The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas
This beautiful illustrated book by Celtic and Arthurian folklorist John Matthews (Classic Celtic Fairy Tales, LJ 1/98) presents the history of modern Christmas rituals. Trying to combat the commercialization of Christmas, Matthews explains how the solstice is celebrated around the world and how the dates of Christmas are different in different cultures. He discusses the traditions of Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, and others, including mention of a short story featuring Santa Claus's evil twin, Bob. Also included is information on the Twelve Days of Christmas, solstice animals, and celebrations. Each engagingly written chapter contains a celebration for readers to try themselves. Highly recommended for public libraries and undergraduate collections emphasizing folklore, sociology, and religion.AGail Wood, SUNY Coll. of Technology Lib., Freeville, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.