A Calendar of Festivals: Celebrations from Around the World

by Cherry Gilchrist, Helen Cann (Illustrator)

Did you know that when you go trick-or-treating on Halloween you are taking part in an ancient Celtic festival? This intriguing collection of tales takes us back to the origins of many festivals which are celebrated throughout the world and traces some of the stories that are connected to them. Each of the tales in this anthology has an introduction which explains its origins and its significance for the people who celebrate it.

80 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

Cherry Gilchrist is a lover of all things ancient and mysterious. Field research for her books has taken her into Russian forests, Silk Road Yurts and to meet stone heads on Easter Island. She has written books on alchemy, mythology, family history and personal relationships. Her latest book, The Circle of Nine relates nine feminine archetypes to everyday lives of women. Cherry has also run a vintage clothes shop, a Russian crafts gallery, taught creative writing and performed as an early music singer. She is a graduate of Cambridge University, and holds a post-graduate diploma from the University of Bath Spa. As a lecturer, she has given many talks at venues ranging from the Temenos Academy to the British Council, the Royal Academy, and the Queen Elizabeth II cruise liner. At present she lives near Stroud, with her husband, artist Robert Lee-Wade and two black cats for luck. She has two grown-up children and two granddaughters. Find her at www.cherrygilchrist.co.uk and www.circleofnine.org

Reviews

[Hannah Lulu]

This book tells a children's level telling of stories of 8 different holidays from cultural traditions including 4 major religions, and holidays from 4 different world regions.

The stories/holidays include:

The Story of Esther for the Jewish holiday of Purim
The Story of How Krishna Stole the Butter for the Hindu holiday of Holi
The Life of Budha for the Buddhist holiday Vesak
The Oxherd and the Weaving Maiden for the Japanese holiday of Tanabata
The Halloween Changeling for the Celtic holiday of Halloween
The story of the Birth of Jesus for the Christian holiday of Christmas
The story of the Warau People Coming Down to Earth, of Carribean origin, for the holiday of Kwanzaa
The story of Father Frost for the Russian New Year celebration.

This is probably not the best source or the best version of any of these stories, and because there are only 8 holidays covered, there is just not very much here for a survey of world religions or world holidays, so it doesn't really win for quality or quantity...but the pictures and stories are engaging enough that this is an acceptable collection if you want to have a book with stories of multiple holidays all in one place and if you are okay with the fact that you will need many other books and may encounter some duplication of stories for a comprehensive overview or collection.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book.

[Donna-Lee]

Includes stories on the following:
Purim - Jewish
Holi - Hindu
Vesak - Buddhist
Tanabata - Japanese
Halloween - Celtic
Christmas - Christian
Kwanzaa - Caribbean
New Year - Russian