num_pages: 9
description: Listening Length: 8 hours and 3 minutesWhat are the origins of dressing in costume for Halloween? Why did the barbecue grill become an iconic image for Fathers Day?From Halloween costumes to patriotic parades to belly-busting meals every holiday tradition tells a unique storyone encoded in symbols and layered meanings that stretch back over the centuries. In 19 lectures professional storyteller Dr. Hannah B. Harvey takes listeners through the seasons and investigates the surprising stories behind seemingly odd holiday traditions. Dr. Harvey explores the social political and performative history of holidays ranging from Hanukkah and Mardi Gras to Mothers Day and Thanksgiving illustrating the way traditions survive across time and cultures.In these fascinating lectures Dr. Harvey turns the spotlight on the histories of American and international holidays and listeners will discover the answers to such questions as How did Charles Dickens and Queen Victoria save Christmas from disappearing into obscurity in the 19th century? Why is Auld Lang Syne considered the official song of New Years celebrations? How did the iconic masculine images of fishing rods barbecue grills and lying in hammocks become synonymous with Fathers Day? Why should we thank ancient Romes Romulus and Remus for Valentines Day? To what cultures do we owe such loveable creatures as Easter bunnies and spring-predicting groundhogs? Why did Puritans seek to stamp out Christmas celebrations in America? How are the ancient Roman festival of Hilaria and todays April Fools Day alike?The Hidden History of Holidays is an eye-opening and entertaining look at what makes these festive celebrations so pervasive and powerful. By the end of these lectures listeners will never think about greeting cards broomsticks or barbecues in the same way again.
language: English
title: The Hidden History of the Holidays
publisher: Audible Original