The Feast of the Family

Bacon's New Atlantis is obviously intended to offer a view of what his new system of science could produce.  This is seen throughout the story and especially in the description of the House of Solomon. One part of the story, however, seems slightly out of place to me.

Bacon has an extended discussion about the Feast of the Family. At first I thought that this was an extension of his ideas on how religion should shape the society, in the way of family values.  It seems, however, that there is something else going on here. At one point the narrator says, "I had never heard of a solemnity wherein nature did so preside." What is the meaning of this quote and how can it help us understand why the description of this feast takes up almost 4 pages of Bacon's lifetime of work.