9781422276532

introduction

Celebrating Holidays & Festivals Around the World

H olidays mark time. They occupy a space outside of ordinary events and give shape and meaning to our everyday existence. They also remind us of the passage of time as we reflect on Christmases, Passovers, or Ramadans past. Throughout human history, nations and peoples have marked their calendars with special days to celebrate, commemorate, and memorialize. We set aside times to reflect on the past and future, to rest and renew physically and spiritually, and to simply have fun. In English we call these extraordinary moments “holidays,” a contraction of the term “holy day.” Sometimes holidays are truly holy days—the Sabbath, Easter, or Eid al-Fitr, for example—but they can also be nonreligious occasions that serve political purposes, address the social needs of communities and individuals, or focus on regional customs and games. This series explores the meanings and celebrations of holidays across religions and cultures around the world. It groups the holidays into volumes according to theme (such as Lent, Yom Kippur & Days of Repentance ; Thanksgiving & Other Festivals of the Harvest ; Independence Days ; Easter, Passover & Festivals of Hope; Ringing in the Western & Chinese New Year ; Marking the Religious New Year ; Carnival ; Ramadan ; and Halloween & Remembrances of the Dead ) or by their common human experience due to their closeness on the calendar (such as Christmas & Hanukkah ). Each volume introduces readers to the origins, history, and common practices associated with the holidays before embarking on a worldwide tour that shows the regional variations and distinctive celebrations within specific countries. The reader will learn how these holidays started, what they mean to the people who celebrate them, and how different cultures celebrate them.

Easter, Passover & Festivals of Hope

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