The Hidden History of Holidays
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Narrated by:
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Hannah Harvey
About this listen
What are the origins of dressing in costume for Halloween? Why did the barbecue grill become an iconic image for Father’s Day?
From Halloween costumes to patriotic parades to belly-busting meals, every holiday tradition tells a unique story—one encoded in symbols and layered meanings that stretch back over the centuries. In 19 lectures, professional storyteller Dr. Hannah B. Harvey takes listeners through the seasons and investigates the surprising stories behind seemingly odd holiday traditions. Dr. Harvey explores the social, political, and performative history of holidays, ranging from Hanukkah and Mardi Gras to Mother’s Day and Thanksgiving, illustrating the way traditions survive across time and cultures.
In these fascinating lectures, Dr. Harvey turns the spotlight on the histories of American and international holidays, and listeners will discover the answers to such questions as:
- How did Charles Dickens and Queen Victoria save Christmas from disappearing into obscurity in the 19th century?
- Why is "Auld Lang Syne" considered the "official" song of New Year’s celebrations?
- How did the iconic masculine images of fishing rods, barbecue grills, and lying in hammocks become synonymous with Father’s Day?
- Why should we thank ancient Rome’s Romulus and Remus for Valentine’s Day?
- To what cultures do we owe such loveable creatures as Easter bunnies and spring-predicting groundhogs?
- Why did Puritans seek to stamp out Christmas celebrations in America?
- How are the ancient Roman festival of Hilaria and today’s April Fool’s Day alike?
The Hidden History of Holidays is an eye-opening and entertaining look at what makes these festive celebrations so pervasive and powerful. By the end of these lectures, listeners will never think about greeting cards, broomsticks, or barbecues in the same way again.
©2019 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Our favorite moments from The Hidden History of the Holidays
About the Professor
Dr. Hannah B. Harvey is an award-winning teacher, an internationally recognized performer, and a nationally known professional storyteller. She earned her PhD in Performance Studies/Communication Studies at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While teaching at Kennesaw State University, she received an Honors Program Distinguished Teacher award and an Alumni Association Commendation for Teaching Impact. As a performance ethnographer, Dr. Harvey develops oral histories into theatrical and solo storytelling works that highlight the true stories of contemporary Appalachian people. Her performance, Out of the Dark: The Oral Histories of Appalachian Coal Miners, earned her a directing award from adjudicators at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in 2007 and three year-end awards from professional critics in 2005. Harvey’s written research has been honored by the American Folklore Society and has been featured in Storytelling, Self, and Society, of which she is managing editor.
Dr. Harvey has delivered award-winning performances and has conducted workshops at festivals and universities in the United States and around the world. She has performed as a featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival in Tennessee; received accolades for her performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland; and led intercultural workshops at the University Hassan II, Ben M’Sik, in Casablanca, Morocco.
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I have discovered a group of women who refuse to be exploited, are immune to manipulation, and who never settle in the name of love. These ladies know what they want and take what they want by beating men at their own game. Utilizing the secrets exposed in this book, these women gain power, money, and status. Men call them gold diggers, women call them hos, but they call themselves winners. This is the book that society doesn't want you to listen to….
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Experience a bold take on this classic autobiography as it’s performed by Oscar-nominated Laurence Fishburne. In this searing classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream and the inherent racism in a society that denies its non-White citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
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it's Nearly perfect
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Mythology: Mega Collection
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Do you know how many wives Zeus had? Or how the famous Trojan War was caused by one beautiful lady? Or how Thor got his hammer? Give your imagination a real treat. This Mega Mythology Collection of eight audiobooks is for you....
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An interesting set of introductions.
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The Philosopher's Toolkit: How to Be the Most Rational Person in Any Room
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Taught by award-winning Professor Patrick Grim of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, The Philosopher’s Toolkit: How to Be the Most Rational Person in Any Room arms you against the perils of bad thinking and supplies you with an arsenal of strategies to help you be more creative, logical, inventive, realistic, and rational in all aspects of your daily life.
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My Big TOE: Awakening, written by a nuclear physicist in the language of contemporary culture, unifies science and philosophy, physics and metaphysics, mind and matter, purpose and meaning, the normal and the paranormal. The entirety of human experience (mind, body, and spirit) including both our objective and subjective worlds is brought together under one seamless scientific understanding.
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What a Trip (but to where?)
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What listeners say about The Hidden History of Holidays
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Natasha Wanderly
- 03-22-21
Wonderfully entertaining and enlightening
Wow I love Hannah’s personality, spunk, and storytelling magic. Also, I was so impressed by how little I knew about such common holidays, they have such great depth! This was a glorious listen.
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- RBfrom RJA
- 07-21-20
Great revelation of history.
Loved it. Full of very interesting facts and observations of history and the Holidays we celebrate.
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- Joel Grigg
- 12-31-21
Interesting and informative
while portions are appealing they are diminished by the author's apparent lack of research - specifically when dealing with issues or events regarding faith based history. For example she credits Henry VIII for reducing saint days when such decisions occured under Elizabeth I. Recomend a listen but carefully.
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- Jeremy
- 11-30-21
Intriguing
very interesting in-depth analysis of the origins in traditions of our holidays! Bull of information long forgotten by passed down tradition. but more than just the holidays the author has tangents that discuss for instance burial tradition in history while she's discussing the memorial day lecture. very useful and intriguing facts about the origins of many human customs.
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- DnTA
- 11-24-22
interesting and informative
Excellent detail. Interesting living histories mixed with historical fact and legend. Some holidays the author focused on her own family's history and traditions more than I enjoyed. My teen and preteen didn't enjoy this much. But listening to each holiday as it occurred in the calendar month gave them a learning opportunity without the frustration of listening to this author in too long doses. She has a pleasant voice; easy to hear in the car or over head phones. Worth a listen to expand understanding of holidays in the USA.
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- Anonymous User
- 03-06-23
MUST LISTEN - incredible performance
Has it all! Thoroughly researched and informative, UNBELIEVABLE voice performance, wonderful storytelling. Such a fun topic! 100000000 stars ✨⭐️🌟⭐️✨
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- S. Crane
- 11-09-23
Excellently performed
I really enjoyed the histories, I felt like there were several stories or information that were left out and random side stories that were added that didn’t feel like they added to the history of things more her personal viewpoints on certain things. I would definitely listen to it again, but I felt like there were some things that were missing that at least to me have been fairly common knowledge as to origins. But I did learn a lot.
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- Sharlene
- 09-28-23
Delightful and fascinating
In depth, entertaining and delightfully narrated. This work was educationally entertaining from start to finish and I'll be listening to this one again. Well done!
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- Steven
- 03-09-20
Excellent & knowledgeable look at origins of major holidays
Hannah does an amazing performance of material. This is lecture series is very detailed yet the delivery of material is entertaining. This will be one I repeatedly listen to in the future especially at the particular holidays referenced.
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- MrGetFitz
- 09-28-20
Wonderful Storytelling
Great selection of holidays and associated information. A top notch story teller that keeps you engaged from the first to last word.
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