All Around the Year by
Contents: Introduction : searching for holidays -- Holidays in America : ritual, festival, and celebration -- Homemade holidays : making symbols, making meaning -- Winter into spring : celebrating rebirth and renewal -- Toward midsummer : celebrating the season of the sun -- Autumn into winter : celebrating death and life -- Epilogue : new hearts today.
Anniversaries and Holidays by
This revised and updated guide is a reference source for libraries of all types and sizes, and for all classroom grade levels. With 3500 listings, it introduces an international flavour to the US and Western European holidays. It includes a Calendar of fixed days with listings by month and date.
Encyclopedia of Holidays and Celebrations
Encyclopedia of Holidays and Celebrations: A Country-by-Country Guide explores major holidays, festivals, and rites of passage in 206 countries. The first two volumes are organized alphabetically by country. The third volume features overview articles that provide detailed information about major holidays celebrated around the world, as well as articles on major world religions.
Holiday Symbols by
This guide explores the origins of more than 750 well-known symbols associated with the 200 most popular holidays in the United States and worldwide. It describes each symbol's traditional, historical, and modern significance while unfolding the stow of the associated holidays.Entries are arranged alphabetically by holiday and contain the following information: type of holiday, location and place of observance, listing of associated symbols, brief introduction to holiday's origin, detailed information about each symbol, listing of related holidays, and bibliography for further reading. Holiday Symbols also features four separate indexes: Chronological, Holiday, Nationality, and Symbol. Includes special section on holiday Web sites.
Holiday Symbols and Customs by
Describes the origins of 323 holidays around the world. Explains where, when, and how each event is celebrated, with detailed information on the symbols and customs associated with the holiday.
National Days/National Ways by
From Martin Luther King Day to Waitangi Day, this collection surveys the gamut of national holidays. The celebrations analyzed include anniversaries of independence, religious observances, and government holidays. The analysis of each national day revolves around the role that communications play in uniting a country's citizenry. Entries cover individual countries but intertwine to provide a holistic view of the topic of national days. Countries covered: Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Japan, Kuwait, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the Ukraine, and the United States.
Patriotic Holidays of the United States by
Grade 7 Up–In her thorough text, Henderson defines patriotic holidays as those dealing with aspects of democratic civic rights, responsibilities, and values consistent with the ideals laid out in the nations founding documents. Some of these days are legal public holidays, while others, such as 9/11, also called Patriot Day, are simply public observances. The book begins with a fascinating look at patriotism. Along with several definitions and views on it, the author explores different symbols of the U.S., including those of political parties, the cornucopia, the eagle, and the flag. She then considers each holiday in alphabetical order, describing any customs, songs, and foods associated with it; the history behind the observance; and a sampling of activities and observances around the country. Each discussion ends with a list of related Web sites and a bibliography. Pull quotes, sidebars, and fact boxes are found throughout, as are black-and-white photos and reproductions. The volume also contains almost 100 pages of useful primary documents related to holidays, including The Mayflower Compact; The Declaration of Independence; flag laws; and excerpts from diaries, letters, and speeches. Readers are sure to gain insight into the history of the U.S., for the history of a nations holidays is certainly a history of the country.–Anne L. Tormohlen, Deerfield Elementary School, Lawrence, KS
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
We Are What We Celebrate by
How did Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday become a national holiday? Why do we exchange presents on Christmas and Chanukah? What do bunnies have to do with Easter? How did Earth Day become a global holiday? These questions and more are answered in this fascinating exploration into the history and meaning of holidays and rituals. Edited by Amitai Etzioni, one of the most influential social and political thinkers of our time, this collection provides a compelling overview of the impact that holidays and rituals have on our family and communal life. From community solidarity to ethnic relations to religious traditions, We Are What We Celebrate argues that holidays such as Halloween, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve, and Valentine's Day play an important role in reinforcing, and sometimes redefining, our values as a society. The collection brings together classic and original essays that, for the first time, offer a comprehensive overview and analysis of the important role such celebrations play in maintaining a moral order as well as in cementing family bonds, building community relations and creating national identity. The essays cover such topics as the creation of Thanksgiving as a national holiday; the importance of holidays for children; the mainstreaming of Kwanzaa; and the controversy over Columbus Day celebrations. Compelling and often surprising, this look at holidays and rituals brings new meaning to not just the ways we celebrate but to what those celebrations tell us about ourselves and our communities. Contributors: Theodore Caplow, Gary Cross, Matthew Dennis, Amitai Etzioni, John R. Gillis, Ellen M. Litwicki, Diana Muir, Francesca Polletta, Elizabeth H. Pleck, David E. Proctor, Mary F. Whiteside, and Anna Day Wilde.
The Pioneer Woman Cooks - A Year of Holidays by
There's nothing more delicious than a holiday.
Oh, is it ever true. Whether it's the anticipation of Christmastime or the ghoulish glee of Halloween, if I see a holiday on the horizon, I simply can't contain my excitement. There's just something about the traditions, the family togetherness, the resurfacing of childhood memories . . . the making of new ones. Holidays are wonderful, special, and fun . . . and they always make me happy.
And one more thing: They make me want to cook!
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays is an all-out celebration of the scrumptious, mouthwatering recipes that define our favorite occasions throughout the year. From luck-inducing Hoppin' John on New Year's Day, to a perfectly savory/sweet Glazed Easter Ham, to luscious Caramel Apples on Halloween, to a crowd-pleasing Thanksgiving feast with all the fixins, these pages are positively brimming with recipes guaranteed to make your holidays deliciously memorable . . . and memorably delicious!
Twelve different holidays are covered in delectable detail: From New Year's Day to New Year's Eve . . . and all my favorites in between. Host a party for the Big Game for your football-loving friends, make Mom a lovely Mother's Day breakfast-in-bed, invite your sweetie to a Valentine's Day romantic dinner for two . . . or ring in the New Year with a fabulous cocktail party. There's food, glorious food in this cookbook, and you won't run out of yummy things to make.
I hope you enjoy and devour every page!
Vegetarian Celebrations by
A collection of seasonal meatless menus are gathered together in this vegetarian cookbook. There are menus for barbecues and picnics and buffet suggestions with Middle Eastern, Oriental and Tex-Mex themes. Capping the year are Southern Italian, American Country and English Christmas menus.
Ready-to-Use - Humorous Seasonal and Holiday Illustrations by
108 eye-catching illustrations in three sizes for Christmas, New Year's, Easter, Thanksgiving and other occasions. Handy, timesaving, royalty-free. 324 black-and-white illustrations.
Ready-to-Use Illustrations for Holidays and Special Occasions by
When holiday deadlines press, artists, advertisers, printers, and designers want and need topical illustrations at short notice. Here is the book to meet their demands: over 650 original, ready-to-use illustrations printed one side only on repro-quality stock. The artist's versatility runs right through the seasonal calendar, drafting large and small traditional images for the great occasions: New Year's, Easter, Valentine's, St. Patrick's and Columbus Day, spring and summer, July 4th, back to school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah. There are appropriate motifs for each occasion, many repeated in different sizes. Hearts and Easter baskets form useful labels, wreaths make borders, huge pumpkins have a space for a message. Embellish and decorate any professional or amateur project quickly and easily with this outstanding, royalty-free collection.
Encyclopedia of Easter, Carnival and Lent by
A guide to this season's joyous celebration and solemn worship, including folk customs, religious observances, history, legends, folklore, symbols, and related days from europe, the americas, and around the world.
International Worker's Day
Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night by
Boasting a rich, complex history rooted in Celtic and Christian ritual, Halloween has evolved from ethnic celebration to a blend of street festival, fright night, and vast commercial enterprise. In this colorful history, Nicholas Rogers takes a lively, entertaining look at the cultural origins and development of one of the most popular holidays of the year. Drawing on a fascinating array of sources, from classical history to Hollywood films, Rogers traces Halloween as it emerged from the Celtic festival of Samhain (summer's end), picked up elements of the Christian Hallowtide (All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day), arrived in North America as an Irish and Scottish festival, and evolved into an unofficial but large-scale holiday by the early 20th century. He examines the 1970s and '80s phenomena of Halloween sadism (razor blades in apples) and inner-city violence (arson in Detroit), as well as the immense influence of the horror film genre on the reinvention of Halloween as a terror-fest. Throughout his vivid account, Rogers shows how Halloween remains, at its core, a night of inversion, when social norms are turned upside down, and a temporary freedom of expression reigns supreme. He examines how this very license has prompted censure by the religious Right, occasional outrage from law enforcement officials, and appropriation by Left-leaning political groups. Engagingly written and based on extensive research, Halloween is the definitive history of the most bewitching day of the year, illuminating the intricate history and shifting cultural forces behind this enduring trick-or-treat holiday.
Christmas Encyclopedia by
This considerably expanded third edition of The Christmas Encyclopedia covers key topics surrounding the cherished holiday and its traditions.
Christmas in America by
The manger or Macy's? Americans might well wonder which is the real shrine of Christmas, as they take part each year in a mix of churchgoing, shopping, and family togetherness. But the history of Christmas cannot be summed up so easily as the commercialization of a sacred day. As Penne Restad reveals in this marvelous new book, it has always been an ambiguous meld of sacred thoughts and worldly actions-- as well as a fascinating reflection of our changing society.
In Christmas in America, Restad brilliantly captures the rise and transformation of our most universal national holiday. In colonial times, it was celebrated either as an utterly solemn or a wildly social event--if it was celebrated at all. Virginians hunted, danced, and feasted. City dwellers flooded the streets in raucous demonstrations. Puritan New Englanders denounced the whole affair. Restad shows that as times changed, Christmas changed--and grew in popularity. In the early 1800s, New York served as an epicenter of the newly emerging holiday, drawing on its roots as a Dutch colony (St. Nicholas was particularly popular in the Netherlands, even after the Reformation), and aided by such men as Washington Irving. In 1822, another New Yorker named Clement Clarke Moore penned a poem now known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," virtually inventing the modern Santa Claus. Well-to-do townspeople displayed a German novelty, the decorated fir tree, in their parlors; an enterprising printer discovered the money to be made from Christmas cards; and a hodgepodge of year-end celebrations began to coalesce around December 25 and the figure of Santa. The homecoming significance of the holiday increased with the Civil War, and by the end of the nineteenth century a full- fledged national holiday had materialized, forged out of borrowed and invented custom alike, and driven by a passion for gift-giving. In the twentieth century, Christmas seeped into every niche of our conscious and unconscious lives to become a festival of epic proportions. Indeed, Restad carries the story through to our own time, unwrapping the messages hidden inside countless movies, books, and television shows, revealing the inescapable presence--and ambiguous meaning--of Christmas in contemporary culture.
Filled with colorful detail and shining insight, Christmas in America reveals not only much about the emergence of the holiday, but also what our celebrations tell us about ourselves. From drunken revelry along colonial curbstones to family rituals around the tree, from Thomas Nast drawing the semiofficial portrait of St. Nick to the making of the film Home Alone, Restad's sparkling account offers much to amuse and ponder.
Encyclopedia of Christmas by
Like sparkling lights and colorful ornaments on a holiday tree, Encyclopedia of Christmas offers myriad facts all in one place. The subtitle says it all: 'Nearly 200 alphabetically arranged entries covering all aspects of Christmas, including folk customs, religious observances, history, legends, s
The Modern Christmas in America by
In days of old, Christmas was defined by the custom of exchanging simple handmade gifts. Today, it has become a multi-billion industry, synonymous with commercialism and consumption. How did this transformation occur?
In this incisive and engaging examination of how Christmas has evolved since 1880, Waits chronicles the history of the holiday, from its origin to its current form. The book is illustrated with dozens of historical photographs and will be of interest to cultural and social historians alike.
Christmas was a relatively modest occasion in the English- speaking world, celebrated by the exchange of modest handmade gifts, until the Victorians invested the holiday with immense significance as part of a larger effort to celebrate home, family, and a mythic past of well-ordered communities. By the late 19th century, Christmas had become a major American festival. Today, it is a multi-billion dollar industry and easily the most important seasonal event of the year.
In this survey of the modern American Christmas, William Waits shows us how this holiday emerged, tracing its evolution from the days prior to 1880 when people presented one another with simple crafted presents to the turn of the century when industrialization brought with it waves of inexpensive, tawdry gimcracks. In the early twentieth century, reform-minded Americans reflecting on the new Christmas prompted a backlash against this cheapening of the Yule tradition, and the Christmas card was born. Henceforth, family members and close friends exchanged useful, costly items, while cards were sent to acquaintances and distant relatives. These reformers also persuaded retail stores to keep their regular hours of business during the holiday, rather than lengthening them, to give trade workers the opportunity to join in the celebration. They also rationalized the collection and distribution of holiday charity, resulting in the Christmas celebration we have today. Waits's book clearly illustrates that the notion that Christmas is uncontrollable is simply untrue.
An incisive and engaging history of giftgiving, The Modern Christmas in Americaalso examines the differing traditions of giftgiving to friends, employees, the poor, and among entire communities. Handsomely illustrated with dozens of historical photographs, this book is not only the perfect holiday gift but will also be of interest to any student of American history and culture.
The World Encyclopedia of Christmas by
From the Abbot of Misrule (in medieval Scotland) to Zwarte Piet (in modern Holland), this is a truly comprehensive look at Christmas and all of its customs around the world. Like all the best encyclopedias, this extraordinary book is a reader's paradise, with more than a thousand fascinating and entertaining entries and close to 200 illustrations in black and white and full color.The World Encyclopedia of Christmas contains articles on the history of Christmas baking, drinking, and merry-making, and Christmas dramas, music, literature, art, and films. It includes entries on the evolution of the Christmas tree and the Christmas card, on gift-giving and decoration of church and home. There are profiles of the many gift-bringers, from Santa Claus to Babouschka, and miraculous tales of the numerous saints associated with the season. And there are histories of seasonal celebrations and folk customs around the world, from the United States to Japan, from Egypt to Iceland.Who, for example, knewthe links between the Punch and Judy show and Christmas? That the medieval Paradise tree hung with tempting apples was the forerunner of the Chr
KWANZAA: How to Celebrate it in your Home by
One of the most popular Kwanzaa books in the U.S. The original book was featured in the Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Dayton Daily News, Dallas weekly; Black Entertainment Network, and many other national media sources. “This book should be in everyone’s school and home library!” KWANZAA is an African American cultural holiday that is celebrated from December 26 to January 1 annually. It was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Professor of Africana Studies at California State University-Long Beach. The seven-day celebration has since become a recognized part of the December holiday season, celebrated by millions of people. “Kwanzaa is a time for people to reaffirm the bonds between them; a time of spiritual renewal; a time for honoring our ancestors; a time of recommitment to our highest cultural ideals; and a time to celebrate the good of family, community and culture.”-M.K. This book will show you how to celebrate Kwanzaa in your home. It contains everything you need to participate in this unique and remarkable holiday. Heri za Kwanzaa-Happy Kwanzaa!
