Booklist
America's fastest-growing minority shares a variety of heritages from New World lands where Spain once dominated. In The Latino Holiday Book, Valerie Menard outlines the full year's festivals, not merely Navidad, that have a distinctively Latino origin or a uniquely Latino way of observing the day. Menard's quite serious purpose is to educate, not to plan parties. She outlines histories of days of special celebration for people of Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican heritage. Only a few recipes appear in sidebars, but Menard devotes several pages to instructions on properly praying the rosary. The book is a useful reference for anyone seeking background information on this increasingly influential culture rapidly becoming mainstream. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
The Latino Holiday Book is the essential resource for everyone wanting to celebrate and honor the special traditions and celebrations of Hispanic-Americans. Author Valerie Menard takes us through the full year, covering new year's traditions, Día de los Reyes, Calle Ocho, Easter, Cinco de Mayo, the feast day of San Juan Bautista, the Cuban and Mexican celebrations of independence, National Puerto Rican Day, the feast of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre and Our Lady of the Divine Inspiration, Día de la Raza (the Latin American version of Columbus Day), Día de los Muertos, the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and Christmas. Weddings, birthdays, and quinceañeras are also explored in rich detail. For each celebration, Menard discusses their religious or social history, typical customs, special foods and activities, and gives recipes and instructions for making the authentic foods and crafts that particularly represent a day's traditions.
