Overview

In some respects, the contrasts of Christmas are what make it the most delightful time of the year. It is a time of generosity, kindness and peace on earth, with broad permission to indulge in food, drink and gifts. On the other hand, Christmas has become a battleground for raging culture wars, marred by debates about how it should be celebrated and acknowledged as a uniquely Christian holiday. This text argues that much of the animosity is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the holiday's core character. By tracing Christmas's origins as a pagan celebration of the winter solstice and its development in Europe's Christianization, this history explains that the true ""reason for the season"" has as much to do with the earth's movement around the sun as with the birth of Christ. Chapters chronicle how Christmas's magic and misrule link to the nativity, and why the carnival side of the holiday appears so separated from traditional Christian beliefs.

Full Product Details

Author:   Nathaniel Parry
Publisher:   McFarland & Co Inc
Imprint:   McFarland & Co Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 17.80cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   0.458kg
ISBN:  

9781476688282

ISBN 10:   1476688281
Pages:   260
Publication Date:   10 November 2022
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Acknowledgments ix Preface 1 Introduction 3 Part One—Origins and Evolution 1. Holiday Hype and Historiography 10 2. In Search of the First Christmas 22 3. Christmas in a Pagan World 34 4. Yule’s ­Post-Pagan Metamorphosis 46 5. Repression and Resistance 58 Part Two—Curious Customs 6. Sacred Trees 68 7. The Man, the Myth, the Legend, the God—Santa Claus 83 8. Actual Christmas Magic 98 9. Children’s Saturnalia 113 10. Ghosts, Goblins and Angels 127 Part Three—Enduring Legacies 11. Legacy of Miracles 142 12. Legacy of Misrule 158 13. The Halloween Connection 171 14. From Pagan to Secular 182 15. Reason for the Season 198 16. War Over Christmas 209 Chapter Notes 219 Bibliography 241 Index 245

Reviews

"""Fascinating""--Midwest Book Review"

“Fascinating”—Midwest Book Review

Author Information

Nathaniel Parry is an American researcher and writer living in Denmark. He is the author or editor of several books and his work has appeared in outlets such as Consortium News, In These Times, Common Dreams, Global Research, and Truthout. Since 2008, he has worked at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe, where he is currently head of communications.

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