Customer Reviews

Halloween Other Festivals: Death And Life

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3 star:		(1)
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This book remains one of my all-time favorite books on folk holidays. A series of essays on various fall and harvest celebrations, it centers around Halloween, but branches out to discuss celebrations from Christmas mummers parades of the Ulster Scots and cutting the last sheaf of wheat, to Bonfire night in Newfoundland, to modern day trick-or-treat scare myths.

Beyond merely recounting the history of Halloween, this book does a wonderful job of placing our holiday in a global context and discussing what societal need these holidays or myths fulfilled. A fascinating study of our human history, I recommend this book highly to anyone interested in folk history and the "meaning" of holidays.

In a similar vein, I also recommend, Halloween : An American Holiday, an American History by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne for a more detailed look of the holiday as it unfolded in the US.

Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life is a scholarly anthology of articles related to Halloween in various ways. The book is divided into three sections: Customs, Communities, and Material Culture. Each article assumes some knowledge, taking an in depth look at topics ranging from the history of Trick-or-Treating to the non-seasonal use of Halloween imagery in Southern settings. Some articles focus not on Halloween, but on related festivals such as Bonfire Night and the Texan acculturation of the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead.

Each article reflects the author's own style making some more readable than others. However, the diversity of approaches and the variety of perspectives makes this a fascinating read. While the introduction attempts to bring these articles together in a coherent fashion, there is very little tying them together besides the direct or indirect relationship to Halloween. The book can be read cover-to-cover or piece-by-piece.

I would not recommend this book for those looking for a history of or introduction to Halloween, but rather to those who have some knowledge of the festival and are looking for scholarly commentary. Nonetheless, the casually interested may find some parts quite enjoyable and Halloween lovers will really appreciate the various views offered.

This book is full of fascinating cultural references on Halloween and other celebrations associated with death. It is illustrated with some amazing artwork (like the front cover) and the details given on the celebration is beyond compare.

My one complaint is that with all the references and citing it is a tough read. You need to work at it to get through it, but it is definitely worth it.

I enjoyed all of the collected essays. Small-town, U.S. America's holiday traditions and the celebrations and conflicts attendant are probed.