Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

Moroccan Mint Tea Ritual

Text:

“In Morocco, mint tea ritual is one of the most special ceremony that occurs every day in households. My mom and aunts used to tell me funny stories about babajudu [ grandpa], a sit down mint tea gathering. Every day, not only babajudu prepared the tea in very elaborate manner but also, he had a special way how he drank his tea. The tea is prepared in a traditional crafted teapot with beautiful engravings and served in small glass cups with colorful decorations served on top of a silver artisanal tray.  He would sat in front of lowered legs table with the ingredients to make the most tasty tea with fresh rinsed mint leaves, gunpowder (dried green tea leaves), broken sugar loaf and hot water. First, he would put in the pot a table spoon of the gunpowder and rise it quickly with boiling hot water to remove its bitterness. He would pour it  in empty cup that would be disregarded. He would add a large handful of fresh mint leaves, sugar loaf, than he would pour hot water on top of all the ingredients. After a few minutes, he would stir the mixture and taste it to see if more sugar or fresh mint leaves needed to make sure it had just the perfect flavor . He would serve the tea from very high point, which allows it to be aerate and unveil all its aromas. It took almost an hour for making the tea and savouring it.  He loved to press the glass of tea on his forehead to feel it warmth treating it as if it was a sacred object.”

Context:

“Preparing and serving cup of tea is not just boiling water and adding green tea, fresh mint and sugar, but it it is ceremonial art that is passed from generation to generation. Not only, it is  an old tradition of hospitality but it is deeply rooted in every day’s family life. The tea can be sipped at any time of the day to finish a meal. It is also served in special events like wedding ceremonies, a birth or even other predicaments like funerals.  This ritual is a cultural phenomenon that brings families and people together not only in happy times, but also in  sad times  to show respect and honored guests.”

Analysis:

This is an example of ICH (intangible cultural heritage), meaning that it is traditions that are passed to the next generation. This ritual was passed down to me in a passive way when my mom and my family took me to Moroccan restaurants to have the tea prepared for us. Occasionally though, my family would cook some dishes at home, and I would make the tea myself. It is a ritual which is a form of greeting in a lot of Moroccan households, which didn’t happen as much in America since we didn’t have guests often. That is what differentiates Moroccan and American culture – people would be able to more freely stay at anyone’s house in Morocco compared to America, exemplified through this ritual. Since rituals symbolize a right of passage for individuals, mint tea represents this as it is always served at events such as weddings. Its sweet and energizing quality are always fit for greetings and celebrations.

Wishing on eyelashes

Text:

HT reports that he uses eyelashes to make wishes.

“When I find an eyelash on my cheek, I swipe it up with my finger, make a wish, and blow on it.”

When asked what the rules are for this ritual, HT responded with the following:

“You have to keep the wish to yourself. You have to blow it off your finger, it won’t work if it’s still stuck to you. My dad told me that there’s a game you have to play as well, if you notice someone else has lost an eyelash, you hold it between your pointer and your thumb and ask them to guess which finger it’s stuck to. If they get it right, then they get to make a wish. If they get it wrong, then you get to make a wish. But, you have to make a wish for that person, not for yourself. I don’t really do it that way, I just make a wish with the eyelash.”

When asked where he picked up the ritual, HT responded:

“From my parents. When there was an eyelash on my cheek, my mom would say that I get to make a wish, so I just kinda made the connection from there. Other than my dad explaining the game you can play with it, no one really explained it beyond that. I used to kind of pick my eyes for eyelashes, but my mom made me stop that by telling me I wouldn’t get to make a wish if I forced it that way.”

When asked what he likes to wish for and if there are any limits to the kinds of wishes you can make, HT responded:

“I can’t tell you what I wished for cause then it won’t come true. But no, I don’t think there’s any limit to what you can wish for. I guess it is just an eyelash, so you probably can’t ask for anything big, like winning the lottery or something. I don’t know, I just wish for little things here and there.”

Context:

HT is a twenty-four year old man, a recent college graduate, who is currently living at home with his parents. This the response that he gave when he asked to tell me about any good luck charms that he has.

Analysis:

By making a wish and blowing an eyelash away, HT engages in a form of sympathetic magic, where the act of performing a ritualistic action is believed to influence real-world outcomes. In one sense, the practice is a form of homeopathic magic, where the act of blowing the eyelash, which has been imbued with the wish, can be put out into the universe, a magic act that takes the wish from the mind of an individual and into the physical world. The size of the eyelash also seems to have some correlation with the size of the wish that one can make. In another sense, this is a form of contagious magic, wherein a smaller part of his body, his eyelash, will be able to affect the world and he affected in return. Since the eyelash was once physically connected to him, the magic that happens with it/to it will impact him as well. HT’s father’s explanation of the game that involves the eyelashes adds another layer to the ritual’s complexity. The game involves a form of reciprocity, where the eyelash has the opportunity to grant a wish to another person. However, this wish has limits, as it still must pertain to the person that the eyelash came from. It’s possible that the invention of this rule could be a modern adaptation, a way of taking the sting out of someone losing their wish by losing the game. The game elevates the ritual of making wishes with eyelashes by infusing it with interactive elements (albeit voluntry ones, by HT’s admission) and reinforcing its communal significance within the group.

Oranges in Christmas Stockings

Text:

“Growing up, my mother used to put oranges in my stockings and now it’s something I do with my kids as well,” says CR.

When asked the reason for oranges in the stocking, CR responded:

“Honestly, I had no idea why growing up. I thought it was maybe just to make the stocking look fuller. I looked it up a few years ago and remember that oranges were a big deal during the Great Depression since they were rare. I think it’s also supposed to represent good fortune and bags of gold. I liked doing it just because it’s what I remembered my mother doing for me and thought it was nice to get something other than just a ton of candy.”

Context:

CR is a sixty year old acting teacher. Originally from Virginia, she moved to LA when she was eighteen and has lived in various areas of the San Fernando Valley. This is the response she gave when asked if she has any favorite holiday traditions.

Analysis:

CR’s decision to continue the tradition of putting oranges in stockings for Christmas with her own children highlights the enduring power of familial customs and the desire to connect with one’s heritage. By passing down the practice of placing oranges in stockings, CR not only honors her own upbringing but also imparts a sense of cultural continuity and shared experience with her children. Her rationalization that the oranges were meant to make the stocking look fuller demonstrates how folk practices, even once divorced from their original meaning, can continue to be passed down, since people will assume there is some rationale behind the practice and come to their own conclusions. Her curiosity at one point prompts her to investigate if there is a reason beyond the one she has come up with, but seems to have little bearing on her fondness for the practice; as she says, she does it because her mother did it for her.

Black-eyed Peas for New Year’s

Text:

“I always make my kids a spoonful of black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. It’s something that my mother had me do as well when I was growing up.”

When asked why during the New Year, CR responded:

“They bring you good luck into the new year. I have them other times during the year, but as far as I know, they’re only lucky if you have the first day of the year.”

When asked what effect having a spoonful of black-eyed peas have:

“I don’t what specifically, just that it wards off bad luck in the new year. So I get nervous when my kids complain about not wanting their black eyed peas because I don’t want them to be unlucky. I’ve tweaked the recipe to have bacon so my son will actually eat it.”

Context:

CR is a sixty year old acting teacher. Originally from Virginia, she moved to LA when she was eighteen and has lived in various areas of the San Fernando Valley. This is the response she gave when asked if she has any favorite holiday traditions.

Analysis:

CR’s insistence on serving black-eyed peas specifically on New Year’s Day demonstrates the temporal significance attached to this ritual. The new year represents a liminal period, marked by transition from old to new, and individuals seek to ensure a favorable start to the coming year. The emphasis on consuming black-eyed peas as the first meal reflects the power of auspicious beginnings and the importance of setting a positive tone for the months ahead. The tradition is a blend of superstitition and culinary customs, where the consumptionof black-eyed peas brings good luck, likely due to its historical associations with prosperity and abundance. Moreover, CR’s adaptation of the recipe to include bacon illustrates the dynamic nature of folk traditions and how they can be adapted to personal preferences and contemporary tastes. Her anxiety for her children’s luck going into the new year is palpable and her effort to adapt the recipe for their tastes demonstrates its importance to her.

A Turkmen Dance

Text: “Kushtdepdi probably started as a ritual dance among Turkmen tribes. They used to perform it at important gatherings and celebrations. The dance is really lively and expressive, with intricate steps and rhythmic moves that get everyone in a festive mood. The dance is essentially a reflection of Turkmen spirit and identity. The music we use is traditional Turkmen music, featuring instruments like the dutar and tuiduk, and the dancers wear these colorful, eye-catching costumes that are representative of our culture. The dance is usually performed at weddings and other big celebrations, and we tend to perform it at cultural events since it is pretty emblematic of Turkish culture.”

Context: My informant – a 23-year-old woman from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan – told me about a traditional dance, Kushtdepdi,  that is often performed in her home country. She explained to me that she herself has performed it an abundance of times, and emphasized that it usually would occur at celebrations or monumental events. She said that she and her classmates performed it together at her high school graduation, and she had learned how to dance it by watching it being performed all of her life. She said that alongside the dance being an important part of her culture, she also appreciates it because she feels that it has an essence of gender equality which isn’t always prevalent in Turkmenistan. She stressed how this is the one dance where men are not leading the women, and that everyone participating has an equal role in the performance. 

Analysis: The traditional dance Kushtdepdi from Turkmenistan embodies profound cultural values and expressions that transcend mere entertainment. Originating as a ritual dance among Turkmen tribes, Kushtdepdi has evolved into a vibrant and expressive art form that reflects the spirit and identity of the Turkmen people. The lively and rhythmic nature of Kushtdepdi, accompanied by traditional Turkmen music featuring instruments like the dutar and tuiduk, underscores the cultural richness embedded within this dance, and the colorful and eye-catching costumes worn by dancers further exemplify the deep-rooted connection to Turkmen cultural heritage and traditions.

What sets Kushtdepdi apart is its significance beyond celebratory events; it serves as a symbol of gender equality within Turkmen society. My informant’s perspective highlights how this dance provides a rare opportunity for women to take an equal and active role alongside men in the performance. In a cultural context where gender roles may be more traditionally defined, Kushtdepdi stands out as a representation of inclusivity and shared participation. My informant’s personal connection to Kushtdepdi, having performed it numerous times and appreciating its essence of gender equality, underscores the dance’s role in challenging and redefining cultural norms. By embracing Kushtdepdi as an integral part of her cultural identity, my informant celebrates its symbolic value in promoting inclusivity and diversity within Turkmen cultural expression.