Skip to Main Content

The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain

Online ISBN:
9780191676758
Print ISBN:
9780198205708
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain

Ronald Hutton
Ronald Hutton

Professor of History

University of Bristol
Find on
Published online:
3 October 2011
Published in print:
20 June 1996
Online ISBN:
9780191676758
Print ISBN:
9780198205708
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

From the Twelve Days of Christmas to the Spring traditions of Valentine, Shrovetide, and Easter eggs, through May Day revels and Midsummer fires, and on to the waning of the year, Harvest Home, and Halloween, this book takes us on a journey through the ritual year in Britain. It presents the results of a comprehensive study that covers all the British Isles and the whole sweep of history from the earliest written records to the present day. Great and lesser, ancient and modern, whether performed by Christians or pagans, all rituals are treated with the same attention. The result is an account that illuminates the history of the calendar we live by, and challenges many commonly held assumptions about the customs of the past and the festivals of the present. The first work to cover the full span of British rituals, the book challenges the work of specialists from the late Victorian period onwards, reworking our picture of the field and raising issues for historians of every period.

Contents
Close
This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

Close

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

View Article Abstract & Purchase Options

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Close