Christmas in Ritual & Tradition: Christian and Pagan is a richly documented study of the feast's layered history, tracing Christmas from its liturgical foundations to the folk customs, domestic rites, carols, saints' days, mumming, wassailing, gift-giving, greenery, and fireside observances that surrounded it across Europe. Written in a lucid antiquarian style, the book belongs to the early twentieth-century tradition of comparative folklore, attentive to survivals of pre-Christian seasonal ritual within Christian devotion and communal celebration. Clement A. Miles was an English writer and scholar whose interests ranged across religion, culture, and popular tradition. His method reflects the period's fascination with origins: he reads songs, ceremonies, legends, and household practices as historical evidence, seeking to understand how official Christianity absorbed, redirected, or coexisted with older winter festivals. The illustrated edition deepens this documentary purpose by placing visual culture beside textual testimony. This volume is recommended for readers interested in Christmas not merely as sentiment or nostalgia, but as a living palimpsest of theology, folklore, and social memory. Scholars, students, and general readers alike will find in Miles a careful guide to the meanings hidden within familiar customs.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
