The Book of the Year A Brief History of Our Holidays

by Aveni, Anthony F.

• ISBN13: 9780195171549
• ISBN10: 0195171543
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-02-26
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

What is the connection between May Day and the Statue of Liberty? Between ancient solstice fires and Fourth of July fireworks? Between St. Valentine, the Groundhog, and the Virgin Mary? In The Book of the Year , Anthony Aveni offers fascinating answers to these questions and explains the many ways humans throughout time have tried to order and give meaning to time's passing. Aveni traces the origins of modern customs tied to seasonal holidays, exploring what we eat, the games we play, the rituals we perform, and the colorful cast of characters we invent to dramatize holidays. Along the way, Aveni illuminates everything from the Jack 'O Lantern and our faith in the predictive power of animals to the ways in which Labor Day reflects the great medieval "time wars," when the newly invented clock first pitted labor against management. Vividly written, filled with facts both curious and astonishing, this engrossing book allows us to hear that beat more clearly and to understand more fully the rhythms we all dance to throughout the year.

Author Biography

Anthony Aveni is the Russell B. Colgate Professor of Astronomy and Anthropology at Colgate University and the author of several books, including Empires of Time and Conversing with the Planets.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	x
Preface	xi
1 Creating, Organizing, and Transforming the Holidays	1	(10)
2 Happy New Year! But Why Now?	11	(18)
3 February's Holidays: Prediction, Purification, and Passionate Pursuit	29	(18)
4 Spring Equinox: Watching the Serpent Descend	47	(16)
5 The Easter/Passover Season: Connecting Time's Broken Circle	63	(16)
6 May Day: A Collision of Forces	79	(12)
7 Summer's Solstice: Feasts of Fire, Water, and Feminine Affairs of the Heart	91	(16)
8 'Labor Day: Remembering the Great Time Wars	107	(12)
9 Halloween: Dead Time	119	(16)
10 Thanksgiving: Transcending Pilgrims' Progress	135	(14)
11 Christmas: From Resurrection to Rudolph	149	(16)
12 "What Goes Around..."	165	(6)
Notes	171	(6)
References	177	(6)
Index	183