In the days before grocery stores and fridges, people had to get pretty creative to make sure they had enough food to last them through the winter. For most of human history, spring was a time of fasting and scarce food stores. It was a time when people went without food, waiting for the summer harvest to come in.
Today, however, spring is a time of abundance. We have access to fresh fruits and vegetables all year round, and we don’t have to worry about going without food for even a day. Spring is also a time of new beginnings when we start fresh with our goals and resolutions. So how did our relationship with spring change? And what does that say about us as a society?
The Origins of Fasting
Fasting is thought to have originated as a way to conserve food during times of scarcity. Our ancestors would often go for days or even weeks without eating in order to make sure there was enough food to last through the winter. While fasting might seem like a drastic measure, it was often the only way to ensure survival.
The idea of fasting during springtime may seem strange to us now, but for many cultures, it was a necessary part of life. In Europe, for example, there were two main types of fasting: Lenten fasting and Ember Days.
Lenten fasting took place during the 40 days leading up to Easter. People would give up certain foods like meat, eggs, and dairy as a way of cleansing their bodies and preparing for Easter Sunday.
Ember Days were similar in that they also involved abstaining from certain foods, but they took place four times a year on the Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays following the first Sunday in Lent, Pentecost, and September 14th. The purpose of Ember Days was twofold: first, to give thanks for the gifts of nature (like crops), and second, to remind people that they needed to be content with what they had and not covet their neighbor’s goods.
Why Was Spring A Time Of Scarcity?
So why was spring a time of scarcity? Well, for starters, many cultures believed that it was bad luck to eat new food before Easter Sunday.
Additionally, fresh food wasn’t really an option since crops hadn’t been harvested yet and livestock hadn’t been slaughtered. So people had to make do with whatever non-perishable items they had left over from the winter months. In other words, if you didn’t have enough food stored up going into springtime, you were probably going to be pretty hungry come Easter Sunday.
Why Was Spring So Difficult?
One of the major reasons why spring was such a difficult time was because food stores were often depleted by the end of winter. In the days before refrigeration, it was nearly impossible to stockpile enough food to last an entire year. As a result, many families were forced to ration their food during the spring months. This meant eating very little or, in some cases, nothing at all.
Another reason why spring was so challenging was that farmers had to start from scratch each year. They had to sow their seeds, wait for their crops to grow, and then harvest them. This entire process took several months, leaving families vulnerable during the early part of the year.
What’s Changed?
Fortunately, things are different now. We live in a world of abundance where we can get just about anything we want year-round thanks to advances in transportation and refrigeration technologies. That means we don’t have to worry about going hungry if we don’t have enough food stored up going into springtime.
And while some people still choose to fast during Lent or on Ember Days as a way of commemorating their religious beliefs, it’s no longer a necessity like it once was. So, while our ancestors may have had a tough time during the spring months, we no longer have to worry about going without food for even a day.
Another major change to our relationship with spring is the way we view new beginnings. For most of human history, spring was a time of renewing the land and getting ready for the summer harvest. It was a time of hard work and preparation.
Today, however, spring is also a time of new beginnings. We start fresh with our goals and resolutions. We set out to accomplish things that we’ve been putting off all winter long. This change in our relationship with spring says a lot about us as a society. We’re always looking for ways to improve ourselves and our lives. And that’s a good thing, too.
Conclusion
So there you have it – a brief history of why spring used to be a time for scarce food stores and why that’s no longer the case. Looking back at our ancestors’ lives can be both eye-opening and humbling.
Thanks to advances in transportation and refrigeration technologies, we no longer have to worry about going hungry if we don’t have enough food stored up going into springtime, and it’s amazing to think about how much our lives have changed in just a few hundred years. We no longer have to worry about scarce food supplies or going without meals for days at a time. Instead, we can enjoy an abundance of delicious foods from all over the world—year-round!
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