Monthly Archives: November 2010

Superstition

No Use Crying Over Spilt Salt

When you spill pepper, you do nothing, but that’s not the case when you spill salt. You just gotta throw some over your shoulder. It’s a superstition so embedded in so many people, it’s almost at the point where it’s tradition. I mean, they even do it on the food network. Emeril is always running around his little kitchen setup on the backlot of some studio, tossing about ingredients, cutting peppers or whatnot, yelling BAM! everywhere, he spills a little salt, tosses some over his shoulder, and moves on. I asked a bunch of people about this superstition, and why they thought it was so prevalent.

Tradition/Christmas Season

Mayra often attends a Posada around Christmas time, which she says are “really popular in Mexico.” Posadas are like parties, where everyone in a neighborhood dresses up and goes from door to door asking for food, drinks, and occasionally sings carols. At the end, one house lets you in for a giant party in which everybody attends. It’s supposed to be similar to the search for a place to give birth by Mary and Joseph.

A lot of the time, Christmas traditions can be very tied to the religious roots of the Holiday, but more than ever we seem to be moving away from that, with Christmas coming to represent the big fat guy in the red suit and shiny, wrapped gifts rather than any sort of religious symbol. Whatever way you celebrate it, Christmas is a popular folk holiday with many different, unique traditions and ways of celebrating it. It seems like every house you go to has a different variation on how they celebrate, a small twist in tradition. The actual traditions of the Holiday are so diverse that it seems like the only one that everyone seems to follow is the Christmas tree.

Game, Rhyme

Ring Around The Rosie

Rosy Posies

I was at work when another co-worker of mine suggested that I look into that old children’s game, Ring Around The Rosie. Her name is Kristen, and when I asked her why she explained that she had head it “had something to do with the black plague.”
So, I looked it up. I remembered playing the game when I was a kid, holding hands with my peers and the exhilaration I felt before letting my legs out and dropping to the grass in laughter.
Line by line, the old rhyme can be analyzed and connected to the Black Death bubonic plague that swept through Europe, Asia, and Africa in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Apparently, the first line refers rose-colored puss boils that people would get all of their body at the start of infection, which would eventually become encircled by dark rings.
The second line refers to the custom of putting posies in the pockets of those killed by the plague, in order to warn people from going near the body, because the disease was extremely contagious.
“Ashes, Ashes” refers to the ashes of the dead, because those who died of the disease would eventually be burned to ashes in order to stop the spread of the Black Death.
The last line, “We all fall down” refers to peoples fear that the disease would wipe out the entire population of the earth. Almost everyone knew someone who died of the disease, and it wiped out a large portion of the population.

Ancestor Worship – India

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Ancestor Worship- India

Sudharam discussed this cultural celebration that is practiced to worship your ancestors. The ceremony involves a Neem tree which is prayed to and a portion of it is also consumed to cure jaundice and many other ailments. Great respect is shown to the tree because it represents the respect you show to the elders. While praying to the tree you take sunflower oil and put 22 dots on the tree and then you proceed to tie red thread around the twigs. Sudharam made it important to note that this is only done by women. He could not say if the number 22 had some secondary meeting but in general he feels this practice is for the well being of the ancestors.

Sudharam commented that when he was raised he had to show supreme reverence toward his elders, both living and dead. In his family the eldest people always were at the head of the family making the decisions guiding the family in the right direction. Ancestor worship is yet another form of that, as you pray to your relatives who have passed to watch over you and guide you along your path in life. Also the ancestor worship practiced was to ensure that those who have passed continue to have a good life in the after life.

I feel this practice displays a strong respect for the past. Clearly in this culture they believe in the power of their ancestors to play a part in their lives currently, hoping they may be able to benefit them in some way. It seems to me that ancestor worship is practiced because people fear the unknown and that which they can not control. So by praying to their ancestors to watch over them, they are trying to gain some control back. I feel that it is very odd that in the United States, elders do not get as much respect as they do in other countries. Perhaps that is because the U.S. is so oriented at looking at the future while other cultures place an emphasis on learning things from the past.

Rite of Passage – India

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Rakshabandahan- Brother Sister Rite of Passage- India

According to Sudharam this festival involves an oath between a brother and a sister. During this celebration the whole family gathers together at the house. The sister ties a red thread to the wrist of the brother asking her brother to protect her in times of trouble and watch out for her. After that the brother gives her a gift or some money and then the sister put a sweet into the mouth of her brother. The forehead of the brother is also decorated with a dot of red paint and several grains of rice. This festival happens in September and again is based on the lunar calendar.

Sudharam participated in this celebration many years as a child and said that he felt extremely close to his sister because of this. He still has saved all the red strings from each of the ceremonies and even now that he has moved to the United States her sister still sends a red string to him every year. Sudharam spoke with a lot of emotion about this festival, clearly showing that he cares greatly about his sister.

I feel this is a very intimate celebration that represents the emphasis on family in this culture. I can relate very strongly to this ritual because I too feel very close to my sister. Although my family does not have a formal celebration of this closeness but many times in my childhood I have confirmed to my sister that I will watch over her. This ritual reflects the true love and bond between a brother and sister. In general this ritual serves to bring the family close together.

This ceremony also speaks to the concept of gender roles in society. The brother being the male automatically assumes the role of protector. The girl being weaker and less aggressive needs the protection of the older brother. This idea is displayed unequivocally in that ceremony but also holds true in the United States, just without the ceremony attached to it. I have always been told by my parents to watch our for my younger sister, and indeed I do feel inclined to protect her.