Holidays And Celebrations in Colonial America

by Roberts, Russell

• ISBN13: 9781584154679
• ISBN10: 1584154675
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-06-15
• Publisher: Mitchell Lane Pub Inc

Summary

For people living in the American colonies, a holiday was a rare thing indeed. Life in colonial times was difficult, and there was little time available for leisure activities like holidays and celebrations. Some of the holidays that the colonists did celebrate, such as Pinkster and Simnel Sunday, have disappeared from the nation's calendar. Others, however, such as New Year's Eve and St. Patrick's Day, have evolved into widely celebrated events. The colonists would also gather for weddings, funerals, and bees, at which they would help one another build a house, peel apples, or haul away stones. The Building America series tells the story of the early years in which Europeans colonized America and then struggled to make the land an independent nation. Holidays and Celebrations in Colonial America highlights the lighter side of life not only for the colonists, but also for some of the Native American peoples of that era. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Like Any Other Day	p. 7
FYInfo: Colonial Children	p. 11
Busy as Bees	p. 13
FYInfo: Moonlight Work	p. 17
Holidays from January to June	p. 19
FYInfo: Celebrations of the Iroquois	p. 25
Holidays from July to December	p. 27
FYInfo: The Gunpowder Plot	p. 35
Colonial Celebrations	p. 37
FYInfo: Crime and Punishment in Colonial Times	p. 42
Chapter Notes	p. 43
Chronology	p. 43
Calendar of Colonial Holidays	p. 45
Further Reading	p. 46
For Young Adults	p. 46
Works Consulted	p. 46
On the Internet	p. 46
Glossary	p. 47
Index	p. 48
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