Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

Elementary School Christmas Craft

Text:

A snowman ornament made in elementary school out of paper; the ornament is in the shape of a snowman and is filled with white, shredded up paper (to simulate snow) and hung on the students’ Christmas trees at home.

Context:

The informant made this ornament in his elementary school over Christmas time. The ornament was a traditional craft to make in his school over the holidays, and the students all made their own versions of it to bring home to their families. The informant still has his crafted snowman ornament now, over a decade later, and it is a very treasured possession to his family as a craft that he made for them years ago in school.

Analysis:

Crafting ornaments like the informant’s snowman is very common in elementary schools whose students widely celebrate Christmas. In these schools, it is very traditional that ornaments/other decorations are crafted for the students’ families. The popularity of taking class time to make ornaments as such for holidays in so many elementary schools exemplifies our inclination toward celebration, festivity, and togetherness, because using class time to make them teaches the students to prioritize such festivity. Schools where ornament making is done like to look forward to the milestones of big Holiday seasons (i.e. Winter, Summer) to break up the normalcy of the rest of the school year, and add variety into their normal lessons. After all, so many American students nostalgically look back at the early 2000’s in elementary school the day before Winter break – the hot cocoa, apple cider, and gift exchanges were some of the best memories of elementary school for so many of us. Taking up all of the class time necessary to have these moments of celebration and crafting of holiday decorations, like ornaments, is the perfect example of our inclination toward the excitement of festivity.

Food God

Nationality: Malaysian

Primary Language: Malay

Other Language(s): English

Age: 21

Residence: Los Angeles

Text

“You’re not supposed to shake your legs while eating because it means you’re not enjoying your food, and instead you’re finding some sort of entertainment by shaking your legs. This angers the food god, and the food god will stop providing you with food.”

Context

This informant was born and raised in Malaysia, and they recently moved to the United States for university. He grew up being told not to shake his legs when at the dinner table.

Analysis

In this informant’s culture, they rely on gods to bring them wealth, health, and happiness, so the informant and his family put effort into pleasing those with authoritative power – which are, in many cases, the gods. In this specific instance, this superstitious taboo is used to keep children from moving around superfluously while they’re eating their meals. Although in some cases the “food god” might actually refer to the “food god”, in many cases, the “food god” is the parents. While it this superstition is spiritual in nature, it also has a utilitarian purpose: the fear of the gods serves a way for parents to discipline their children.

Longevity Noodles

Nationality: Chinese/Russian

Primary Language: Chinese, English

Other Language(s): N/A

Age: 22

Residence: Los Angeles

Text

“For birthdays, we like to celebrate by eating Yee Mein noodles because it’s like wishing someone a long and happy life! Because, y’know, the noodles are long.”

Context

This informant is Chinese/Russian and moved to Los Angeles when she was young. She celebrates family birthdays by eating Yee Mein noodles.

Analysis

This custom is celebrated by the informant and her Chinese family members. Eating long noodles is like wishing someone a long and happy life. In this tradition, there exists a very visual connection between the material and the spiritual. The custom is superstitious in nature. Noodles – a common food in the informant’s culture – are made special when they are physically longer than typical noodles. The difference in the physical constitution of the noodles symbolizes something new, different, and good. By celebrating this tradition on beloved family birthdays and wishing the birthday man or woman good fortune, celebrators are brought closer to one another on a spiritual and cultural level.

Capirotada Cultural Dish

Informant Info:

  • Nationality: Mexican
  • Age: 50
  • Residence: Los Angeles 
  • Primary language: Spanish 
  • Relationship: mother 

Text: 

Capirotada(cultural food) 

Context:

EP explained to me the cultural and religious significance of the traditional Mexican capirotada dish. The capirotada dish is made during a specific season, as EP says, “la temporada de cuaresma.” Cuaresma is basically the Lenten period, in which Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter occur. She views this period of time in which she prepares for the death and the resurrection of Jesus by fasting and making this cultural dish. She learned this traditional dish from her mother who would make it during the Lenten period. EP goes into depth on the ingredients of the Capirotada, “La canela, clavo, y piloncillo se cuece, y así se hace la miel que se pone arriba de todos los ingredientes antes de hornear.” She first makes a sort of sweet juice/syrup to put on top of the ingredients. The ingredients consist of: white bolillo bread, tortillas, bananas, apples, queso fresco, raisins, prunes, viznaga, different types of nuts and dried fruits, etc. She said that you put the syrup that was made prior on top of all the ingredients and then you can bake it. 

Analysis:

Capirotada is made in different ways, and it also depends on the preference of the person making the dish. Not everyone will make it the same; each person has their own touch. I have grown up eating capirotada as well, but when I would ask other people if they had tried or heard of it before, they would say no. It is a dish that is not as commonly made or known. When I was younger, I always thought it wasn’t something I wanted to eat, but as I grew older I learned to appreciate and actually love to eat the dish. While the capirotada might not look as physically appealing as other desserts, it is truly delicious and holds a special place in our Mexican culture.

Red Ribbon on a Horse’s Tail

Text:

A red ribbon tied around a horse’s tail means that they’re “a kicker”

Context:

C is a current USC student who grew up in Bellevue, Washington and previously worked in a barn there training rescue horses. As indicated in the text, C explained that tying a red ribbon around a horse’s tail meant they were prone to kicking and that other horses and riders should give them extra space. After I asked if this practice was specific to their barn, they explained that the red tail ribbon is a widely-known sign in the horseriding world and has become an important safety practice, especially in competition settings. C then stated that they were introduced to the red tail ribbon early on by people in their barn and that people would assume a rider was a “newbie” if they didn’t know the sign. C also mentioned that jokes were often shared amongst riders about the red tail ribbon – for example, a rider may joke that they’re going to tie a red ribbon around their non-aggressive horse’s tail to get people to “back off.”

Analysis:

As C mentioned, this folk object seems to me to have primarily risen out of a need to quickly and effectively communicate important safety information. A horse’s kick can cause severe injury to a person, and while small groups of people can be verbally warned of a kicking horse, that information seems like it would become much more difficult in a large horse arena or during a fast-paced competition. The use of a visual signal or folk object to communicate danger creates a constant visual differentiator for the kick-prone horse and allows the message to be spread and received much more quickly. Additionally, like much of occupational folklore, knowing the use of the red tail ribbon becomes a marker of insider status and experience in the horse rider world. Joking about the red tail ribbon in turn conveys a sense of familiarity with the sign and further demonstrates the presence of insider knowledge.