the cakes enjoyed during the festival
are called Mooncakes. For more information on this curious festival have a look
here.
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| Mooncakes - will they bring you luck? Photo by boo lee licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. |
UK
- Halloween
The most famous food symbol of this festival is the pumpkin, which
is carved out to make a lantern.
Unfortunately, the contents are often wasted because few people know
how to cook pumpkin - except in the American tradition of making pumpkin pie.
With Halloween your imagination is
the limit when it comes to baking! For example, amazing things have been done to
transform any creepy ghoul into an edible monster! Personally, I really like
these little ghost cupcakes.
Check out this page for a slideshow of creepy creations.
You can also be creative with your drinks by making halloween punch!
Winter
China
– Dongzhi Festival 冬至
This festival is celebrated at the winter solstice and
looks forward to longer days with sunlight. In the north of China
people enjoy eating 饺子(Jiaozi). These are a type of dumplings - it is said they are
eaten to protect your ears from falling off because of the cold!
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| Making jiaozi the whole family gets involved. Photo by John licensed under CC BY 2.0. |
UK
- Bonfire Night
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| Hot sticky toffee apples. Photo by Claire Sutton licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. |
This is a historical festival on November 5th, also known as Bonfire Night. It commemorates the failed attempt of a group of men to blow-up the King in the House of Parliament in 1605, an event known as the Gunpowder Plot. A dummy of the most famous plotter, Guy Fawkes, is burnt on a bonfire and fireworks are set-off. As the festival is celebrated at the start of winter, the foods enjoyed tend to be warm and comforting. For example, hot toffee apples and any foods that can be prepared over an open fire, such as baked potatoes and melted marshmallows. A cup of hot mulled wine (red wine seasoned with star anise, cinnamon and oranges), similar to Glühwein in Germany, is usually enjoyed outside, standing around the bonfire.
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| Fireworks! Photo by Chris Jobling licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 |
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