Nationality: American, Indian

Primary Language: English

Other language(s):  Spanish

Age: 20

Occupation: Student

Residence: California

Performance Date: 4-20-18

What it is: Tamal traditions

“Tamal is a Indian religion. Here are two Tamal traditions. In the tamal religion it is customary to shave the babies head before christening. Based on the tamal religion, cows are sacred and traditionally, some families select on day of the week to honor the cow and are vegetarian on that day. In my family we were vegetarian on Mondays.”

Why they know it:  As a child, Navina was super curious, and would ask her parents about their traditions.

When is it said: There isn’t a specific time in which this is said. It comes up more when asked about it.

Where did it come from: India

Thoughts: To me, this is one of the most unusual folklore I have collected. I was raised in a semi-vegetarian household; however, designating a specific day to be vegetarian is a new thought for me. None-the-less, I can respect that this is a weekly tradition for her family because I have a tradition similar in mine. These traditions help shape the person into who they are and what they do in life and in the world. It provides them with values they can hold onto.