Author Archives: Hannah Butler

Vishu

My informant is a young Indian-American woman who takes great pride in her cultural customs and retains a strong connection to and knowledge of these practices. She told me about a practice known as Vishu, a New Year’s celebration specific to Kerala (but different variations are practiced in other regions).

The new year in Kerala is the day of the spring equinox. The preparations for Vishu are performed by the head woman/matriarch of the family, usually the grandmother or mother. She goes and makes an arrangement in the puja (prayer) room of the house, which is where a shrine usually is located. A core part of this arrangement is a metal mirror. Other components include fruits (specifically jackfruit, mangoes, and an open coconut as these are native Indian fruits) to signify a bountiful harvest, a little bit of money, and uncooked shelled rice.

The god in the shrine tends to be either Vishnu or Krishna, but sometimes they can be the regional South Indian deity Ayyappa. The ceremonial plate that holds all of the puja items is made of tin and is very flat with raised sides. There is also a lamp, flowers, vermillion (kumkum) for bindis, and turmeric which is also applied to the neck and forehead.

After the preparation is complete, the woman who prepared it will sleep overnight in the puja room, so that the arrangement is the first thing that she sees when she wakes up. There is a specific time frame that she is supposed to wake up between, as it is auspicious. My informant had trouble remembering the exact times, but she believed the time frame was between 3 or 4 and 6 am. After she awakes, she will pray at the shrine. Then, she goes around the house and wakes up each family member one by one, blindfolding each family member and leading them to the puja room so that the arrangement is also the first thing that they see.

In Malayalam, “vishukani” essentially means “the first thing that you see”. My informant told me that Vishu has a distinctly calmer and more laid-back tone than most other Indian holidays, focusing on being happy with family rather than loud community celebrations. Vishu is also more of an astrological than religious holiday, as it centers around the spring equinox rather than a specific Hindu date.  Other customs surrounding Vishu are the practice of wearing new clothes, occasionally giving money to the children, and popping small firecrackers. Also, there is a traditional meal that is supposed to have every kind of flavor (ie. sweet, sour, bitter, etc.). Sometimes there is bitter mango, or this one sweet that has coconut milk and rice flour.

I love the idea of purposefully setting up an elaborate and auspicious arrangement so that you can begin the new year with a vision of beauty and prosperity.

Helping Hand Proverb

My informant comes from a family that has lived in rural Georgia (the US state, not the Eurasian country) for many generations. She told me that this proverb was often spoken by her father’s grandmother, who raised my informant’s father for a while during his childhood.

“The helping hand is at the end of your own arm”

This proverb stresses self-reliance and independence, and I noticed a similarity with another common proverb “God helps those who help themselves”. This proverb must have resonated with my informant’s family background of rural farmers who had to practice self-reliance in order to survive in a post-war time period and severe economic recession.

Vietnamese Superstition

My informant is the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants. She frequently visited Vietnam during her childhood, and told me about this superstition that her mother warned her about.

One time as a child, my informant was sleeping in the same bed as her parents and brother, and decided to sleep in the reverse position on the bed; with her feet near the pillow and her head near the foot of the bed. Her mother refused to let her sleep this way, and told her that if she slept in that position, that demons would grab her and take her away in her sleep.

I have noticed that this is a belief in other Asian countries as well, and I find it interesting that there is a connection between sleeping in an unusual way and supernatural vulnerability.

Great Depression Proverb

My informant’s mother was raised in the rural American south during the Great Depression. She learned this expression from her mother, as it was a popular phrase at the time.

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without”

This proverb essentially teaches about intense resourcefulness in a time of harsh economic recession. It stresses the idea that items should not be thrown away until they are absolutely useless, and not to hold onto things that are not practical. It provides a logical strategy for an emotionally taxing time in American history.

Hull Gull

My informant is from a family that lived in rural Georgia (the US state, not the Eurasian country) for many generations. She learned of this game from her mother, and later played it with her own children. It’s known colloquially as “Hull Gull”, and it is a guessing game. This is the variation that my informant is familiar with:

Someone holds a few objects in each hand, usually candy. They close their hands into fists and hold them out to another person, the guesser. They say “Hull Gull, hands full” and the guesser has to choose a hand and guess how many objects are in that hand. If they are correct, they receive whatever is in that hand. If they are incorrect, the other player (the one holding the objects) gets to keep whatever was in their hands.

This game is exciting to play because one has the prospect of earning candy or other trinkets, but the possibility of failure keeps it exciting. Further research indicates that it was first publicly shown in 1961 on the Ed Sullivan show, but it could potentially have roots further back. I am also unsure whether or not this is a specifically southern American game, but this is the only context that I have ever heard of it.