Feasts, rhythms of our lives
Feasts punctuate different moments of the year or our life. The religious celebrations, notably, are closely linked to the solar and lunar calendars. They have a deep connection with the ages of humanity or human being, the seasonal or monthly cycle, the diurnal and nocturnal daily cycle.
A strong relationship exists between these different cycles which fit into and correspond to each other: Spring, dawn or childhood; Summer, day or youth; Fall, twilight or maturity; Winter, night or old age. It is not by chance that Mithra's feast in Antiquity and Christmas in Christianity reach their paroxysm in the middle of the night around Winter solstice! This is not any more by adventure that fire celebrations are taking place at Summer and Winter solstices. Just as Easter celebrated in springtime. Seasons are rhythmically regulating days, years and lives and have deeply marked our customs. We continue to celebrate these occasions, the meaning of which has fallen in the collective memory limbo a long time ago. The following pages try to rescue them from oblivion.