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Review
."..a highly readable text that will serve the scholar and general reader alike to provide the first truly complete survey of the history of communal, seasonal rites and customs....In this engaging exploration his work will be useful to students of popular culture and literature, folklorists, historians, and even the old-fashioned enthusiast."--Journal of Ritual Studies
."..a breath of much-needed fresh air...a well-organized, methodical analysis..."--American Reporter
"This book, with its rich combination of history and folklore, is a valuable work of reference."--American Historical Review
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Comprehensive and engaging, this colourful study covers the whole sweep of ritual history from the earliest written records to the present day. From May Day revels and Midsummer fires, to Harvest Home and Hallowe'en, to the twelve days of Christmas, Ronald Hutton takes us on a fascinating journey through the ritual year in Britain. He challenges many common assumptions about the customs of the past, and debunks many myths surrounding festivals of the present, to illuminate the history of the calendar year we live by today.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The definitive history of the british ritual year. From the origins of wassailing to why the English don't celebate St George's day, Hutton leaves no stone unturned in his relentless search for simplicity and truth in an arena that has for so long been dominated by fantasy and wishful thinking. While lacking nothing in academic rigour, Hutton's writing is also pacy and colourful, with occasional glimpses of a mischievous sense of humour. Contrary to previous 'reviewers' who have sought to undermine Hutton's work and peddle their own agendas on the amazon forum, the possibilty that this historian is an active participant in many of the rituals he describes makes his merciless debunking all the more credible. A remarkable piece of work: entirely non-partisan, essential reading for anyone involved in the folk world, essential reading for anyone who lives in Britain.
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In his third book on folk beliefs and faiths, Ronald Hutton takes a day by day look at the sacred year. The book can be read on its own -- indeed it is excellent as a reference book for answering all those queries generated by the folklore industry and the tourism industry. if you wqant to know about Guy Fawkes at Lewes, May Day at Padstow and lots of others, then this is the book for you. For me what was especially interesting, was the realisation that the myths surrounding the orignins of our festivals, was almost as interesting as the myths contained in the festivals and celebrations themselves. Professor Hutton expertly lays bare the fact that for many of our festivals -- they are not the archaic survival of ancient pagan rites - preserved as folkloric tradtion. In fact many of our festivals, with a few notable exceptions, date no earlier than the middle ages - a decent enough pedigree to be sure -- but definitely not pre-Christian.
51 of 56 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ronald Hutton is an excellent source of knowledge. I am buying this book as a present for a student of ancient british religions, because it is brilliant, informative and unbiased.
I have had the good fortune to be in the authors company on many occasions, and found him to be a wonderful and spiritual person, as well as being a learned and respected professor, which is why I first bought his work !
I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in history, culture, early religions, the wheel of our year, or ancient Pagan Britain.
I suspect that my collection of Hutton's work will expand with each new release - Stations of the Sun is a barrow filled with riches!!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
From Community to Individual and Back Again; On The Seasonal Festival
As a dozen good reviews could not begin to provide a fair account of this book, I shall offer a few key points which caught my attention as introduction only. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Celestial Elf
Not much Sun here
I couldn't see the aim of this book. It is a collection of folk customs arranged (almost) chronologically through the year, presented in about as dull a form as possible. Read more
Published on 4 Feb 2010 by Rumpuscat
Matter-of-fact but essential reading
Written in a somewhat matter-of-fact manner, but sticks entirely to what is historically recorded and thankfully totally avoids any completely speculative "Celtic", New Age-ist or... Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2008 by E. L. Wisty
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