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Full Description
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.
Contents
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.
