Kitchen Witchin' For Celebrations by Chovexani

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Hey all, just thought I would get a bit of activity going on here while Banksia Faerie is occupied.
I know when I started my particular brand of kitchen/garden/natural/whatever witchcraft, I was hesitant to use it on anyone else bar myself. Under normal circumstances I'm against using magick to influence another person, but my favourite place to do a little magick would be when I have people coming over for a celebration of some kind. I don't create magick on each of them individually, rather I make magick with the food, and the setting, to make a happy festive atmosphere. If there is one thing I love, its the laughter and crazy photos that come out of my parties, so "party magick" (no copyright, feel free to steal the term) is one of my favourite to do.

Obviously the first thing the kitchen witch is going to think about is the food. What kind of party is it? For a beltane party where everyone will be sneaking off to the back bushes later, a little bit of aphrodisiacs couldn't go astray (warning, single people may not appreciate you using food to shack them up with another, lol). What about samhain? Hot food at the start of winter makes sense regardless, but what if you add protective herbs, and peace herbs, to give people a sense of happiness in bleak times ahead? I'll go more into this in the sample menu later.

Next we wanna think about the setting. Incense can play a big role here, the wrong scent can totally put people off their food. Spring equinox? Choose a light, floral incense. Mabon? A more heady, woody incense would be better here. If I am going to use herbs that can be used in love spells, I'll team them with herbs for wisdom, protection and purification, to dilute the effects and ensure anyone affected in a romantic manner uses their head and is cautious before hitting on that suddenly attractive person at the end of the table.

Do you want people to sit on the ground? For a romantic party, or a spring or summer sabbat, that can work out quite nice actually. I personally wouldn't sit on the ground for a winter sabbat, I am a creature of comfort and I like me that way! Decorations are individual, I personally don't worry about them too much, aside from scattering candles around every now and again, but even that is rare. People come to my place to eat my food and drink my wine, not to poke around at my decorations, lol.

Sample Menu--Midwinter Feast

For a midwinter celebration, I would serve hot food, and hot drinks (and cold drinks, lol). I'd probably choose something like a herb stuffed portabello mushroom top, or a cheese fondue for starters (easy to work in herbs this way), a roast of some sort, beef is the favourite here, for main, and a dense cake with hot custard for a topping for dessert. I'd serve mulled warmed wine, cold beer, cold wine, mead, hot chocolate and coffee and warm cider for drinks.

We'd sit inside if there was enough room, or outside on chairs around a large table. I'd make sure there were plenty of braziers to keep everyone warm, possibly a fire nearby (if it was allowed--think of the fire restrictions in your area).

What do you do for your celebrations? They can be celebrations for 2, family, friends, or large parties.