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Before Chinese newlyweds can marry, they commonly participate in a ‘Hair Combing Ceremony’ where the parents of the bride and groom will comb their respective child’s hair four times while uttering blessings.

Context: 

Informant: “When my cousin got married last year, my family and I flew back to China for two weeks to participate in a long string of pre-wedding activities and traditions. Out of all of these practices, one specific one stood out to me. The night before the wedding, I sat in a room with a few of our family members and watched my aunt comb my cousin’s hair as she recited [what I think were] Buddhist passages. The whole thing lasted just a few minutes, but this activity was hyped up so much. While it was happening, my mother explained to me that this was a common practice in a lot of weddings to bring good luck to the marriage. Even the groom received his own ceremony, apparently!”

Analysis: 

Rituals, both repurposed Buddhist and traditional ones, are commonly found in most Chinese weddings. The hair combing ceremony is no exception. My informant seems to have witnessed a modified version of this ceremony; traditionally, the ceremony involves several pre-rituals, such as bathing and eating, and has to be done very auspiciously—for example, the bride’s ritual must always start one hour after the groom’s ritual and must be done at a time of day designated by a holy individual. The key thing to note about this tradition, however, is that the crux of it features an ancient Chinese blessing that is uttered which each comb of the hair.

Superstitions are common in Chinese culture and this ritual is no exception; many superstitions in Chinese culture pertain to the concept of ‘aging’ which is seen as a pathway to respect and wisdom. The act of combing one’s hair symbolizes the transition and resolution of childhood as the couple-to-be transitions to adulthood. In my informant’s version of the ceremony, hair is only brushed four times. In the actual ceremony, hair should be brushed 10 times, with a specific proverb/mantra uttered every single time the hair is brushed. Each mantra is a blessing of prosperity and happiness to the newly couple; for example, the loosely-translated line “May you fill your home with your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all over the place,” both wishes the couple success and alludes to their lineage and generational prosperity. Ultimately, this simple ceremony ties very strongly to key Chinese beliefs relating to aging and wisdom as well as acknowledges the superstitious nature of many

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Dumplings are a traditional meal commonly eaten on Chinese or Lunar New Year.

Context:

Informant: “Every Chinese New Year, my mother always prepares a feast, the main staple/course of which are the dumplings. She always says it’s a must we eat them on New Years, so much so that we even eat them on American New Year’s as well.”

Analysis:

Wealth and success are values that are strongly held in Chinese culture. In fact, they’re so integrally tied that one must achieve wealth and prosperity to truly be viewed as ‘successful’. The dumpling’s that my informant eats every Chinese New Year is such an engrained tradition because it is said to resemble the money pouches—i.e. the red envelopes commonly handed out on Lunar New Year—which are symbols for wealth and prosperity. Even the dumpling making itself is ritualistic as it commonly a family where all members participate in the cooking process, a sign of familial values and unity that are very important in their culture.

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On Nowruz, most commonly referred to as Persian New Year, it is a custom to buy and wear a completely fresh and new set of clothes.

Context:

Informant: “Before every Nowruz, my Kazakh family will always go to the mall and buy a brand new set of clothes to wear. Back when we used to live in Kazakhstan, we would always buy a fresh traditional outfit; but now that we are in the states, we just usually stick to mall clothing. To me, it’s like buying a new outfit to wear before the first day of school.”

Analysis:

In Persian, and many Middle Eastern cultures, cleanliness is a strongly held value that is encouraged especially before important cultural occasions. For example, most Muslims will bathe before praying or entering Mosques as a symbol of respect and purity. It is also a value associated with rebirth. In addition to my informant’s callout about buying a fresh set of clothes, many who celebrate Nowruz will also clean their entire house during the holiday. This is a sign of the washing away of sins and also symbolizes the rebirth of those who celebrate the holiday as it marks the beginning of the New Year.

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In Indian culture, it is custom to wear white, and only white, to funerals.

Context:

Informant: When I attended my Tata’s [grandfather] funeral last summer, my whole family went out and bought an all white outfit. We honestly looked like European travelers. When we attended the funeral, everyone was dressed in only white which was interesting to me, since I had only attended American funerals where everyone dresses in black.”

Analysis:

In Indian, and specifically Hindu culture, funerals are actually viewed more optimistically, which aligns with the Hindu belief of reincarnation. Their view on death is that it washes away one’s sins and allows them to be ‘reborn. Funerals are not somber occasions where black is worn to mourn and honor the dead. Instead, white is worn to symbolize purity and hope. This aligns with the Hindu practice of cremation over burial; Hindus believe that cremation allows one to leave all of their mortal attachments to Earth and begin anew in their reincarnated chapter without any ties or connections to their original existence. In fact, it is seen as ill-willed and inauspicious to wear black to such occasions.

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In Chinese culture, it is common for the deceased’s family to remove all mirrors from their house.

Context:

Informant: “When my grandfather passed away, our family remained in a state of mourning for literally months. One thing I distinctly remember was my mother covering all mirrors in our house including my bathroom one, with bedsheets for a few months, I was in 6th grade, so to me this was very different from when my friend’s grandparents all passed; to me it seemed like their families moved on pretty quickly! And it also made getting ready for school difficult”

Analysis:

In Chinese culture, it is common for the deceased to be taken to their familial house to rest after passing away. However, it is a sign of bad luck to view the casket of the deceased in a mirror. If viewed, the reflection will grant bad luck to whoever viewed the image and may result in an early death. The reason that the mirrors may have been covered for months on end is because it is also traditional to respect a 100 day mourning period in Chinese culture, given the deceased a chance to properly mourn their dead loved one and give them the chance to support them in their passing on to the afterlife. Considering how superstitious many birth and death traditions are in Chinese culture, both the ritual to cover the mirrors and mourn for months on end (really 100 days) makes sense.