What a delight this title is and how fun to browse through it. Who knew the Burning of Witches sprang from the pagan tradition of weaving Grain Mothers out of straw to house the spirit of the grain after the harvest, which would be ploughed under or burned in mid-to-late April, April 30 being Walpurgis Night? Or that Gurning is a rural British version of deliberately making ugly faces? This entry is complete with photographs, including one of Her Majesty, as a spectator, of course, not a participant. Finger Amputation at Funerals – how can you not look at this entry? The Dani tribe in Papua New Guinea practices this strange ritual. Fingers are cut off female members of a family after a male dies. This was only recently outlawed. Their religion is based on ancestor worship and magic; waging war on their neighbours is seen as a tribute to dead ancestors. Interesting to note that combat often ceases for smoke breaks or bad weather. Finger amputation is “[…] a symbolic sharing in the pain of death”.
Each entry is followed by a brief Further Readings list. An extensive Selected Bibliography is also included, which has both print sources and electronic live links. The work is arranged alphabetically and fully searchable by every word in the text (which means a judicious search strategy is recommended). Geographic and Thematic guides to entries are included, which allow browsing by region or category. Some of the categories are: Beauty and Health; Birth Customs; Coming of Age; Competitions; Festivals and Celebrations; and Food and Dietary Customs. In addition, it includes an Index! Be still my little librarian’s heart […].
How I wish I’d had such a book as a child. This volume is highly recommended for general reference, human geography, cultural anthropology, international studies and sociology collections.
