This week our “Fit to Eat” show is rather different from the usual (if there is such a thing). When you think about it, of all of the widespread holidays we still have these days, Christmas/Solstice has the most rural theme of any of the lot. The pagan bits (like trees, decorations, mistletoe, etc.) often focus on rural beauty, the religious aspects emphasize the important and even sacred spaces of stables and connections with folks like shepherds (not stockbrokers in condominiums), and even the commercialized aspects of Christmas worship a fellow who lives in a pretty rural location. Santa is not in Metro-Adjacent Rural. Nor is he in Small Town Rural. He is in Remote Rural. And he seems to get along just fine.
So today, I have some music, some chat, and some fun, related to this season of the year, and its connection to farms, agriculture and rural. We learn about the origin of a holiday on December 25th – the celebration of the Roman God of Agriculture. Some provinces don’t even have a Minister of Agriculture, but Rome had a God of Agriculture. No wonder the Mediterranean diet is so highly regarded.
We also talk about the symbolic value of stables, how the image of Santa was created, and the many different tunes used for “While Shepherds Watched” (we listen to 8 of them… briefly). Whatever you celebrate, or don’t celebrate, at this time of year – may you do it with delight and grace. Join me for a rural and farming lens on a holiday.
Season 3 of “Fit to Eat” is supported by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
