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 Societies

The 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

Israel

Greece

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 Bonnets

Easter 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

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Author: Arthur George
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
Published: 07/31/2020
Pages: 316
Weight: 0.89lbs
Size: 8.27h x 5.83w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9783030469153
2020 Edition

About the Author

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).