Traditional Festivals: A Multicultural Encyclopedia, Volume 2This illustrated reference work covers a wide range of festivals that have sacred origins and are or have been part of a folk tradition, a world religion, or a major civilization. Traditional Festivals: A Multicultural Encyclopedia travels around the world and across the centuries to uncover an often unexpected richness of meaning in some of the major sacred festivals of the world's religions, the hallowed calendars of ancient civilizations, and the seasonal celebrations of tribal cultures. From Akitu to Yom Kippur, its 150+ entries look at the content and context of these festivals from a number of perspectives (including those relating to theology, anthropology, folklore, and social theory), tracing their historical development and variations across cultures. Readers will get a vivid sense of what each festival means to the people celebrating it; how each captures its culture's beliefs, hopes and fears, founding myths, and redemptive visions; and how each expresses the universal need of humans to connect their lives to a timeless spiritual dimension. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 42
Page 342
... light every hearth anew ( as in many a similar new fire ceremony elsewhere on the globe ) are distributed to the ... light or fire is permit- ted ( not even to light a cigarette ) , no work is to be performed , and no sexual activity is ...
... light every hearth anew ( as in many a similar new fire ceremony elsewhere on the globe ) are distributed to the ... light or fire is permit- ted ( not even to light a cigarette ) , no work is to be performed , and no sexual activity is ...
Page 412
... light . The shortest day of the year , after which light increases anew , actually tended to fall toward Saint Lucy's on December 13 , before the Gregorian calendar came into general use and brought the year in step with the actual ...
... light . The shortest day of the year , after which light increases anew , actually tended to fall toward Saint Lucy's on December 13 , before the Gregorian calendar came into general use and brought the year in step with the actual ...
Page 413
... light comes back . As if to embody the imminent return of light in the darkest of winter , in every Swedish household , the eldest girl , wearing a long white dress with a flowing red belt and a crown of lighted candles ( electric ones ...
... light comes back . As if to embody the imminent return of light in the darkest of winter , in every Swedish household , the eldest girl , wearing a long white dress with a flowing red belt and a crown of lighted candles ( electric ones ...
Common terms and phrases
ancient Bahá'í birthday blessing calendar called Carnival celebrated century ceremony China Chinese Christ Christian Christmas Church cult custom Cybele dead deities Dionysia Divali divine Dragon Dusshera Easter Epiphany evil fast feast festival fire folklore Friday Games gifts girls goddess gods Greece Greek Gregorian Hindu holiday holy honor Indian Islamic Japan Jerusalem Jewish Jews king known Korea lunar Martinmas Matsuri Mawlid Midsummer Monday month moon Mother Muslim Naadam Naked Festival Navaratra Naw Ruz night observed offerings Òsun Panathenaea Paryushana Passover potlatch powwow prayer priest procession Prophet Puja Purim Ramadan References religious rice rites ritual Roman Rome Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hodesh Sabbath sacred sacrifice Saint George Saint Nicholas Samhain Saturday Saturnalia seasonal Sekku Shalako Shavuot shrine spirits spring Sukkot Sun Dance symbolic temple Thursday tion Torah traditional Tuesday Vaisakhi Vaishakha Vasant Panchami Vikram village Virgin Mary Wednesday week Whitsuntide women Year's Day Yom Kippur