Ritual: Magical Celebrations of Nature and Community from Around the World

by Nikki Van De Car, Barbara Tamilin (Illustrator)

From the bestselling author of Practical Magic comes an inspiring, illustrated collection of magical celebrations of nature from around the world—with rituals for incorporating them into your own practice. 

Nature is what gives us life—it is the source of all magic and power in the world. That is something that humans have understood since the beginning of time, and it is a constant among cultures around the world. However, the ways in which we celebrate it can vary wildly. Bulgarian Baba Marta Day welcomes the arrival of Spring with Martenitsas, little talismans of red and white string, while in Southeast Asia, that same yearly event is celebrated during Holi, a joyful, riotous dance of colors. Yalda, Soyal, Saturnalia, Dong Zhi, and St.Lucia's Day (from Iran, Arizona, Ancient Rome, China, and Scandinavia) are all very different—but they all honor the Winter Solstice. 
 
Each of these celebrations is a ritual, a form of magic created by community and tradition. And while their differences can help us understand their various cultural identities, their similarities can create a bond that reaches across space and time. In this beautifully illustrated book from bestselling magical author Nikki Van De Car readers will learn the history and meaning behind 40 of these ritual celebrations, organized by season. Each ritual will include suggestions for participating in and appreciating these storied rituals, while honoring their origins and the cultures from which they come.
 

Genres: Nonfiction

145 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 14, 2023

About the author

Nikki Van De Car is a blogger, knitter, and mother whose books What To Knit When You're Expecting and What To Knit: The Toddler Years chronicle the way her knitting changed as her daughter grew. Her popular knitting blog has received over 1.5 million pageviews since its inception in June 2008, and her patterns have been published in Interweave and Ply magazines, among others. Nikki lives in Hawaii with her family.

Come visit her on Instagram at @nikkivandecar and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sereknity/

Reviews

[Jina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about the celebrations of nature around the world. I appreciated how the author provided ways to add these to your own practice without appropriating other traditions, however, I didn't feel like any of the suggestions spoke to me - personally.

[Nicolas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would like to state that I support the idea of and was excited to read a multi-cultural assortment of ritual around the world arranged in a chronological format.

In this effort, the author succeeds.

Unfortunately, they chose not to review the readily available scholarship on subjects like Eostre/Easter and relies instead on “perhaps” and “maybe” to draw hazy conclusions propped up by linguistic fallacies.

The subject and idea are exciting, but one cannot trust what they say about any of these celebrations if one cannot trust they have done the proper vetting and research.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited when I saw who was narratoring this on audible. I really enjoyed her work and this did not disappoint.

I like how it was structured by season and explored different cultures. However I'm not so certain on the inviting the audience to try the rituals part. This feels a little bit like cultural appropriation to me. Though cultural appreciation is also a thing. So I'm a little conflicted on to be honest.

[Catherine Gerdes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me a window into so many traditions that were new to me. It's divided by season, filled with intriguing tales and beautifully designed.

[MKF]

DNF

[Kristine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fell short of my expectations and excitement based on the synopsis. This book failed to offer any depth or researched insight and read more as a cookbook of rituals lacking context and story.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful book that provides a fascinating overview of the global rituals and holidays that mark out time across the calendar year. Nikki Can De Car provides an insight into the nature of ritual while examining the various forms they take across the world. Rituals provide fascinating insight into the beliefs and practices that simultaneously make cultures unique and vibrant while also celebrating universal human needs and desires. Lovely!