Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 04/26/2024

Text:

“In high school, whenever it was opening night of a play or musical, all the cast and crew would go into the hallway like 15 minutes before we started and do a little dance. You first like take your right hand and put it by you right ear, and shake it 8 times while counting like ‘one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight.’ You put it at your side, and do the same thing with your left hand (by your left ear), your right foot (raised a little bit), and finally your left foot (raised a bit). You then start over with your right hand again, but only counting till four this time. You do the full cycle, then do it twice, and then once.”

Context:

The informant was a participant in theater for about eight years of her life through an external theater group. She remembers an older performer teaching it to her and her friends the night before their first show when she was eleven. It has since served as a ritual before every single opening night she has ever been a part of. She said it wasn’t really for luck or anything, but rather as a dance to commemorate the start of a new show, and to shake the nerves out. While she has performed with a variety of different people, she said that normally a vast majority (and nearly all by her senior year) knew the dance, and teaching those that didn’t was a heartwarming and fond moment every time it happened.

Analysis:

Dances are a common form of ritual as the ordered steps can easily be taught and instructed. I think that this form of ritual is quite common, as it serves as a bonding mechanism, while also being a form of tradition that can be passed down through generations and cycles of performers. I think the personal value of this is relatively clear, as it is a way to invoke the energy and memories of past performances, while marking the start of a new one. Furthermore, it is a way to “shake out the nerves,” and expel jitters, serving as soothing ritual prior to a relatively stressful experience. This ritual has definitely been featured in TV shows before, and most has probably spread in part because of that, and because it is a way for performers to contribute something to a new cast and new performance.

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 04/26/2024

Text:

“If it was snowing outside when to bed as a kid, no matter how much, I would sleep with a spoon under my pillow, put a pair of underwear in the freezer, and sleep with my pajamas inside out. This would increase the chances of a snow day.”

Context:

The informant grew up in the midwest, in a state that got snow in the winters. She said that her third grade teacher taught them the ritual after her class came to school while it was snowing. All of her classmates had been hoping for a snow day, and were all complaining that they didn’t get one. Even as an adult, she continues to do it out of the nostalgia, although hasn’t done it this year as she has been in California.

Analysis:

This ritual, which is very common and wide spread, follows three very specific acts in a very specific circumstance (snow). This is a ritual that I heard as a kid in the fourth grade. I know plenty of people who have mentioned this ritual at some point or another. I find this ritual really interesting because it has no logical basis in actually increasing the chance of a snow day. However, it relies on the hope and optimism of young kids, and is easily spread as kids tell their friends with hopes it will increase the chances of a snow day. I find this specific ritual interesting, though, because the informant knows that it will not do anything. Rather, she does it as a way to do something that she did as a kid. I think that this shows the personal nostalgic value the ritual holds, in bringing comfort and memories on snowy nights.

Nationality: Nigerian
Primary Language: English
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 04/26/2024

Text:

“Any day I have a test or exam, I will wake up thirty minutes early and take a walk outside playing a specific playlist I have had since I was fourteen, that my older brother made me. I don’t do it for luck or anything, but just because it puts me in the right mindset.”

Context:

The informant, a college student, created this ritual herself. It came as a blend of two separate things: her brother’s playlist, and her mom, who always told her to take a walk before an exam. She has not skipped the ritual ever, with one exception her senior year when it was raining heavily and her umbrella was at risk of blowing away. Rather than being a superstition or something for luck, this ritual is a specific event in a specific context to soothe and calm the informant. This is something she does alone, and thus has not consciously attempted to spread it to other people.

Analysis:

Taking a walk before a stressful event is a relatively common act, however in this case, it is meticulously done, with a specific playlist, consistently before exams. The particularity by which this is done is a reflection of the comfort repletion and order can bring to someone. I think the informant has not attempted to spread the ritual because it is person, and holds personal value. It is not that it is a secret, but rather that it is just something that brings comfort to her. Individual acts of comfort and ritual are often intimate and pseudo-secrets because they hold context specific to ones life, that is not necessarily translatable to others. Furthermore, while not for luck, the ritual serves as an associative mechanism to get the informant in the mindset of an exam, which can be helpful in placing someone in the right mindset for an event.

Nationality: Vietnamese
Primary Language: English
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 04/26/2024

Text:

“My mom would make small bags of rice, made out of red velvet, and sew it into any clothes my sister or I got as kids. The bags are pretty small, like the size of a knuckle. She actually still does it if she buys me something, but a lot of my closet is stuff I buy.

Context:

The informant, who grew up with Vietnamese parents, recalls his mother sewing the little bags for as long as he can remember. He knew that other people of his extended family did the same thing, but hasn’t heard of it with people of other cultures. When he was a young teen he really being frustrated by it because he thought it was dumb, and that if anything it was irritating for his skin, but now smiles a little every time he wears a piece of clothing containing a bag. It reminds him of his mom, and of the methodical love and affection she showed. He recalls the act of the sewing following each day shopping or after every delivery as a fond ritual.

Analysis:

While the ritual of sewing most likely holds cultural or familial significance for the informants mother, it holds different significance for the informant. Rather than representing good luck, it is a signifier of the love of his mother, and a reminder that he is cared for. The ritual, that was consistently done after any shopping trip, is one that the informant now looks forward to, demonstrating the potential of certain rituals to bring people together. It also serves as a consistent display of affection, from a family member, that can be expected and thus brings comfort. I think that this act is really interesting as I had never heard of it before. I know that the color read often symbolizes fortune in certain cultures, but I find larger interest in the methodical and distinct act. Given that this is not something I have heard before, I believe that it may be unique to the informant’s family, and those holds personal and nostalgic value.