Overall, for me, the greatest impression of this edited anthology of contemporary US holidays are readability and accessibility. It is well written in easily accessible language yet at the same time never slides into colloquialisms or loses clarity and detail in argument. As such, I think this is an ideal work for introducing folklore studies and community festivals to undergraduates and senior high school students.

The writing style displays clarity and focus, yet never fails to entertain with wit and fascinating quirks and factoids that enliven the reading experience. It is also a wonderful source to use for engaging the general public in critical discussion of the social role, local history, and significance of American festivals and popular holidays. Along the way, Bruce Forbes’s work also engages in a wide variety of myth-busting digressions on popular memes and caricatures of these festivals, such as the old chestnut of pagan vs. Christian origins for Christmas and Easter, the myth of Valentine’s Day as an invention of Hallmark, and the popular meme of Santa Claus’s red outfit as an invention of Coca Cola. In each of these discussions, Forbes examines both the origins of the contemporary folklore and the problematic nature of the claims in easily accessible and witty discussions of the historical context and cultural significance of the symbols themselves. In particular, I think Forbes excels at bringing out the ambiguity of the claims and the complicated networks of disparate themes, cultural forms, and local histories that have led to the contemporary manifestation of these festivities and their symbols. For example, Forbes discusses the difficulty in trying to ascribe specific pagan vs. Christian origins to Valentine’s Day, given the inherent breaks, fragmentary sources, and retrospective reconstructions of the Roman festival of Lupercalia in the late middle ages and the fragmentary and mythological nature of the tales, which have merged together into the story of St. Valentine in medieval Catholic mythology. One of the strengths of this work is that Forbes does not slide into a monolithic or dualist interpretation of either Christian or pagan origins. In each case he demonstrates the complex and multi-faceted nature of the religious traditions and emphasizes the diversity within them.

The work covers five major contemporary U.S. festivals: Valentines Day, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, which are certainly ideal topics for introducing students to folklore and festival studies given their sheer ubiquity and centrality as contested narratives by multiple sectors of contemporary U.S. society. Each chapter looks at the antecedents of the festival, often going back to earlier pre-Christian origins and parallels, Christian appropriation and reconstruction, and finally turns to its contemporary manifestation shaped by popular culture, economic exploitation, and contemporary social roles. Some of the material, such as the development of the image of Santa Claus in the context of the class struggles and cultural influences of nineteenth-century America, accompanied by period illustrations, is a delight to read. I am quite impressed with the author’s ability to develop sophisticated discussion on the role of class and culture in an easily accessible format.

If there is a weakness to this book it is that there is a strong Christo-centric assumption regarding the identity of the reader, presuming a clear familiarity with contemporary U.S. Christian Protestant religious practices. This can be quite striking when reading from a different religious context or as a foreign reader. However, given the clear focus on popular national holidays in the United States as practiced today, this is perhaps understandable. Additionally, the presumption is softened by a clear discussion of the diversity of perspectives and religious antecedents to each of the case studies. The work is well referenced and provides numerous forays for student research projects and discussions and is an ideal introductory work on folklore and festival studies in the undergraduate or senior secondary school classroom.

--------

[Review length: 634 words • Review posted on May 17, 2017]