Author Archives: Ashwin Appiah

Drinking Game

Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: English

Vince first played this game in October of 2006 his first semester in College. This is a game of memory and speed. The game is played in a circle. Each person in the circle has his or her own hand gesture. Vince said when he played it that he did a rowing motion and that was his hand motion for the whole game. After each person picks their hand gesture, everyone rapidly taps on the table and starts saying thumper, and the they increasingly say it faster and faster. Then as it peaks the leader of the group, who is usually the person who suggests playing the game, chants out “WHAT GAME ARE WE PLAYING!” and every one else answers back by saying “THUMPER!” Next he says “WHY DO WE PLAY THIS GAME!” and everyone else answers back by saying “TO GET MESSED UP!” Next he does his own hand gesture and does someone else’s, and then that person does his own and passes it on to someone else. This goes on until someone messes up, by doing someone’s hand gesture incorrectly or stutters in between. At that point the person who messed up takes a long sip of his beer or non-alcoholic drink. Vince says that it is the most fun when people have drank for a long time and they are intoxicated a bit because it is harder for them to remember each person’s gesture and pass it on. He also says that the game is best when there are more than 10 people, then it is harder to remember all the 10 gestures. Vince plays this game at least once when he is partying at his frat. He usually plays with girls and some of his friends.

Vince’s frat brother, Chuck, who I also interviewed, told me of another version of this game. He said that instead of just doing you gesture and another peron’s gesture, you have to remember each person’s gesture before that, and you make up gestures as you go instead of having set gestures for each person. He says that this game is harder than Vince’s version because of the amount of memorizing that has to be done.

This game can also be compared to the childhood game I played where we would pick a topic (i.e animals) then one person would say an animal and then the next person would say another that starts with the last letter of the animal the pervious person says. It is similar in the way that it is a memory game.

Game/Saying – United States

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: La Habra, CA
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Gujurati

Shotgun (riding shotgun)

Basically shotgun works like this, while in a group, if someone wants to sit in the front seat they would yell out shotgun. Whoever says it first gets to sit there. Those are the simple rules of shotgun. There are many minor rules that come into play while doing this. First of all, the driver and person calling shotgun should be able to see the car, or be in the vicinity of it so they can see it. Another main rule is that shotgun should be called loud enough so everyone in the group can here it.

I interviewed my really good friend about the origins of the shotgun rule and his knowledge about it. Since he has a car we rely on him heavily with our transportation (because we are car-less). He told me that the history of it started way back in the early century when people would sit next to the driver in stagecoaches. Those people would have real shot guns, hence the name Shotgun. He said that his friend told him back in 9th grade about this.

I have witnessed many shotguns before. Every time we go out as a group someone or the other will call shotgun. Most of the time there are mutual shotguns, in kindness. Recently though I introduced a new rule which I learned while I was back home in Seattle. This rule is that when someone calls shotgun, anyone can negate it by saying blitz and running to the seat. At first my friends thought I was making it up but soon enough I found a wikipedia article and proved it to them. Since then we have reinstated that rule and used to often. It gives it new life to the game.

Aadhar, my friend, also told me that this game is played in many places around the world. He said that his family friends in Canada and even Australia have heard of this game. He thinks that many English speaking countries have picked up on this.

Superstition – India

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Bombay, India
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Punjabi

Sneezing When you Leave

My informant told me about a superstition in her family. She told me that when you sneeze right when you were about to leave, it is bad luck and you were supposed to stay where you are for a few minutes before you leave. This happened to me in real life once. I sneezed right when I was about to leave her room and she told me to stay. She said that her mom always did it when she was young. I asked her if you needed to leave real badly what would happen then? She said that her mom would give her a spoon full of sugar so the bad luck would go away. I asked what the sugar symbolized and she didn’t have an answer to that. Her mother has held this superstition for a long time.

I believe that this superstition is very valid. When someone sneezes, I have always had a premonition that it is evil spirits inhabiting your body. So it is clear that when you sneeze when you leave evil spirits are there and are going to hamper your journey.

My informant also told me about many variations to her superstition. She said her mom used to tell her that when you sneeze early in the morning, it means that you are going to have good luck during the whole day. When you sneeze in the mid day you are going to get along well with everyone that day and when you sneeze late in the afternoon it is a sign of something bad. She has held these superstitions close to her. She said that one day she sneezed at night and she got a poor grade in her exams one night.

This superstition might be prevalent all over the world but this specific one is from India. People from India are very superstitious and credulous. I might say they are the most superstitious people in the world. Sometimes their superstitions might be hampering their culture and their lives but sometimes it is very true to believe in what they do. Religion dictates a lot of things with superstition. Hinduism is a very superstitious culture, so I think this has to do with a lot of what happens in that society.

Children’s Game – United States

Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: English

The game my informant told me about is called True Love. First collectively in a group someone would be chosen to find their “True Love.” After someone is picked they would ask them to name 10 guys. Someone would write them down in random order from 1 to 10. Then they would be asked to name 6 girls, including themselves, and that would be written down in random order from 1 to 6 also. After that the person would be asked to say the numbers from 1 to 10 in random order, and the writer would write that down. After all the information collecting now is the time where they would “calculate” the true love. They would take the first number from the random number list, say its 5, and take the 5th person on the guys list and the first person on the girls list and ask the person if could see them going out. If they can, put check next to the 5, if not put an “X.” This would be down to all the girls on the list, using the random numbers. Next the last 4 random numbers would be asked different questions. The first question would be “would you hug #8”?  The second would be hold hands, the third would be kiss, and the fourth would be make out. And if yes put a check and if no you would put an “X”. Next you would count up the checks and that numbered person on the guys list would be your True Love. The example above was done to me, that is why there are 10 girls and 6 guys instead of 10 guys and 6 girls, what girls would usually do.

My informant first played this game her junior year in High School. She went to an all-girls catholic school in Louisiana. She would usually play during lunch to pass time, always with girls. She stated that she never played with guys because it would be very awkward.

This is one of the many examples of love games or fortune telling games that school children play all the time. One famous game similar to this one is called MASH. I believe that school children all across United States and Canada play this game. There might be different versions and variants in Europe and other parts of the world. It is usually played by girls because girls are more likely to be finding their true love or their love of their life. In some ways society installs that among young girls through media and popular culture. Usually by the time girls (or guys) come to college they would stop playing this game because it would be deemed immature.

My informant said that this game is very addicting and even though she is in college she plays in on rare occasions when she is bored with friends. She also said that this game is usually fun with a lot of people who know each other well. She also says that by finding their “true love” it doesn’t mean anything, it is just a fun way to pass time and see who would be their “true love” out of luck.

Ritual – India

Age: 46
Occupation: Software Engineer
Residence: Redmond, WA
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Sourashtra, Tamil

Upanayanam

“Sacred Thread Ceremony”

My father explained to me in detail about Upanayanam and its importance to Hindu religion and culture. He had this sacred thread ceremony done to him when he was at the age of 10, in August of 1976. He said that this ceremony was the transition of being a boy to becoming a real man. It was more of a rite of passage ritual. He accounted all the things that happened to him during the time, as much as he could remember. He said that it was initially done to kids, in the olden times, to formally start their education, but now it is done as a rite of passage tradition. My dad said during the ceremony the child is taught the secrets through the chants of the gayatri mantras. After this he becomes qualified as a student or a Bramacharia.

The token of going through the ceremony is the poonal or the sacred thread. The thread is circular and tied end to end. My dad, who still wears it, said that it is supported by the right shoulder and it is slung behind the back. He changes the thread every year in a ceremony done in August of every year.

I had this ceremony done to me when I was 11 years old. It was a very gala event and I learned a lot during this time period, even though I was pretty young. I learned the Gayatri Mantras and many other chants. Even though I don’t where my poonal anymore because of culture differences, I do the thread changing ceremony every year in August. I think that this ceremony is very similar to many come to age ceremonies done by other religions such as Bar mitzvahs. The day I had this done was very special and I wont forget it ever.