Fiesta
A Journey Through Festivity
Published on 14. August 2025
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-83773-251-7 (ISBN)
Description
A journey through human festivity, told through colourful travel narratives set at some of the world's most eye-catching festivals and interweaved with insights from the fields of anthropology, history, psychology, and folklore, examining why we celebrate festivals in the ways we do.
Fiesta explores the vibrant tapestry of human festivity, delving into the extraordinary lengths to which we go to express our cultures and commemorate life's milestones. From drunken pilgrimages to sacrificial funerals, national days to neo-pagan necromancy, festivals represent human culture at its most vivid and varied, and the resulting account is both a rich collection of travel writing and an anthropological exploration of the roles that festivals play in society. Through colourful characters, vibrant sights, and varied locales, Daniel Stables takes a curious, humanistic look at festivals across the world, unravelling the universal threads that run through our diverse global celebrations.
Fiesta explores the vibrant tapestry of human festivity, delving into the extraordinary lengths to which we go to express our cultures and commemorate life's milestones. From drunken pilgrimages to sacrificial funerals, national days to neo-pagan necromancy, festivals represent human culture at its most vivid and varied, and the resulting account is both a rich collection of travel writing and an anthropological exploration of the roles that festivals play in society. Through colourful characters, vibrant sights, and varied locales, Daniel Stables takes a curious, humanistic look at festivals across the world, unravelling the universal threads that run through our diverse global celebrations.
Reviews / Votes
Daniel has the rare ability to seamlessly take fascinating anthropological and psychological perspectives and weave them into exciting travel narratives. A unique insight into the human condition through the lens of gatherings of all description - thought-provoking and inspiring. * Levison Wood, author of Walking the Nile * A fascinating and illuminating exploration of the world's most remarkable festivals, packed with vivid descriptions and perceptive insights. An engaging and original writer, Stables guides you from masquerade carnivals to Shrovetide mob football matches, Romani pilgrimages to New Age utopias with wit and flair. * Shafik Meghji, author of Small Earthquakes and Crossed Off the Map * Ranging across continents and pulsing with original, on-the-ground research, Dan Stables' debut is smart, enquiring, vivid and often joyful - shedding light on how shared experience can bind festival attendees together. * Oliver Smith, author of On This Holy Island * Alternately rollicking and reflective, Fiesta profiles the most fascinating and eye-catching festivals around the world - and what they reveal about the human need for ritual and connection * BBC Travel *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Duxford
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
594 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83773-251-7 (9781837732517)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Daniel Stables has been working as a travel writer for the last decade, first writing guidebooks for Rough Guides, and later writing articles for National Geographic, the BBC, and national newspapers. He has won acclaim and recognition for his work, having received several nominations for Travel Writer of the Year. More of his work can be found at his website, danielstables.co.uk.