THE HOLIDAY BOOK

by Francis X. SJ Weiser ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 24, 1956

Last in his trilogy of the cycle and celebration of Christian (Catholic) feasts, this like The Christmas Book and The Easter Book deals not only with canon law and liturgy of the holy days, but with the historical background, legend, and pagan derivations. Because of the scope of coverage, this is, possibly, more specialized in appeal and more dependent on religious training and background. But there are plenty of nuggets of folk material for those whose research leads them in that direction. The text-following a rather technical introduction- starts off with the season of Pentecost; the place of Sunday in Christian worship, and the legislation over the centuries, the legendary observances retained, the privileged position liturgically. Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi Day (to obviate the injection of a commemoratory feast in Holy Week); Thanksgiving- and its traditional derivations; the Feasts of Saints (birth-death-name days- patron saints- holy days of obligation) and some interesting date on the giving of names; and Candlemas. This leads directly to the three main feast days associated with the Virgin Mary,- the Annunciation, the Assumption, the Nativity- recognized as dogmas of the Roman Church over a far reach of time. All Saints' Day and All Souls-yes, even the Druidical Halloween- follow and in their turn precede the chronology of the Saints of Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Each section includes traditional hymns and liturgical prayers, details of observation in various parts of the world, and so on. A rich source of material in a specialized field. The author is a professor at Emanuel College in Boston.

Pub Date: Oct. 24, 1956

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harcourt, Brace

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1956

Categories: NONFICTION