Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide

There are numerous world‐wide celebrations of the concept called “New Year”. Many of these celebrations and festivals have nothing to do with the January 1 date that is usually associated with this holiday, and the purpose of this book is to illustrate the ethnic, cultural, national, and religious significance of “New Year” in the broadest sense. The author indicates that this is the first encyclopedia totally devoted to this event.

There are over 320 entries arranged alphabetically. Of the entries, 27 examine calendar systems that establish chronological dates for the beginning of a new year, going from ancient to modern,...