Author Archives: Sheena Sadaghiani

Slovakian Easter

Nationality: Serbian
Age: 22
Occupation: Boutique Manager
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/25/13
Primary Language: English
Language: Serbian, Slovakian, and Czech

 

In Slovakia on Easter men splash women with a bucket of cold water because water is a symbol of purity. Splashing the girls is supposed to keep them pretty, wise, healthy, and pure. Women are also whipped by men with wicker sticks. It is also part of the tradition for women to give men hard-boiled eggs and to tie a ribbon around the top of their whips. These customs are believed to purify the soul and the body; they are the remains of an intricate system of Slovak folk traditions based around the seasons of the year. When the tradition first began it was common to throw women in the town’s river. Now it is more common to throw a bucket of water on women or to spray them with scented water.

Chinese, Death, Reincarnation

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 22
Occupation: Assistant to Interior Designer
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/26/13
Primary Language: English
Language: Cantonese, Mandarin, And French

 

My informant, a Chinese- American, told me that the idea of reincarnation is very prevalent in Chinese culture.  There is a myth that when a person dies you can go over a bridge. At the end of the bridge is an old lady holding a potion. Drinking this potion is supposed to erase your memory and make you forget your past life. Before you cross the bridge this old lady makes you drink every last drop of the potion so you completely forget your past life. After you drink the potion and cross the bridge you forget your past life. This is one way Chinese people explain prodigies, for example why some children are natural pianists or musicians. What happens is that they fool the old lady with the potion or unknowingly/mistakenly didn’t finish the potion. Essentially, what happens is that the potion doesn’t take full effect—thus the spirit is left with some memory, whether that memory be remembering a person, place, object, or remembering a talent or skill. When people say things like “ I feel like I’ve been here before”, that is because they did not finish drinking the entire potion. Also there are many Chinese love songs that mention this potion (ex// songs that say give me the potion so I can forget about my heartache or broken heart).

The Great Race

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 22
Occupation: Assistant to Interior Designer
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/26/13
Primary Language: English
Language: Cantonese, Mandarin, And French

 

According to my informant the folk story of the Great Race goes as follow: Currently there are twelve zodiac animals. This race was to choose which twelve animals would be used to represent the zodiac signs. Out of all of the animals in the race the cat and the rat were the worst swimmers, however they were smart. . There was a meeting which all of the animals needed to attend, and the order in which they arrived would associate each animal with a specific year.  The cat and the rat thought the most efficient, and fastest way to make it across the river was to get on the back on an Ox. While they were crossing the river the rat pushed the cat off of the Ox’s back, causing the cat to fall into the river. The cat jumped ahead and reached the shore first. The rat ended up tricking the cat during the race. Therefore, the twelve animals that comprise the zodiac signs do not include a cat.

Moon Festival

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 22
Occupation: Assistant to Interior Designer
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/26/13
Primary Language: English
Language: Cantonese, Mandarin, And French

 

My informant, a Chinese-American discussed the Moon-Festival, a Chinese festival that takes place in Spring, during the largest full moon. According to my informant, when you look at the moon you see a rabbit sitting on a stool making an elixir. There is a love story behind this image that goes as follows: According to the legend the king was trying to make an elixir for longevity. Someone found this elixir for him, however his wife knew what longevity would do for a person, so she ingested it before he could. Instead of living forever, she started floating up to the moon with a rabbit (her pet), who followed her. The rabbit is supposedly attempting to make an elixir for her to come back down to earth, however he never has any progress or success. On the day when the Moon and the Earth are closest together is the day when these lovers are supposed to be closest together.

An important part of celebrating this holiday is carrying very brightly lit lanterns. One tradition is to write riddles on lanterns and to have other people try and guess what the answers are.  Making and giving family and friends moon cakes is also one of the main traditions of this festival. The sharing of round moon cakes between family members signifies the wholeness and unity of families.

* http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/content/66/3/378.short