Author Archives: Carla Frankenbach

Hidden Razor Blades

Nationality: American
Age: 31
Occupation: PHD Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2013
Primary Language: English

“The idea was that Satanists, or people like them, were slipping needles into apples, or like, razorblades into apples, and poisoning candy, and whenever I got a pixie stick, my parents would make me pour it out, like if I got one for Halloween they would make me pour it out, saying ‘no, they could have put drugs in that, you can’t have that.’ And then if, ah, like, one year, and this was the only year they did it but the urgent treatment center was doing an X-ray where you could bring your kids’ candy in and they would X-ray it and be like ‘okay, no needles here ma’am, no razorblades in your apples’ My parents still believe this, even now.”

This urban legend affected many of the informant’s Halloweens, as his parents would “screen” his candy before he could have it. It also becomes part of the Halloween ritual in a way, because the “checkpoint” has to happen before the informant can have the candy. This urban legend was so widespread that the Urgent Care Center in his area actually allowed people to use an X-ray machine! This translation from legend to real life fear shows how pervasive urban legends can be. This fear also reveals who people were most afraid of at the time (the informant grew up in the eighties). Satanists were apparently the biggest threat, those who seemed most evil and likely to do something like this to innocent kids. Though the informant left this belief behind, it seems that his parents have not.

“Pray for what you want but work for what you need”

Nationality: Indian American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2013
Primary Language: English
Language: Bengali

“Pray for what you want but work for what you need”

The informants mother constantly tells her this, and she says that it has followed her from childhood and it is something she still uses today. The phrase promotes appreciating the things you can work for like food and shelter, while seeing everything else as something extra. It is okay to have desires, but if you’re constantly working for something better and bigger you’ll never be satisfied. By combining praying and working the phrase puts equal responsibility on the individual as well as the God that they are praying to. God can’t provide everything, but if you work hard for what you need he may reward you with the things you want.

Dasavatar (Dance)

Nationality: Indian American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2013
Primary Language: English
Language: Bengali

“The form of dance I learned, Odissi, is heavily dependent on telling stories through dance and music. One of the final pieces I learned and performed was Dasavatar, which is the story of the ten incarnations of our savior. He comes in the form of a fish, a turtoise, a boar, a half man/half lion hybrid, a dwarf, a killer with an axe, a king, Krishna, Buddha, and a man on a white horse which is yet to come at the end of this era. This story shows the immense power of our God and his ability to change and adapt in the ways we need him. It was easier for me to learn various stories through dancing and acting them rather than hearing them because now they are all experiences I’ll never forget.”

The informant grew up doing this dance along with others, and she still participates in them in college. It’s a way for her to stay connected to her childhood and her heritage in an active way. The dance is also important for her connection to her religion. For her, dancing is much easier to engage with as opposed to reading a religious text or listening to a speech. As the informant says, her participation is very important in the value of every dance. Learning the different parts of the dance also signifies her maturity and mastery because each different part, or incarnation, is difficult to learn and requires a lot of practice.

Radha and Krishna

Nationality: Indian American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2013
Primary Language: English
Language: Bengali

“So, um, a lot of Hindu culture and mythology surrounds the stories of Radha and Krishna. Krishna is the ideal image of masculine perfection, with wit, charm and flirty ways and stuff. He loves Radha, who is married to another man, but he cannot help but flirt with the other ladies of their town either. Their love represents love that transcends boundaries of society and marriage but is eternal and strong. There are many songs and dances about these two and they’re two of my favorite gods to study.”

The informant said that she heard many variations on the love story as a child, but each one had this basic structure. It is fun and playful story about an illicit love, but it is also important because the characters take on great significance for the Hindu religion. The informant said that Krishna was supposed to represent the feminine side of God, and Radha the masculine. Sometimes they are even referred to as one God instead of two. I think this is one of the many differences between Christianity and Hinduism, because in Christian texts and stories, men often take on the prominent role, and God is depicted as a man. I think that the blending of the masculine and feminine deities indicates a willingness to give women as well as men large roles in the religion.

Navratri

Nationality: Indian American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2013
Primary Language: English
Language: Benglali

“One of our biggest traditions as a Bengali is that of Navratri, or the return of our goddess Durga to her parent’s home for nine days. During this time, it’s similar to lent where we give up certain foods and worldly possessions. We pray in elaborate ceremonies, see loved ones and enjoy good food on the 8th and 9th days. We pray that her power as a female goddess never diminishes and that we children can too possess her strength and resilience.”

This tradition is very important for the informant because it is a time when her whole family always comes together, and she can observe the “rules” of Navratri even when she’s away at school, so in that way it serves as a connection to her home and her family. It seems like more of a family-oriented tradition than lent, which she compares it to, because families pray together throughout and have celebration feasts on the 8th and 9th days, while for lent Easter, the final celebration, is only one day. This may be due to the fact that the tradition is based on Durga returning home for nine days, in a sense returning to family and togetherness. Even though they are giving up certain foods and possessions, it’s more celebratory than lent. The sacrifices are meant to honor the goddess in hopes that her good qualities will be bestowed upon the children, so it’s a very youth oriented holiday, meant to ensure better things in the future.