The Mythology of America's Seasonal Holidays

The Dance of the Horae
1. Auflage 2020
ISBN: 978-3-030-46915-3
Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Buch, Englisch, 316 Seiten, Format (B × H): 148 mm x 210 mm, Gewicht: 436 g

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.

Zielgruppe

Popular/general

Autoren/Hrsg.

George, Arthur

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christentum/Christliche Theologie Allgemein
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft | Kulturwissenschaften Kulturwissenschaften

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction: Why We Have Holidays.- 2. New Year’s Day: Creation Renewed and Re-lived.- 3. Groundhog Day: Prophecy, Rebirth, and Renewal.- 4. Valentine’s Day: How a Saint Became Eros 5. Unmasking Carnival.- 6. Easter and Our Resurrection.- 7. May Day: Beltane Fires and the May Queen-Goddess.- 8. National Myth: The Goddess Behind America’s Independence Day.- 9. Halloween: Eve of Transformation.- 10. Thanksgiving: Our American Mythmaking in Action.- 11. Christmas: New Beginnings and the Birth of the Divine Child-Hero.

Über Autor(innen)

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).