Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide

Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide
Author: William D. Crump
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2016-03-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1476607486

Among the world's myriad cultures and their associated calendars, the idea of a "New Year" is relative and hardly specifies a universal celebration or even a universal point in time. Ways of celebrating the New Year range from the observances of religious rituals and superstitions to social gatherings featuring particular foods, music, dancing, noisemaking, fireworks and drinking. This first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to the New Year includes 320 entries that give a global perspective on the New Year, beyond its traditional Western associations with Christmas. National or regional entries detail the principal traditions and customs of 130 countries, while 27 entries discuss major calendar systems in current use or of significant historical interest. The remaining entries cover a wide variety of subjects including literary works, movies, and television specials; the customs of specific ethnic groups; universal customs such as toasting and drinking; football bowl games and parades; and the New Year celebrations at the White House and the Vatican.

Encyclopedia of Easter Celebrations Worldwide

Encyclopedia of Easter Celebrations Worldwide
Author: William D. Crump
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 350
Release: 2021-02-22
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 147664196X

At Eastertime, the most important holiday in the Christian world, religious processions in many Latin American countries pass over ornate street "carpets" fashioned from colored sawdust, flowers and fruit. Children in Finland and Sweden dress as "Easter witches." In the Caribbean, those who swim on Good Friday risk bad luck. In the Philippines, some penitents volunteer to be crucified. In some European countries, Easter Monday is the day for dousing women with water. With 240 entries, this book explores these and scores of other unusual and sometimes bizarre international Holy Week customs, both sacred and secular, from pilgrimages to Jerusalem to classic seasonal films and television specials.

The Christmas Encyclopedia, 4th ed.

The Christmas Encyclopedia, 4th ed.
Author: William D. Crump
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 632
Release: 2022-12-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1476687900

From the manger of Jesus Christ to the 21st century, this encyclopedia explores more than 2,000 years of Christmas past and present through 966 entries packed with a wide variety of historical and pop-culture subjects. Entries detail customs and traditions from around the world as well as classic Christmas movies, TV series/specials and animated cartoons. Arranged alphabetically by entry name, the book includes the historical background of popular sacred and secular songs as well as accounts of beloved literary works with Christmas themes from such noted authors as Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Hans Christian Andersen, Pearl Buck, Henry Van Dyke and others. All things Christmas are available here in one comprehensive volume.

Interpreting Christmas at Museums and Historic Sites

Interpreting Christmas at Museums and Historic Sites
Author: Kenneth C. Turino
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2024-08-19
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1538162954

Interpreting Christmas at Museums and Historic Sites offers a wide range of perspectives on Christmas and practical guidance for planning, research, interpretation, and programming by board members, staff, and volunteers involved in the management, research, and interpretation at house museums, historic sites, history museums, and historical societies across the United States. Packed with fresh ideas and approaches by nearly two dozen scholars and leaders in this specialized topic, they can easily be adapted for the unique needs of organizations of various budgets and capacities. An extensive bibliography of books and articles about Christmas published in the last twenty years provides additional resources for museum staff.

The Sacred Herbs of Yule and Christmas

The Sacred Herbs of Yule and Christmas
Author: Ellen Evert Hopman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 504
Release: 2023-09-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1644117819

An around-the-world tour of ancient Christmas celebrations, Pagan Solstice customs, and magical seasonal plants • Explores in depth the medicinal and magical properties of the many herbs, barks, and berries associated with the Christmas and Yuletide season • Looks at the origins of the Christmas tree and Santa Claus, as well as female gift bringers, holiday Spirits, and Yuletide animals • Shares crafts such as how to make a Yule Log, practices such as Winter Solstice divinations, and recipes for traditional foods and drinks For millennia cultures have taken time out to honor the darkest days of the year with lights, foods, and festivities. In ancient Egypt, people decorated their homes with greenery at the festival of the rebirth of the God Horus. The ancient Romans shared gifts, especially candles, at the midwinter festival of Saturnalia. In Scandinavian and Germanic cultures, the Yule Log was burned in the hearth, fruit orchards were wassailed, and sheaves of wheat were displayed to carry luck into the New Year. In Celtic cultures, mummers and guisers went door to door, and European mistletoe (Viscum album) was gathered by Druids as a medicinal and magical aid. Ellen Evert Hopman shares folklore, recipes, rituals, and crafts to enliven your Yuletide observance. She explores the origins of the Christmas tree and Santa Claus as well as holiday Spirits and Yuletide animals. She explains how to perform Winter Solstice divinations and make traditional foods and drinks such as Elizabethan gingerbread cookies and Wassail. And she looks in depth at the medicinal and magical properties of the many herbs, barks, and berries associated with the Christmas and Yuletide season such as Frankincense and Myrrh, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Hibiscus, Bayberry, and many more. This guide offers practical and magical ways to celebrate and honor the darkest days of the year.

Festivals of Sikhs

Festivals of Sikhs
Author: Dr Gursharan Singh Kainth
Publisher: Booksclinic Publishing
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2024-08-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9358236426

"Festivals are the oldest rituals and traditions that our countrymen follow to pay tribute to the Almighty god’s and goddess. India is a diverse country with multiple religions and cultures conglomerated into a single form. Festivals make us forget our cultural and religious differences; they unite people and bring them together for the sole purpose of celebration and happiness. In addition, festivals also help us embrace our culture and religion. They are very helpful in breaking the monotony of life. The book narrates the historical background of the important festivals celebrated by Sikhs, leaving aside the various Gurpurabs such as births -Parkash, inaugurations- Gurta Gadi (when they became Gurus), and their deaths – joti jot of Sikh Gurus."

Serving Library Users from Asia

Serving Library Users from Asia
Author: John Hickok
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 752
Release: 2019-06-12
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0810887312

Asian populations are among some of the fastest growing cultural groups in the US. While books on serving other target groups in libraries have been published (e.g., disabled, Latino, seniors, etc.), few books on serving library users of Asian heritage have been written. Thus the timely need for this book. Rather than a generalized overview of Asians as a whole, this book has 24 separate chapters—each on 24 specific Asian countries/cultures of East, Southeast, and South Asia—with a wealth of resources for understanding, interacting with, outreaching to, and serving library users of each culture. Resources include cultural guides (both print and online), language helps (with sample library vocabulary), Asian booksellers, nationwide cultural groups, professional literature, and more. Resources and suggestions are given for all three types of libraries—public, school, and academic—making this book valuable for all librarians. The demographics of each Asian culture (numbers and distribution)—plus history of immigration and international student enrollment—is also featured. As a bonus, each chapter spotlights a US public, school, and academic library providing model outreach to Asian library users. Additionally, this book provides a detailed description and analysis of libraries in each of the 24 Asian countries. The history, development, facilities, conditions, technology, classification systems, and more—of public, school, and academic libraries—are all discussed, with detailed documentation. Country conditions influencing libraries and library use are also described: literacy levels, reading cultures, languages and writing systems, educational systems, and more. Based on the author’s 15 years of research and travels to Asia, this work is a must-have for all librarians.

Encyclopedia of Christmas and New Year's Celebrations

Encyclopedia of Christmas and New Year's Celebrations
Author: Tanya Gulevich
Publisher:
Total Pages: 1016
Release: 2003
Genre: Reference
ISBN:

Over 240 alphabetically arranged entries covering Christmas, New Year's, and related days of observance, including folk and religious customs, history, legends, and symbols from around the world.

Connecting Spaces

Connecting Spaces
Author: Saptarshi Mallick
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 146
Release: 2024-06-14
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1040038492

This book examines how nineteenth-century Bengal witnessed women writers like Krishnabhabini Devi, Prasanyamoyee Devi, Swarnakumari Devi and Abala Bose interrogated social stereotypes. It presents the first translation of travel writings and letters by Abala Bose, and examines an Indian woman’s close observation as she toured India in colonial times and Europe, America and Japan at the height of British imperialism. Her travelogues in colonial India and imperial England relate to and interrogate the hegemonic role of Western ideologies and deconstruct stereotypes of women’s travelogues, thus contributing to the female consciousness and tradition of women’s writings. The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of South Asian history, imperial and colonial history, and gender and women's studies.

How the Movies Saved Christmas

How the Movies Saved Christmas
Author: William D. Crump
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 355
Release: 2017-03-29
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1476627703

Santa Claus is in trouble! Who will save Christmas? This A-to-Z guide to holiday films, television movies and series specials provides cast, credits, production information and commentary for 228 cinema Christmases that were almost ruined by villains, monsters, spirits, secularism, greed, misanthropy or elf error--but were saved by helpful animals, magic snowmen, selfless children or compassionate understanding. Reviews and references are included.