This compilation explains the folklore surrounding 340 holidays in over 150 countries, excluding the United States. The contents section lists holidays in chronological order, and countries are arranged below each holiday. A four-page section entitled "Permissions" serves as a bibliography. Each holiday entry begins with a short, general description. A double-column, 80-page subject index is found at the back of the book. This is modeled after The Folklore of American Holidays , edited by Henning Cohen and Tristram Coffin ( LJ 4/1/87). American Holidays provides more comprehensive treatment (it contains five indexes, sources and comments, and much longer entries) of each holiday, although its scope is limited. School libraries will find this reference particularly useful.
