The Stations of the Sun

A History of the Ritual Year in Britain

by

560 pages

English language

Published Nov. 13, 1997 by Oxford University Press, USA.

ISBN:
978-0-19-288045-1
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5 stars (1 review)

Comprehensive and engaging, this colourful study covers the whole sweep of ritual history from the earliest written records to the present day. From May Day revels and Midsummer fires, to Harvest Home, Halloween, and the twelve days of Christmas, Ronald Hutton takes us on a fascinating journey through the ritual year in Britain. He challenges many common assumptions about the customs of the past, and debunks many myths surrounding festivals of the present, to illuminate the history of the calendar year we live by today.

4 editions

reviewed The Stations of the Sun by Ronald Hutton

Excellent (and still most recent?) historical survey of British holidays.

5 stars

I read this a while back when I was trying to grok the Wiccan Sabbats (like -- Feast of Torches. My brain was just all, "Dude, how are you not just groundhog's day plus fire?") This is a very academic text, so you're warned. However that's precisely why I loved it. Hutton's methodologies are great and it was a fascinating read. This book is a bit older, and I'm sure there's new research on these topics. I don't know if Hutton plans a new edition, but I'd love for 1) an updated editon and 2) a similar text looking at which, when, and how these holidays continued to evolve after crossing the Atlantic.

Subjects

  • Festivals -- Great Britain
  • Holidays -- Great Britain
  • Folklore -- Great Britain
  • Popular culture -- Great Britain