Feasting and festivities. (or “partying like a witch on mead”)

In times of old everyone drank like fish, because the water was disgusting most of the time. So a good amount of mead is never a bad thing. Feasting in Pagan terms usually means a celebration. A time when the doldrums of gruel like food was thrown off and a bountiful feast was had. It has had special meaning for religious reasons. Feasting like a Goddess or God was seen as actually giving the higher beings your food. Celebrating in the name of a higher being was a popular way to show your faith.

The most bountiful feast would be after the autumn harvest. Every food that was gathered then would be used in a fantastic celebration. Yes some would be saved for the hard winter but mostly they would eat their fill, because they would have been hungry the rest of the year. Some of the feast food would be 'consecrated' (given a blessing) and then left outside the feasting area for visiting beings to take and eat. The same can be said with wine, some was left for the beings.

Now, festivities. Maypole dancing is one example. Wrapping ribbons around a phallic staff while dancing around was in celebration of Beltane (there are a million and one spellings for this) because of the fertility festival. It was believed that doing activities bought you closer to the higher beings and made you reap the benefits of the particular Goddess/God. Being close to your chosen deity was seen through doing acts that would please them, or acts that the deity has done to get their powers.

(Credited to Jenjen :) )