The Atlas of Christmas: The Merriest, Tastiest, Quirkiest Holiday Traditions from Around the World

Description

A festive, delightfully-illustrated compendium that features holiday traditions from around the world. From Jolabokafloo (Christmas Book Flood) in Iceland to Festa dei sette pesci (Feast of Fishes) in Italy and Christmas lanterns in the Philippines, The Atlas of Christmas uncovers the fascinating (and sometimes, downright odd) ways that people and nations celebrate the holiday season, and inspires us to share these unique traditions together with family and friends. Do you know that in Guatemala there's a "Burn the Devil" tradition to kick off the Christmas season, where people gather to set fire to devil-pinatas? Or that in Sweden, a popular figure in Christmas traditions is the Yule Goat, a rowdy, menacing character who demands gifts? Serbian men traditionally throw grain and corn at a tree, then kiss its bark, before they cut it down to make a Yule Log. And in Japan, a big bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken has become the classic Christmas Day feast. These and many other global Christmas traditions are featured here in this delightful little book. From decorations and activities to feasts and special treats, there's a wide range of both lovely and unusual traditions from around the globe.

Alex Palmer is a freelance journalist and author living in New York City. He covers business, travel, culture and pop culture for publications like The New York Post, Time Out New York, Publishers Weekly, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times' The Local, Huffington Post, and Editor & Publisher. The son of two teachers, he loves learning and writing about odd, funny, or surprising stories behind familiar subjects. His second book, Weird-o-pedia: The Ultimate Collection of Surprising, Strange, and Incredibly Bizarre Facts About (Supposedly) Ordinary Things, was published in July 2012. His first book, Literary Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Literature, takes a look at some of the more colorful aspects of great writers and their works, and was published in October 2010 by Skyhorse Publishing.