The Hollow Holiday: Christmas, a Time of Death in Appalachia

Abstract

An inquiry was conducted into the question of the influence of Christmas and Easter on the occurrence of death. The authors hypothesized that dying might be postponed until after these two important events resulting in a significantly increased frequency of death after these holidays. Obituaries were read for 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after each holiday for 6 alternate years beginning in 1960 and ending in 1970. Chi square analyses were calculated for each week. The results indicated a significant peak 2 weeks after Christmas (p < .05). The Easter data did not corroborate the authors' hypothesis.