Author Archives: Samantha Beatty

Ritual – Mexico

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 3, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Do not step on anyone’s tombstones/grave. (Referring to the ones that are flush with the ground)

Notes:

When I asked about any sort of rituals her family upholds, the subject told me that in Mexican culture, you do not step on anyone’s tombstone or gravesite, specifically the ones that are flush with the ground. I asked her why they regard this as a ritual, and she said that it was extremely disrespectful to step on a gravesite, especially because Mexican cultures put a high regard on ancestors and relatives. She said that death is a big part of the Mexican culture, as seen in the Day of the Dead celebration.

I think that this ritual can be applied to most culture, I do not know of anyone who would step on someone’s gravesite due to the fact that it is extremely disrespectful and a little bit eerie. I do not think that the piece of folklore is as interesting as why she regards it as something very important. She made a point that if someone were to step on the tombstone it would be a very bad thing, not something someone could accidentally do and just step off of. I think that this is because of the extreme reverence of the dead in Mexican culture. The Day of the Dead celebration is entirely about this, with a two-day festival dedicated to celebrating the dead by making altars and adorning their gravesites with flowers and food. I think that this ritual is most about the respect you pay to ancestors, which is a popular belief across many different cultures.

Superstition – China

Nationality: Chinese, Caucasian, Native-American
Age: 17
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Feliz, CA
Performance Date: April 12, 2007
Primary Language: English

The spout of the teapot cannot be pointed at any one person, because its considered very bad luck for the person it is pointed at.

Notes:

This informant told me that it is an old belief in China that still continues today, and that even in her household (half Chinese) she still practices it. She says that if the spout of the teapot is pointed at one person, the person it is pointed at will have very bad luck. She was not sure exactly where it came from however.

I know that tea is a big part of Chinese culture, being served at nearly every meal, and I can easily see how the teapot gained such folkloric value. I looked up this custom and the importance of tea to the Chinese, and found an old saying, which depicts tea as a necessity. In a travel guide to China, it said, “The Chinese have a saying: ‘Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are the seven necessities to begin a day.” (Chinese Tea Culture). This quote obviously shows the extreme importance of tea in the lifestyle of the Chinese, and therefore I can conclude why there is a superstition involving teapots, since it is such a prominent part of Chinese cuisine. This same site also described the relation of tea to the Chinese life as, “Tea is compared to personal character. The fragrance of tea is not aggressive; it is pleasant, low-keyed and lasting. A friendship between gentlemen is also like a cup of tea. With a cup of tea in hand, enjoying the green leaves in a white porcelain cup, you will feel peace. Fame, wealth and other earthly concerns are far away. Tea is the symbol of elegance.” (Chinese Tea Culture) These quotes show why tea is placed as an item of importance in Chinese life, however it does not explain the reasons behind the superstition, and the only thing I could find about relating to this superstition was on an etiquette site, saying, “Make sure the spout of the teapot is not facing a guest. It is impolite to set the teapot down where the spout is facing someone. The spout should always be directed to where no one is sitting, usually just outward from the table” (Cross cultural awareness-social customs). Its interesting to note the difference between the etiquette site and this informant, with one saying the tea spout facing someone is impolite and the other said that it causes bad luck. I think that it is possible that the reason it is considered impolite is because it is bad luck for the person, but that since the website was intended for visitors it was easier to say it was impolite, rather than explain the entire back story of the folklore of China.

http://www.santaferelo.com/ecs/data/sfguide/CHE/SocialCustoms.htm

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/cuisine_drink/tea/culture.htm

Proverb – United States Navy/United States Marine Corps

Nationality: German, Scottish, English
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Philadelphia, PA
Performance Date: April 16, 2007
Primary Language: English

From her Grandfather (who was in the US Navy and a Marine):

Red in the morning, sailor’s warning

Red in the evening, Sailor’s leaving.

Notes:

The informant told me that this was a popular saying her grandfather told her. She said that he was in the Navy and the Marines and attributed this saying to those organizations. I asked her what she thought it meant and she told me that it as a weather indicator, meaning if the sky was red in the morning than bad weather was ahead, and if the sky was red at night, clear skies were ahead. She was not sure why it mentioned sailors leaving, even though it was meant to say good weather.

I have heard this proverb before but in a different form. I heard, “Red in the morning, sailor’s warning/ Red in the night, sailor’s delight.” This variant makes a little more sense in regard to the weather indicator, since delight makes more of a reference to having good weather than leaving does. I decided to look this proverb up for why red is the indicator, and if there is some scienitific explanation behind it. I found  a website entitled, “The Phrase Finder” which dedicates itself to finding the reasons behind certain phrases and possible past references. First of all it cites this saying with shepherds rather than sailors, saying that it was also a popular phrase for farmers in the UK. It believes its origin comes form the Wyclif Bible in 1395. It cites the translated version, “When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and louring” (The Phrase Finder). This quote directly relates red morning meaning bad weather for the rest of the day. Another past reference that it cites is in Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis (1593), “Like a red morn, that ever yet betoken’d wreck to the seaman – sorrow to shepherds” (The Phrase Finder). This line also makes reference to red mornings as bad weather indicators, and it directly mentions shepherds. It is clear that this saying is quite old and most likely originated in the UK. The reason why red is the indicator of bad weather is because if the clouds are broken and red light is reflected back towards the people, then there is a chance of rain, compared to a cloudless sky (The Phrase Finder). The reason why a red sky in the evening is an indicator of good weather is because the clouds have already passed and therefore the storm has passed and good weather is ahead (The Phrase Finder).

I think that this saying is used in the Navy and the Marines because they are out on sea and it is an easy indicator of how the weather will be the next day, so that they can better prepare for their activities. Obviously the informant was right that the saying is a weather indicator. However her version is a little different, which is evidence that it is a variant from the many other versions cited on the website.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/red-sky-at-night.html Apr 20 2007

Ritual – Arizona

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 50
Occupation: Instructor
Residence: Chandler, AZ
Performance Date: March 27, 2007
Primary Language: English

You must put up your Christmas lights and decorations Thanksgiving weekend and they must be taken down New Years weekend.

Notes:

The subject’s street is known as “Christmas Street” to the city and is a stop on the Phoenix Light Tour during the holidays for tourists. It received this name because everyone on the street goes all out to decorate for the holiday season. Simple strands of Christmas lights are not accepted, his street has mini ferris wheels, a Candyland-themed house, a Disney character themed house, and many more. The neighborhood is very close knit and takes immense pride in celebrating the holiday season together and with the community. The Christmas Street ritual is taken very seriously, with the neighbors often giving free sets of Christmas lights to the new neighbors , as well as showing them a video of the street so they know what they are getting themselves into. The subject feels that the ritual of when to put up and when to take down the lights came to be after a bunch of neighbors got together to talk about the holidays. The Christmas street phenomenon was born then and there. He says that this ritual is even expected of the visitors, as crowds of people start to walk the street the day after thanksgiving and are disappointed when the entire street is not at its known magnificence.

I think that this ritual reflects making the Christmas season as long as possible, so as soon as thanksgiving is done, the lights go up and are not taken down until the next big holiday, New Years.  This custom is followed by a lot of people, since Christmas has transformed into a season, with holiday music playing on the radio at this time and Christmas decorations up in the malls around this time as well. I think its interesting the way American culture has transformed this holiday into a plethora of festivities, this subject’s street is a perfect example. Pictures of the street are attached.

The subject’s home:

The subject’s neighbor’s home:

Ritual

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 50
Occupation: Instructor
Residence: Chandler, AZ
Performance Date: March 27, 2007
Primary Language: English

“The And Game”—a game on Christmas Eve where everyone gets in a circle and passes little gifts around every time the word “and” is mentioned from the book The Night Before Christmas

Notes:

The informant told me that every Christmas Eve, his family gets together with his wife’s side of the family at one of the relative’s house. After they eat dinner, but before they open presents they play what they call “The And Game.” Basically the host of the party buys an array of little gifts (like $5 dollar Best Buy gift certificates or boxes of chocolate) and wraps them up and gives one to each individual. They sit in a circle and pass the gifts around every time the word “and” is mentioned in the story The Night Before Christmas. One of the kids reads the story, making sure to emphasize each and, so that the passing goes at the right pace. There are enough “ands” in the story so that you don’t end up with the original gift you started with. He mentioned that they have been doing it for over 20 years now, and that he isn’t sure how it exactly started, but that every year they would read the book, and the game evolved out of it. He also said that it has become a pretty funny game because the children are getting older and the men like to try and unwrap the gifts before the game is over, so that you can peek at the gift. The men were unwrapping the gifts so much, that the informant’s wife decided to double wrap the and gifts one year, with packaging paper (virtually un-breakable) as the first layer and wrapping paper on top. When they attempted to unwrap the gifts, all they saw was brown paper.

I think that this ritual represents the many different customs people have around the holidays. The holiday season is full of different traditions families participate in, whether it be dealing with presents, Christmas decorations, or Christmas dinner. I think this particular ritual was born out of a tradition of reading the book, but when people got bored of the book or little kids got antsy to open the presents, the family adapted the tradition to a more interactive experience while keeping the tradition alive. This custom seems unique, as there is no real tie to it in anything online, however it does have similar elements to Hot Potato, in which a hot potato is passed around the group with the last person holding the potato when the music is turned off being out of the game.