Book Review: Holidays Around the World

“I have to write a paper about Eka Dasa Rudra,” explains the teenager who has just approached the reference desk. Talk about out-of-the-blue! “How did you hear about him?,” you ask. The student explains that it isn’t a person. It’s a gathering involving hundreds of thousands of people that happens once every hundred years. Where? The student doesn’t know. “Oh wait, someplace where there are volcanoes,” she says. With a little more prompting, the student explains that the gathering takes place at a temple which was built on the slopes of a volcano. Luckily, you had the foresight to order a copy of Holidays Around the World because your hunch that this just might be some obscure religious observance proves correct. With the help of this directory, researchers may obtain interesting background information about all kinds of holidays and celebrations in all fifty US states and in more than 100 countries. Each entry provides information on that holiday’s origins and cultural or religious context, as well as a brief list of organizations to contact for further information.