Multicultural Celebrations: Today's Rules of Etiquette for Life's Special Occasions [Paperback]

Norine Dresser (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0609802593 | ISBN-13: 978-0609802595 | Publication Date: March 30, 1999 | Edition: 1

Multicultural Celebrations presents a variety of ethnic and religious weddings, funerals, and rituals for coming of age, pregnancy, birth, healing, and other significant life events. If you need to know what to wear, how to act, which gift to give, and why any given ceremony is significant to the participants, you'll find the answers in this guide to a world of special occasions.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In our multicultural society, one's opportunities for cultural enrichment are as frequent and numerous as one's opportunities for sticking one's foot in it, socially speaking. If your neighbor or colleague has just given birth and you're invited to the ensuing party, you may be expected to remove your shoes, bring red roses, contribute to a potluck meal, or ward off evil spirits by making derogatory statements such as "the baby smells of poo-poo," depending on whether the celebrating family is Cambodian, Ethiopian, Hawaiian, or Hmong. And while those outside the culture aren't expected to know every tradition, it's nice to avoid major faux pas or cultural taboos, and to participate in the celebration as fully as feels appropriate.

For situations such as these, as well as naming ceremonies, coming of age rituals, marriages, healings, and deaths, Norine Dresser's Multicultural Celebrations is remarkably helpful and instructive. She delineates beliefs, traditions, and expectations for many cultures, from African American, Amish, and Armenian to Samoan, Thai, and Vietnamese. The premise of the book is to provide practical advice, so you'll know to wear black to Armenian weddings but never to Thai ones, and to put your gift of money directly into the baby's hands at a Nigerian naming ceremony, whereas at an Apache girl's puberty celebration, a gift of 5 pounds of lard, 25 pounds of flour, 50 pounds of potatoes, and a few dozen cantaloupes will be more appreciated. But even if you never encounter these situations directly, it's still fascinating to learn about them. Accessible, candid, and a pleasure to read, Dresser's multicultural etiquette guide is as good a way to learn about the world as it is to avoid the gaffes and embarrassments of ignorance. --Stephanie Gold

From School Library Journal

YA-What does "tying the knot" mean? How does a man ask a woman for her hand in marriage in Cambodia, Egypt, or Ethiopia? When does a boy become a man? Just what are the correct mourning customs of your African, Chinese, or Iranian neighbors? Dresser, the "Miss Manners" of the Los Angeles Times, has assembled a brief, essential, information-packed guide to important social dos and don'ts. Like Multicultural Manners: New Rules of Etiquette for a Changing Society (Wiley, 1996), this book provides practical advice for anyone who is looking for gift-giving customs at ethnic and religious weddings; what to wear to funerals; rites-of-passage observances; and birth, death, and healing rituals. The author outlines important rules of etiquette in Asia, Africa, and Mexico, and also examines traditions in the United States and includes information on the Amish, African-American, Native American, and Anglo-American communities. The book concludes with a list for further research that includes books, videos, Web sites, and addresses of American multicultural organizations. Teens will find this paperback guide informative, hilarious, and fascinating. It's unfortunate that it has no illustrations. Nevertheless, readers will be attracted to it because of its bright cover, easy-to-use index, and simple text.
ayo dayo, Chinn Park Regional Library, Prince William, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (March 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609802593
• ISBN-13: 978-0609802595
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,643,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sound guide for people involved in multicultural settings., May 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Multicultural Celebrations: Today's Rules of Etiquette for Life's Special Occasions (Paperback)

As the Author of Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness, 4th. edition, I've been involved in the field of diversity for over twenty five years. At no time have I encountered a book such as Multicultural Celebrations that is as sound, practical, and valuable as this text. Dresser delves into the unasked questions of our day to day lives and offers invaluable pointers for "what to do" in a wide range of social encounters. Given today's rapidly changing environment, she provides basic information for our enhancement and enjoyment of living in a multicultural society. This book makes a valuable contribution to the cultural information needed by all of us - in both our work and personal lives.