This book is like all the parades of all the holidays rolled into one. It is filled with the games, the pageants, the feasts, gifts, greetings, symbols, which the people of the nations use to commemorate their festival days. It is in itself a festive offering for, like the gift of languages, a knowledge of holidays brings understanding of people everywhere, and a true sense of what all the great religions of the world call the Brotherhood of Man.

Many holidays in widely separated parts of the world are similar in spirit, although they are celebrated differently. For instance, the Chinese call the harvest festival the Birthday of the Moon; the Jews call it Succoth; the Hindus call it Kojagari Purnima; and in some countries of the Western world it is called Harvest Home. But the spirit of these festivals is still the spirit of Thanksgiving.

Everyone knows that a holiday is a time for rejoicing. People hail the coming of spring and give thanks for the bounty of autumn. They honor ancestors who fought on the side of good against evil. They celebrate the end of wars, deliverance from disaster, emancipation from slavery. Whatever the cause for joy may be, you will begin to see, as you read, that most holidays reflect one way or another the age-old wish, "Peace on earth; good will to men!"

From the dust jacket