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Do you always get sick of the cold and dark and want a holiday to look forward to? Do you want another opportunity to share your baking skills? Do you just like fun and food? Well, there's a hole in the calendar - a void where a holiday celebrating our favorite food group should be. So we're inventing it (or... Ian's Claude AI Account invented it)!The Festival of Levana: Levana (from the Latin levare, "to rise") is celebrated on the last Thursday of February, marking the ancient practice of awakening dormant grain spirits through the alchemical transformation of flour into bread.
Mythological Origins: According to the invented tradition, pre-Christian Germanic and Celtic tribes observed a mid-winter ritual called Brōdawæcce ("Bread-Waking"). During the harshest part of winter, when stored grain began to dwindle, communities would hold a three-day feast to honor Grana, the mythical grain goddess who taught humans to mill wheat and ferment dough.
The legend states that Grana descended during a terrible famine and showed a starving village how bread could be made to "rise" through the magic of wild yeast - proof that life persists even in dormancy. The rising dough symbolized the spring to come and the resurrection of the fields.
Traditional Observances:
- The Rising Vigil: Participants begin bread dough at dawn and tend it throughout the day, treating the fermentation as a meditation on transformation and patience.
- The Carbohydrate Feast: At sunset, communities gather for an elaborate meal where bread must accompany every course - from sweet breakfast breads to sourdough, flatbreads, and enriched loaves. Other carbohydrates (pasta, pastries, potatoes) are encouraged in abundance.
- Bread Crowns: The finest loaf is woven into a crown shape and worn by the "Grain Keeper," a rotating honorary position.
The Crust Burning: Small pieces of the first and last loaves are burned in a communal fire, with the rising smoke "carrying gratitude to Grana."
- Modern Practice
Contemporary celebrants typically host potluck bread-baking parties, carb-loading marathons, or sourdough starter exchanges. The motto: "In rising, we remember rising is coming."
Rogers Park Run Club Celebration - FAQ’s:
- Can we bring something savory? Yes - All carbs are welcome and encouraged, though something sharable like a baking exchange is encouraged.
- I hate baking, can I still come? Yes - we celebrate by exchanging and by eating the carbs. Also, nearly everything sold at Jarvis Square Tavern has grain at its base.
- Is this a run club or an eating club? We don’t understand the distinction you’re making.
- Y’all might be a little nuts? Aw, thank you.
- Do potatoes/rice/other non-wheat based carbs count? Of course.
- Can we bring cookies again? Yes, all carbs are welcome and encouraged.
- I can’t come to the run - when will the rest of the festival begin? Most folks do 2-3 laps of our 1.5 mile route - so the indoor part of the festival will really kick off at 6:30 ish.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Jarvis Square Tavern, 1502 W Jarvis Ave, Chicago, IL 60626-1909, United States, Evanston
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
