This book is definitely misnamed. There is hardly any reference whatsoever to fairies in here other than the author weaving in the word "folk" here and there but even when she does try to weave in something to do with "folk" it seems forced or an after thought - like they decided later to name the book the fairy party book and then added in some words to make the title fit. If you're looking for a book that hits on all sorts of holidays/celebrations (pagan, christian and commercial) throughout the year then this book can provide a good survey of traditions but that's about where it ends. For New Years, for example, which starts out the book, there are about 4 pages of text on the holiday and you get a couple of paragraphs on how its celebrated in the US, a couple of paragraphs on how its celebrated in Germany, in Finland, in Puerto Rico, in Indonesia, in Cuba, etc. Then there are a couple of recipes - none of which look very good to me - most are meat-based and I'm vegan - but even if I did eat meats the recipes are not very creative. The New Years chapter is one of the longer ones. Most holidays only get a page or two. I was taken a back with seeing certain things like valentines day, independence day (4th July), mothers day, fathers day, labor day (why not memorial day or George Washington's birthday too?). Anyway, I definitely don't recommend buying this book but if you feel compelled to look at it - check it out at the library first. Again, ok for a very superficial look at holidays/traditions across cultures, very light on fairies and hardly any creative ideas. The cross-cultural look is interesting but so superficial you don't get any sort of understanding as to why a certain ritual/tradition was/is practiced. I also thought the sections on things like weddings (one page), retirement parties, baby showers etc were generic and didn't offer any interesting ideas. Wouldn't recommend it.
