From the manger of Jesus Christ to the 21st century, this encyclopedia explores more than 2,000 years of Christmas past and present through 966 entries packed with a wide variety of historical and pop-culture subjects. Entries detail customs and traditions from around the world as well as classic Christmas movies, TV series/specials and animated cartoons. Arranged alphabetically by entry name, the book includes the historical background of popular sacred and secular songs as well as accounts of beloved literary works with Christmas themes from such noted authors as Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Hans Christian Andersen, Pearl Buck, Henry Van Dyke and others. All things Christmas are available here in one comprehensive volume.
At last, a truly comprehensive look at Christmas and all of its customs with its long history around the world. The World Encyclopedia of Christmas contains articles on the history of Christmas baking, drinking, and merrymaking, and Christmas dramas, music, literature, art, and films. It includes entries on the evolution of the Christmas tree and the Christmas card, gift-giving, and decoration of church and home. There are profiles of the many gift-bringers, from Santa Claus to Babouschka, and miraculous tales of the numerous saints associated with the season. And there are histories of seasonal celebrations and folk customs around the world, from the United States to Japan, from Egypt to Iceland. Who, for example, knew the links between the Punch and Judy show and Christmas? That the medieval Paradise tree hung with tempting apples was the forerunner of the Christmas tree? About the Peerie Guizers, who terrorized the Shetland Islands, going door-to-door for Christmas charity? Or what Freudians make of our interest in Christmas stockings and Santa’s entrance through the chimney? There are detailed accounts of Wren Boys and Star Boys, mumming and wassailing, the Feast of Fools and the origins of eggnog. And of course stories of the Nativity and legends of the Magi. With beautifully illustrated accounts ranging from the pagan roots of Yuletide, through the birth of Christ, and the long and fascinating history of the festival ever since, The World Encyclopedia of Christmas, is a rich and continually surprising array of religious and secular history, trivia, literature, and art. This wonderful book deserves to find a home with every family that celebrates Christmas.
From the manger of Jesus Christ to the 21st century, this encyclopedia explores more than 2,000 years of Christmas past and present through 966 entries packed with a wide variety of historical and pop-culture subjects. Entries detail customs and traditions from around the world as well as classic Christmas movies, TV series/specials and animated cartoons. Arranged alphabetically by entry name, the book includes the historical background of popular sacred and secular songs as well as accounts of beloved literary works with Christmas themes from such noted authors as Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Hans Christian Andersen, Pearl Buck, Henry Van Dyke and others. All things Christmas are available here in one comprehensive volume.
Revised edition. Volume 1 of 5. The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible has been a classic Bible study resource for more than thirty years. Now thoroughly revised, this new five-volume edition provides up-to-date entries based on the latest scholarship. Beautiful full-color pictures supplement the text, which includes many new articles in addition to thorough updates and improvements of existing topics. Different viewpoints of scholarship permit a well-rounded perspective on significant issues relating to doctrines, themes, and biblical interpretation. The goal remains the same: to provide pastors, teachers, students, and devoted Bible readers with a comprehensive and reliable library of information.• More than 5,000 pages of vital information on Bible lands and people• More than 7,500 articles alphabetically arranged for easy reference• Hundreds of colorful maps, illustrations, charts, and graphs• Scholarly articles ranging across the entire spectrum of theological and biblical topics, backed by the most current body of archaeological research• Over 250 contributors from around the world• Introductions to each book of the Bible• Bibliographies and helpful cross-references
Over 240 alphabetically arranged entries covering Christmas, New Year's, and related days of observance, including folk and religious customs, history, legends, and symbols from around the world.
Sometimes reading like a historical novel, or a forensics detective story, a melodrama, or a scientific adventure, Nativity takes the reader on a fast, awesome ride of discovery into the real history and real people behind the birth of Christ. Nativity is the ideal reference for pastors, students, and laymen, combining scholarly depth and reliability in a popular writing style easily accessible to all with references for independent study. New elements of meaning and relevance to the Nativity Scientific evidence virgin births occur as often as identical twins but Jesus was one of a kind The life and death drama behind Joseph and Mary rarely told The real events of Bethlehem and Nazareth Herod amazing genius whose architecture excelled Rome, and kept his murdered wife in a jar of honey! Was Jesus incarnated from the time of the Fall? Is the Christmas tree a pagan idol or a biblical image of the Tree of Life? While vigorously defending the traditional faith, Richard Racy gives new insights and new theological perspectives guaranteed to inform and provoke while entertaining in a major new work on the birth of Jesus Christ.
Christmas is special for many people around the world, and over the many centuries that people have been celebrating the holiday, it has changed with the times. This reference work presents a tremendous amount of information about the Christmas holiday from its inception around A.D. 350 to the present day. Covering not only Christmas day but the entire season from Advent through Epiphany, over 340 entries provide details on historical events that have shaped Christmas; St. Nicholas, Santa Claus, and other mythical beings that spread gifts around the world; symbols such as the Yule log, Christmas tree, holly, and mistletoe; sacred and popular carols and other music; and customs in the United States and around the world. Unique to this work is its emphasis on Christmas as depicted in the popular media, with entries on literary works, motion pictures, and television specials expressing holiday themes.
Interpreting Christmas at Museums and Historic Sites offers a wide range of perspectives on Christmas and practical guidance for planning, research, interpretation, and programming by board members, staff, and volunteers involved in the management, research, and interpretation at house museums, historic sites, history museums, and historical societies across the United States. Packed with fresh ideas and approaches by nearly two dozen scholars and leaders in this specialized topic, as well as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, they can easily be adapted for the unique needs of organizations of various budgets and capacities. An extensive bibliography of books and articles published in the last twenty years provides additional resources for museum staff.
In some respects, the contrasts of Christmas are what make it the most delightful time of the year. It is a time of generosity, kindness and peace on earth, with broad permission to indulge in food, drink and gifts. On the other hand, Christmas has become a battleground for raging culture wars, marred by debates about how it should be celebrated and acknowledged as a uniquely Christian holiday. This text argues that much of the animosity is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the holiday's core character. By tracing Christmas's origins as a pagan celebration of the winter solstice and its development in Europe's Christianization, this history explains that the true "reason for the season" has as much to do with the earth's movement around the sun as with the birth of Christ. Chapters chronicle how Christmas's magic and misrule link to the nativity, and why the carnival side of the holiday appears so separated from traditional Christian beliefs.
Did you know that the Christmas story almost wasn’t told? But Matthew and Luke saved Christmas. Have you wondered if Christmas is really a pagan holiday? Did marketers invent Santa Claus? And what does a Christmas tree have to do with anti-slavery? We’ll learn which traditions come from the Bible and where other traditions derive. Have you ever considered who Jesus was named after? Or why Jesus’s genealogy is traced to Joseph if he’s not Jesus’s biological father? We’ll answer questions like these surrounding Jesus’s legacy. Maybe you’ve asked what was the Bethlehem star? Or have you heard that there wasn’t an inn or innkeeper? With these kinds of inquiries, we’ll look at the circumstances surrounding Jesus’s birth. Do we know if the magi were kings, astrologers, or magicians? Or could you name the oldest person that met baby Jesus? By interacting with these people who met Jesus on that first Christmas, we’ll join the cast of characters around the manger. As we explore the stories and traditions of Christmas together, we’ll ruin some past misconceptions, but in the process, I promise that we’ll rediscover Jesus.
