A comprehensive view of world celebrations, the fourth edition of this compendium (the third edition, edited by Sue Ellen Thompson, was published in 2003) provides succinct descriptions of special occasions. Summaries inform students, teachers, researchers, and librarians of plants, foods, songs, images and masks, processions, amusements, and devotions connected with festivals and commemorations. Covering secular and religious events, the text establishes the importance of holidays such as Bastille Day, Juneteenth, and Yom Kippur to cultural identity. Arranged alphabetically by event, articles (more than 50 of them new) begin with a brief overview of type, date, place, symbols, colors, and related holidays, followed by discussion of the event’s origins and its symbols and customs.
