Customer Reviews

Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan

5 star:		(1)
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(The Kindle edition does not have any font or print issues, as another reviewer complained about.) A fascinating, unbiased exploration of the historical bases for the Christmas traditions, whether originating in pagan practices or in Christian-superimposed-on-pagan traditions (like 25 December being not only the date of the Roman Saturnalia, the celebration of the God Saturn, but also the supposed birthdate of Persian God Mithras, whose cult -highly popular with Roman soldiers at time of Jesus of Nazareth & which included communal meals among men only - was a serious contender for believers when Christianity was a fledgling religion/cult). Brave exploration. Well documented. Fascinating reading. Will make you rethink everything you were ever taught or told about "Christ-mas(s)". Excellent reference book.

This is the book it is advertised to be. The printing is atrocious, though; there are no illustrations (although bracketed descriptions of them survive, so you can close your eyes and imagine them), and the font is unreadable fixed-width throughout. Spend a few more dollars on a decent-quality printing of this great book, because despite the trumpeting on the cover, "Affordable & High Quality Paperback Book Edition" is only half right.