Would it have been common to have a great hunt, with fresh meat often on the menu? Or would it be a cause for a feast if some incredible game was caught?
I'm also wondering if indeed they "feasted" and celebrated, if this would be followed by what we consider now a "food coma," or some kind of deep sleep.
Thanks!
Yes. This was first recognized by Marcel Mauss in his book "The Gift" (1925) where he discusses the role of the "potlatch" among hunter-gatherer groups in Northern California (drawing from fieldwork by Franz Boaz the father of US anthropology). Structurally it's more important to have celebrations when the people are usually out hunting and gathering in family groups. In Northern Cali the tribes had to break up into tiny groups during the dry season and would come together during the wet season to do all kinds of religious rituals, trade, get married, keep up with with relatives, etc. Similarly to how Christmas or Dwali or Eid brings family from far away and everyone feasts and gives gifts. Feasting is a near universal human phenomenon and is extremely important for social bonding.