Author Archives: Samuel Gong

Custom – Oregon

Making a Wish on a Shooting Star

When one sees a shooting star, he is presented with a rare opportunity.  If he immediately makes a wish after he has seen it, and tells nobody of the details of his wish, it will come true.

I first came across this piece of folklore when I was driving about six months ago on the Interstate 5 highway.  On the way to the Weekender for the USC versus UC Berkeley football game, I was with my friend Alex and a couple of others.  I do not quite remember where we were; wherever it was, it was far removed from any city lights.  We could see the stars above in a way that was utterly impossible in the bright city of Los Angeles.  As I watched the road ahead, I suddenly saw a flash of light across the sky.  It was a shooting star.  Startled, I announced my sighting.  Immediately my friend Alex told me to make a wish.  As I was about to tell her my wish, she stopped me, saying that if I told anybody before it came true, it would not come true at all.

I knew very little about this belief; I have lived all my life in the urban area of Los Angeles county, where stars are rarely seen.  The towering lines of skyscrapers, along with the smoggy air and blaring city lights crowd out the feeble light of the stars.  As shooting stars are themselves a rare occurrence, and coupled with the fact that I rarely see the stars, it is understandable that I had never before seen a shooting star.  None of my friends who had lived around this area in the car had ever heard of the wish-making belief either.  This can perhaps be attributed to our geographic location – without clear view of the sky, beliefs and rituals concerning the stars are understandably rare.

However my friend Alex, also a freshman here at USC, was from Portland, Oregon.  She explained how in her city, a small suburb off of Portland, the stars crowd the sky every night.  This is one of the main things she misses here in Los Angeles.  With such greater visibility of the stars, I speculated that it was natural that beliefs such as the one she related to me had developed in her area.  It is understandable that in any area where the stars are a very real, visible part of the night, beliefs concerning them will arise.

After doing some research on the internet, I soon found that perhaps I had been isolated in my little town of Hermosa Beach.  Numerous references to this idea of making a wish after seeing a shooting star existed.  From movies to novels to blogs, it seemed everybody except me had known about this belief.  An NBA.com article used the phrase “Wish a upon a Shooting Star” for its title.  Megan Quant published a children’s book entitled The Shooting Star Wish. A Disney movie starring Katherine Heigl, which debuted in 1995 was entitled “Wish Upon a Star.”  In this movie, sisters wish to swap places with each other after seeing a shooting star; the next morning, to their surprise, they have swapped places, finding themselves in each other’s bodies.  From Hollywood to the media and even to the libraries of children, this belief that one should make a wish after seeing a shooting star is very popular.

This is a very novel idea.  In this age where so much emphasis is placed on pure science and cold reason, this idea invokes the concept of wishes magically coming true.  When so many say that there is nothing that we cannot see, this belief is rooted in the unseen.  In a world where everybody is told they must fend for themselves, this belief offers a ray of hope that is beyond the scope of this human world.  It is appealing to say the least; perhaps its appealing nature has led to its widespread propagation throughout the American culture.

Tradition – Chinese

Chinese New Year – Red Envelopes

For Chinese New Year, it is traditional that the elder members of the family, such as the aunts, uncles, and grandparents, give all the children in the family a gift.  This is most often given in a small red envelope, with a measure of money inside.  The envelope is small, maybe about three by five inches in size.  It is usually heavily embossed, with intricate gold artwork.  Traditional Chinese characters are often used, such as those for good luck, happiness, joy, or other such pleasant things.  Beasts which are favorably looked upon by the Chinese people, such as dragons, tigers, or phoenixes also occasionally adorn these envelopes.

I collected this piece of folklore from my maternal grandfather.  Like the last piece of folklore he explained to me, he told me he did not know who or from where this originated.  He stated that it is very widespread in China, having probably originated very long ago from that region.  He explained that this was part of starting the New Year “off right.”  The idea was that if one started the New Year by giving receiving a packet of money covered with symbols of good luck, that one would experience wealth and good fortune throughout the rest of the coming year.  Each aspect of the packet is symbolic.  First of all, the colors, red with predominantly gold artwork, are both colors representative of happiness and good luck.  The artwork is also symbolic; if a Chinese character is used, is most usually a phrase such as happiness, or good fortune.  If an animal is depicted, the meanings can cover a range of different things.  Perennially popular choices include the dragon, the tiger, or the phoenix.  The dragon, one of the most powerful beings in Chinese literature, represents absolute passion and elegance.  The tiger is a striking symbol of brute strength and power.  The magical phoenix, on the other hand, is the utmost profession of fortune, good luck, and divine favor.  Or, since there is a certain animal associated with each year according to the Chinese zodiac, these envelopes occasionally depict the appropriate zodiac animal for that year.

I spoke with my paternal grandfather about these Chinese New Year gifts and he confirmed their relevance.  However, as his English is not the best, it was difficult to get more detailed information about it from him.  He basically stated that these red envelopes were given by the older members of a family to the children to celebrate Chinese New Year.  This shows that this tradition was present in many different areas of China, as my paternal grandfather came from a rural Cantonese-speaking area, while my maternal grandfather spoke Mandarin, originating from a more urban area.

Indeed, a quick trip to Chinatown around the time of Chinese New Year will allow one to witness this tradition firsthand.  Around this time, any shop in Chinatown will sell these small red envelopes in massive quantities; in fact, even businesses who do not usually sell merchandise such as restaurants will often sell these red envelopes. The propagation of this custom is amazing; from personal experience, one may receive these red envelopes from multitudes of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and even older cousins or family friends.  It seems everybody is intent on starting off the New Year with a generous traditional Chinese gift.

Ritual – University of Southern California

Kick the Flagpoles

Before home football games at the University of Southern California, many people either park, party, or eat somewhere on campus.  As the game nears kickoff, the thousands of dedicated fans stream south toward the Coliseum.  On the way they pass a series of towering flag poles shows on the left which over look an entrance to the south side of campus from Exposition Boulevard.  Every fan makes it a point to kick one of the bases of the flagpoles as he passes for good luck.  Since it is supposed to bring good luck on the Trojans, fans of opposing teams will almost never kick the flagpoles.  With literally thousands of fans kicking the noisy bases, it creates a racket which can be heard for blocks.

This tradition is specific to USC; as far as I know, no other university has such a tradition.  My friend Grant reminded me of this tradition when were we discussing the many traditions of USC.  A freshman here, originally from Berkeley, California, he had no idea as the why this kicking started.  Although I have lived about half an hour from USC all my life, I had no idea either.  We both learned this ritual when we went to our first home football game here.  I remember walking past the imposing poles when a large man, probably a graduate student or upperclassman, said “Hey, you gotta kick the flag pole, man.” “Why?” I asked.  “I don’t know dude, its good luck.”  We kicked the loose base of the flag pole, everybody smiled, and then continued on our trek to the Coliseum.  We probably discussed the tradition for a while, but like the big fan who had told us about it, we could not conclude much else about the ritual other than that it was for good luck, presumably for the Trojans.

After we thought about the tradition a second time for this collection, we hypothesized that the tradition may have started unintentionally.  The bases of the flagpoles are extremely noisy when kicked.  As they are placed on the edge of campus, they can be viewed as the last markers of “Trojan territory.”  As such, perhaps a person accidentally kicked one of the bases on his way out.  Seeing the drunken nature of many tailgate parties, this sort of stumbling is not at all unlikely.  So, perhaps one from the other legions of fans marching over to the Coliseum heard the noise initiated by the drunken stumbler.  Interpreting it as a type of rallying cry, one last bang before leaving the comfort of Troy and entering into the battlefield of the Coliseum, these fans picked up on it and began kicking the bases of the other flagpoles too.  Delighted by the loud, resounding clamor they were making, they soon decided to do it the next game, as well.  It is possible that in this way the tradition started.  A quick internet search revealed that nobody really knew how the tradition started; several sites speculated something along the lines of the idea outlined by the above paragraph.

Anyhow, the tradition allows dedicated Trojan fans to participate in a group activity.  As freshmen learning the tradition, we felt that we were in a way being initiated into the Trojan family.  Like all those proud Trojans before us, we too now knew that we were supposed to kick the flagpoles on the way to the Coliseum before a home game.  Although we do not know the true origins, it does not matter, as it has developed into a true Trojan tradition – and so we proudly kick away as we walk to the Coliseum, contributing to the joyous clamor which embodies the spirit of Troy.

Rite of Passage – California

Eighteen Year Old Celebration – Exercising of Rights

When a boy turns eighteen years old, he is considered a man.  Now that considered an adult, he is given a slew of new rights.  In order to celebrate his new freedoms, he goes with his friends and buys a cigarette, and pornographic magazine, lottery ticket, and registers to vote.

My friend Grant told me this as we were driving back to USC from my house in Hermosa Beach.  He explained that this ritual takes place when an individual turns eighteen, a number set by the government in which a minor crosses over and is finally considered an adult.  The individual is lifted of many restrictions, such as the restriction on tobacco, pornography, the lottery, and voting.  Having chafed at these restrictions for eighteen long years, the individual is now allowed access to them all.  While some may argue that the restriction on tobacco is the most bothersome, others may feel that the pornography law is the most grievous, while still others more politically inclined may be most upset by their lack of a political voice.  Whatever the case is, when one turns eighteen it is fitting that he should exercise all these newfound freedoms in celebration of his new adult status.  “You can do this shit now,” he said in closing, “you may as well.”

When I asked him, Grant later on replied that he couldn’t remember who had taught him this ritual.  After a short discussion, we concluded that it was a natural result of the system of restrictions set by the government.  These heavy-handed rules are universal, applying to everybody throughout the nation regardless of their unique personal situation.  No exceptions are made; whether a person is a mature seventeen and a half year old, living on his own, working two jobs while taking care of his little sisters, or an obese, immature mama’s boy who still wets the bed, the laws are the same.  The unforgiving, universal nature of the law is the facet that is the most unjust and stirs up the most resentment.  These restrictions, furthermore, are put in place by elected officials – officials elected not by the individuals who these rules affect, but by their elders.  In this nation where everyone is supposed to have a voice, the massive population that is the youth of America is silenced.  Angry about the rules they must follow which they had no say in the creation of, when the youth finally breaks free of the restrictions he is naturally indignant and at the same time excited.  Whether he really felt the urge to or not, since he now can practice these previously restricted activities, he feels he must.  It is for this reason that he engages in this somewhat questionable activity of purchasing cigarettes, pornography, and lottery tickets.  He is also understandable eager to finally have a say in the rule by which he must live, and registers to vote.

While I had not engaged in this particular ritual when I turned eighteen, I had known many people who had.  I simply refrained because I had little desire to smoke, view pornography, play the lottery, or vote.  With that being said, I still see why one would engage in such activity on an eighteenth birthday.  It is for these reasons along with our deep analysis of the internal motives at work driving this behavior that I do not feel ritual is regional.  From “Nor Cal” down to sunny “So Cal,” these pent up feelings of resentment coupled with thrill of release make this routine quite universal.

Joke – California

Blonde Joke – Stranded on an Island

Three women, a brunette, and redhead, and a blonde are stranded on a desert island in the Pacific Ocean.  There is no food or way of surviving for an extended about of time.  The mainland, however, is only ten miles away.  Knowing that they face certain death if they stay there, the redhead decides to try to swim to safety.  She swims three miles, gets tired, then drowns.  The other two islanders are obviously dismayed; however, the brunette knows that she has to at least try to swim to safety.  “I’m stronger than that weak redhead; if anybody has a chance of making it off this island, its me.”  Having said this, she sets off.  She swims and swims, passing the redheads three mile mark.  However at around seven miles, she tires out, and unable to stay afloat, drowns.  The blonde is now left all alone.  “I guess I may as well try too,” she said.  She starts to swim. One mile, two miles, three miles… before she knows it, she is nine miles away from the island.  “I’m really really tired,” she says, “I  can’t go on!”  So, she swims back to the island.

My younger brother, Nathanael Gong, told me this story when I asked him for a “funny joke.”  He currently attends Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, California.  A junior, he says he cannot remember where he learned this joke.  Having grown up in the same house in Hermosa Beach as him, perhaps it is not unsurprising that the joke sounded extremely familiar to me when he started telling it.

The source, Nathanael, explained that this joke was just one in a large series of what he called “blonde jokes.”  This category of jokes is founded on the belief that blondes are inherently less intelligent than individuals with other colors of hair.  These jokes usually imply that the subject is a blonde woman, though often they do not specify gender.  This gender implication could testify to the belief that men are more intelligent than women.  Thus blonde jokes are based a couple of bigoted ideas – that blondes are not as smart as those of other hair colors, and that women are less intelligent than men.

The reason this joke is funny, of course, is because of the stupidity of the blonde individual in this story.  Having been stranded on the desert island with two friends, a redhead and brunette, the blonde is presented with the same dilemma as her friends.  The term “brunette” is most commonly used to refer to brown-haired women; for this reason I will refer to the individuals as women.  The redhead is the first to try to escape the island.  Unfortunately for her, she is not strong enough to swim the entire distance and drowns after three miles.  The brunette goes next, making it much farther than the redhead but ultimately falling short of survival.  Based on the results of these two women, it could be inferred that the author of the joke felt that brunettes were stronger or in some way more capable than redheads.  Finally, we come to the poor blonde.  She swims a whopping nine miles before deciding she is too tired and swimming back.   This is of course the irony of the story; even though she could have swum one more mile to the safety of the shore, she instead chose to swim the long miles back to the desert island.  Her stupidity in this situation is the facet of the joke that makes this joke funny.  The listener and teller both realize the smart decision (to swim the extra mile) and the blonde’s ignorance of it. Upon coming upon this fact, both get a good laugh out of this poor individual’s stupidity.