Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals: A Religion and Society Encyclopedia Book

The sixth volume in the acclaimed Religion and Society series, the Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals examines religious beliefs expressed through ritualized behavior and festivals. Exploring expressions of faith across cultures and religions throughout the world, the 120-plus entries in this fascinating resource fall into five general categories:

* General concepts and ideas—such as communitas, inversion, purity and pollution, and pilgrimage.

* Major forms of rituals and festivals—such as rites of passage, devotional rites, sacrifice, calendrical rites, carnival, rites of conflict, and fasting.

* Religious rites and festivals of major religions and cultural regions. Entries discuss variation within the religion/culture/region.

* Life cycle rites including those associated with birth, coming of age, marriage, and death.

* Specific rites and festivals—such as Easter, Christmas, Passover, Ramadan, potlatch, Ghost Dance,

Library Journal

Haircutting, identity, satanic, marriage, death these are just a few of the rituals crossing religious boundaries explained in this wonderful new addition to Routledge's "Religion and Society" series. Its topic is vast, and no one work, certainly not one volume, could comprehensively cover it all. But the selections here are broad and provide an excellent introduction to viewing our world through rites and rituals. The entries are accessible and wide-ranging e.g., online rites, Jainism, humor and rituals, pilgrimage, and divination, to name a few and are written by scholars in disciplines such as anthropology and cultural geography, as well as religious studies. Cross references and a reading list give entries additional utility, so readers can find new contexts. Even a simple review of the index is educational. Bottom Line Students of history, anthropology, and literature will find this accessible work an excellent resource for broadening their research. Students of religion will find it a superb starting place for their studies. Everyone else will find here much to remind us of the beauty of our differences and the striking harmonies of all our lives. For all public and academic libraries. [For more on the other titles in the series, go to www.routledge-ny. com/religionandsociety. Ed.] Manya Chylinski, Boston Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.