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New Year FeastEach year in celebration of Annakut (Hindu New Year), volunteers at Neasden Temple in London build a display of over 1,000 food offerings, organized from sweets at the top to savory items at the bottom.

Photograph by Jonas Bendiksen, Nat Geo Image Collection

Not Just Thanksgiving: 15 Photos of Food-Centric Celebrations

From holiday feasts to birthday parties, food plays a central role in celebrations around the world.

ByAnna Lukacs

Published November 21, 2015

Almost all holidays and celebrations have one common element: food. From pie on Thanksgiving to dates to break the fast during Ramadan, food features prominently in secular and religious holidays alike.

Whether it’s purely celebratory or deeply symbolic, holiday food brings people together and creates a sense of community. These pictures of celebrations and rituals around the world show the diverse ways foods define our traditions.