Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
"A guide to the legend and lore behind the traditions, rituals, foods, games, animals, and other symbols and activities associated with holidays and holy days, feasts and fasts, and other celebrations, covering calendar, ethnic, religious, historic, cultural, national, promotional, sporting, and ancient events, as observed in the United States and around the world."
Rev. ed. of: Holiday symbols. 2nd ed. c2000.

CONTENTS:

Aboakyer Festival -- Advent -- All Souls' Day -- America's Cup -- Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Feast of the -- Aoi Matsuri -- Apache Girls' Sunrise Ceremony -- April Fools' Day -- Arbor Day -- Arctic Winter Games -- Ascension Day -- Ashura -- Ash Wednesday -- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Feast of the -- Athabascan Stickdance -- Awoojoh -- Awuru Odo Festival -- Aztec New Fire Ceremony -- Bastille Day -- Bella Coola Midwinter Rites -- Beltane -- Blessing of the Waters -- Boston Marathon -- Bouphonia -- Braemar Highland Gathering -- Burial of the Sardine -- Candlemas -- Carnival -- Chinese New Year -- Ch'ing Ming -- Christmas -- Christmas Eve -- Chrysanthemum Festival -- Chung Yeung -- Chusok -- Columbus Day -- Compitalia -- Coptic New Year -- Corpus Christi, Feast of -- Crow Fair -- Daytona 500 -- Dewali -- Dionysia -- Distaff Day -- Dosmoche -- Double Fifth -- Durga Puja -- Eagle Dance -- Earth Day -- Easter -- Egungun Festival -- Ember Days -- Epiphany, Feast of the -- Esala Perahera -- Exaltation of the Cross, Feast of the -- Father's Day -- Feast of Fools -- Feast of the Dead -- Flag Day -- Floralia -- Flute Ceremony -- Fourth of July -- Gai Jatra -- Galungan -- Ganesh Chaturthi -- Ganna -- Gauri Festival -- Gion Matsuri -- Good Friday -- Green Corn Dance -- Guru Nanak's Birthday -- Guy Fawkes Day -- Hajj -- Halashashti -- Halloween -- Hanami -- Hanukkah -- Hari-Kuyo -- Harvest Home Festival -- Hemis Festival -- Henley Royal Regatta -- Higan -- Hina Matsuri -- Hogmanay -- Hola Mohalla -- Holi -- Holy Innocents' Day -- Homowo -- Hopi Snake Dance -- Hungry Ghosts Festival -- Id al-Adha -- Id al-Fitr -- Imbolc -- Incwala -- Indianapolis 500 -- Indra Jatra -- Inti Raymi Festival -- Ironman Triathlon World Championship -- Iroquois Midwinter Ceremony -- Janmashtami -- John Canoe Festival -- Juneteenth -- Kamakura Matsuri -- Kartika Snan -- Kataklysmos Day -- Kentucky Derby -- King, Jr.'s Birthday, Martin Luther -- Kodomo-No-Hi -- Kristallnacht -- Kumbh Mela -- Kupalo Festival -- Kwakiutl Midwinter Ceremonies -- Kwanzaa -- Lag Ba-Omer -- Lammas -- Lantern Festival / Laylat al-Miraj -- Laylat al-Qadr -- Lazarus Saturday -- Leap Year Day -- Lemuralia -- Lent -- Li Ch'un -- Lincoln's Birthday --Loi Krathong -- Losar -- Lotus, Birthday of the -- Lughnasa -- Luilak -- Lupercalia -- Magha Puja -- Mahavira Jayanti -- Martenitza -- Martinmas -- Maskal -- Masters Golf Tournament -- Maundy Thursday -- Mawlid al-Nabi -- May Day -- Memorial Day -- Michaelmas -- Mid-Autumn Festival -- Mid-Lent Sunday -- Midsummer Day -- Miss America Pageant -- Miwok Big Time -- Moors and Christians Fiesta -- Mother's Day -- Naadam -- Naga Panchami -- Navajo Mountain Chant -- Navajo Night Chant -- Nawruz -- New Yam Festival -- New Year's Day -- New Year's Eve -- Niman Katchina -- Nyepi -- Obon Festival -- Obzinky -- October Horse Sacrifice -- Odwira -- Ogun Festival -- Olympic Games -- Onam -- Oshogatsu -- Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fiesta of -- Palio, Festival of the -- Palm Sunday -- Parilia -- Paro Tsechu -- Paryushana -- Passover -- Pentecost -- Pitra Paksa Festival -- Plough Monday -- Pongal -- Pooram -- Posadas, Las -- Poson -- Powamu Festival -- Procession of the Swallow -- Purim -- Pushkar Mela -- Raksha Bandhan -- Ramadan -- Ram Navami -- Rath Yatra -- Reek Sunday -- Rocket Festival -- Rogation Days -- Rosh Hashanah -- Royal Ascot -- Royal National Eisteddfod -- St. Anthony of Padua, Feast of -- St. Barbara's Day -- St. Blaise's Day -- St. Bridget's Day -- St. Catherine's Day -- St. Christopher's Day -- St. David's Day -- St. Elmo's Day -- St. Francis of Assisi, Feast of -- St. George's Day -- St. James the Apostle, Feast of -- St. Joseph's Day -- St. Lucy's Day -- St. Mennas's Day -- St. Patrick's Day -- St. Stephen's Day -- St. Swithin's Day -- St. Sylvester's Day -- St. Thomas the Apostle's Day -- St. Urho's Day -- Samhain -- San Fermin Festival -- Saturnalia -- Sennin Gyoretsu -- Setsubun -- Shab-i-Barat -- Shalako Ceremony -- Shavuot -- Shichi-Go-San -- Shick-Shack Day -- Shivaratri -- Shrove Tuesday -- Simhat Torah -- Sol -- Songkran -- Sovereign's Official Birthday -- Soyaluna -- Sukkot -- Summer Solstice -- Sun Dance -- Super Bowl Sunday -- Tanabata -- Tano Festival -- Teej -- Terminalia -- Tet -- Thaipusam -- Thanksgiving -- Thesmophoria -- Tihar -- Timkat -- Tisha be-Av -- Tod Kathin -- Tori-no-ichi -- Tour de France -- Tu Bishvat -- Twelfth Night -- Ute Bear Dance -- Vaisakh -- Valentine's Day -- Vasaloppet -- Vasant Panchami -- Vata Savitri -- Vegetarian Festival -- Vernal Equinox -- Vesak -- Veterans' Day -- Walpurgis Night -- Wampanoag Powwow -- Washington's Birthday -- Waso -- Westminster Dog Show -- Wianki Festival of Wreaths -- Wimbledon -- Wind Festival -- Winter Solstice -- World Eskimo-Indian Olympics -- Wuwuchim -- Yaqui Easter Ceremony -- Yom Kippur.