Product Description
by Arthur George (Author)
1. Introduction: Why We Have Holidays
The Nature of Things Holy, Including Days
The Sociology and Psychology of Holidays
Archetypal Ritual Traditions in Holidays
The Development of Holidays in Pre-Literate SocietiesThe Inevitable Fate of Holidays and their Rituals
The Structure of the Course of the Seasons and this Book
2. New Year's Day: Creation Renewed and Re-lived
How Do We Decide When Is the New Year?
A Holiday of Recreation, Beginnings and Endings, and Transformations
Archetypal Patterns in New Year's Rituals
New Year's Festivals in the Ancient World
Babylon
Egypt
IsraelGreece
Rome
New Year's in Post-Roman Europe
Celtic New Year's
The Effect of Christianization
New Year's in the British Isles
Our New Year's
3. Groundhog Day: Prophecy, Rebirth, and Renewal
Why We Celebrate February 2nd
The Original Meaning of the Holiday, and How it Came
to Involve a Groundhog
Mythology in the Film Groundhog Day
4. Valentine's Day: How a Saint Became Eros
Eros in Ancient Greece
Saint Valentine
Myth and Valentine's Day Traditions
5. Unmasking Carnival
Holidays of Dissolution and Reversal
Ancient Greek Origins of Carnival
Roman Origins of Carnival
The Origins of Carnival Time in the Roman Calendar
The Late-February Roman Festivals
Carnival in Europe and America
6. Easter and Our Resurrection
Myth and the Holiday's Name
Myth and the Original Eastertime Events
Myth and the Passion of Christ
Myth and the Resurrection of Christ
The Evolution of Easter in Europe
Easter Symbols
Easter Eggs
The Easter Bunny
Easter Lamb
New Clothes and Easter BonnetsEaster Lilies
The Modern Mytho-Psychological Meaning of the Resurrection
The Evolution of the God Image
Christ as a Symbol of the Self, and the Meaning of the Incarnation
&nbBack Jacket
Every year we celebrate a cycle of seasonal holidays. The ancient Greeks called this cycle "The Dance of the Horae," after the mythical divinities who represented the seasons. What myths sit at the foundation of our own holiday celebrations? This interdisciplinary book explores the myths and symbols that underlie our major seasonal holidays and give them their meaning. Arthur George also shows how America's own mythmaking has shaped some holidays. This mythological approach reveals how and why holidays arose in the first place, how and why they have changed over the centuries, why they have remained important, and finally how we can celebrate them today in a more meaningful manner that can enrich our lives and better our society. George devotes particular attention to the depth psychological aspects of holidays and their corresponding myths, as well as to the insights of modern biblical scholarship for key holidays such as Easter and Christmas.
Author Biography
Arthur George is a mythologist, cultural historian, and author who writes, teaches, blogs, and lectures about mythology, why it is important in our modern world, and how it can enrich our lives and better our society. He previously published the award-winning book The Mythology of Eden (2014).
