Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
"A guide to the legend and lore behind the people, places, food, animals, and other symbols associated with holidays and holy days, feasts and fasts, and other celebrations, covering popular, ethnic, religious, national, and ancient events, as observed in the United States and around the world."

CONTENTS:

Aboakyer Festival -- Advent -- All Souls' Day -- Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Feast of the -- Aoi Matsuri -- April Fools' Day -- Arbor Day -- Ascension Day -- Ashura -- Ash Wednesday -- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Feast of the -- Awoojoh -- Awuru Odo Festival -- Bastille Day -- Beltane -- Blessing of the Waters -- Boston Marathon -- Bouphonia -- -- Candlemas -- Carnival -- Chinese New Year -- Ch'ing Ming -- Christmas -- Christmas Eve -- Chrysanthemum Festival -- Chung Yeung -- Compitalia -- Dewali -- Dionysia -- Distaff Day -- Double Fifth -- Durga Puja -- Easter -- Egungun Festival -- Epiphany, Feast of the -- Esala Perahera -- Father's Day -- Feast of Fools -- Floralia -- Flute Ceremony -- Fourth of July -- Ganesh Chaturthi -- Gauri Festival -- Good Friday -- Green Corn Dance -- Guy Fawkes Day -- Hajj -- Halashashti -- Halloween -- Hanukkah -- Hina Matsuri -- Hogmanay -- Holi -- Holy Innocents' Day -- Hopi Snake Dance -- Hungry Ghosts Festival -- Id al-Adha -- Id al-Fitr -- Imbolc -- Incwala -- Inti Raymi Festival -- Ironman Triathlon World Championship -- Iroquois Midwinter Ceremony -- Janmashtami -- John Canoe Festival -- Juneteenth -- Kartika Snan -- Kataklysmos Day -- Kentucky Derby -- King, Jr.'s Birthday, Martin Luther -- Kupalo Festival -- Kwanzaa -- Lag Ba-Omer -- Lammas -- Lantern Festival / Laylat al-Miraj -- Laylat al-Qadr -- Lazarus Saturday -- Leap Year Day -- Lemuralia -- Lent -- Li Ch'un -- Loi Krathong -- Lotus, Birthday of the -- Lughnasa -- Luilak -- Lupercalia -- Martenitza -- Martinmas -- Maskal -- Maundy Thursday -- Mawlid al-Nabi -- May Day -- Memorial Day -- Michaelmas -- Mid-Autumn Festival -- Mid-Lent Sunday -- Midsummer Day -- Mother's Day -- Naga Panchami -- Navajo Mountain Chant -- Navajo Night Chant -- Nawruz -- New Yam Festival -- New Year's Day -- New Year's Eve -- Niman Katchina -- Obon Festival -- October Horse Sacrifice -- Ogun Festival -- Olympic Games -- Onam -- Oshogatsu -- Palm Sunday -- Parilia -- Paro Tsechu -- Paryushana -- Passover -- Pentecost -- Pitra Paksa Festival -- Pongal -- Posadas, Las -- Powamu Festival -- Procession of the Swallow -- Purim -- Raksha Bandhan -- Ramadan -- Rath Yatra -- Rocket Festival -- Rosh Hashanah -- St. Barbara's Day -- St. Bridget's Day -- St. Catherine's Day -- St. Christopher's Day -- St. David's Day -- St. Francis of Assisi, Feast of -- St. George's Day -- St. Joseph's Day -- St. Lucy's Day -- St. Mennas's Day -- St. Patrick's Day -- St. Stephen's Day -- St. Sylvester's Day -- Samhain -- Saturnalia -- Shab-i-Barat -- Shalako Ceremony -- Shavuot -- Shichi-Go-San -- Shick-Shack Day -- Shivaratri -- Shrove Tuesday -- Simhat Torah -- Songkran -- Soyaluna -- Sukkot -- Summer Solstice -- Sun Dance -- Tanabata -- Terminalia -- Tet -- Thaipusam -- Thanksgiving -- Thesmophoria -- Tisha be-Av -- Tori-no-ichi -- Tu Bishvat -- Twelfth Night -- Vaisakh -- Valentine's Day -- Vata Savitri -- Vernal Equinox -- Vesak -- Veterans' Day -- Walpurgis Night -- Washington's Birthday -- Wianki Festival of Wreaths -- Winter Solstice -- Yom Kippur.