Holiday Tables Around the World: Why We Celebrate Life Around Food
Every holiday table tells a story. No matter where you are in the world, celebrations almost always begin the same way: people gather, food is placed at the center, and time slows down. Holidays are not only marked by dates on a calendar — they are marked by meals, aromas, shared plates, and traditions passed from one generation to the next. But why is food so deeply connected to celebration across cultures? Food as a Universal Language of Celebration Anthropologists and historians agree on one thing: food has always been more than nourishment. In ancient civilizations, shared meals symbolized peace, gratitude, and unity. From harvest festivals to religious observances, eating together was a way to honor life itself. In Italy, long holiday lunches stretch for hours. In Asian cultures, round tables symbolize completeness and harmony. In the Middle East and Mediterranean, food is placed in the center — meant to be shared, never individualized. No holiday table exists without ...
