Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

Día de los Reyes Traditions

Nationality: Mexican-American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Texas, United States
Performance Date: 4 April 2018
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Transcription: “A bigger holiday we celebrate is Three Kings Day on January 6. On Three Kings day, we buy a special type of bread. There’s, like, dried strawberry jelly. We invite a lot of people over and split the bread into pieces. Each person takes a slice of bread and whoever finds a toy baby Jesus baked into their slice of bread has to make a meal, usually tamales before el dia de la candelaria (Feb 2), which is also a religious day.”

Interestingly, my informant’s lack of traditions on Día de los Muertos caused her to draw a connection between the traditions of Día de los Muertos and Three Kings Day. When my informant mentioned bread in Dia de los Muertos, she ended up telling me about bread on Three Kings Day. Three Kings Day takes place on January 6, which is called Epiphany in Christian religions. Epiphany refers to the day on which three kings visited the baby Jesus in the manger. Just as the three kings brought gifts to Jesus, those celebrating Epiphany are expected to exchange gifts.

In addition to gifts, families gather on Three Kings Day, the family gathers to share a circle shaped bread. A toy baby Jesus is baked into a random section of the bread as a sort of hidden surprise, and the bread is topped with a strawberry jelly. Each member of the party is cut a slice of the bread and whoever finds the toy baby Jesus baked into their piece has to make a meal by the next religious holiday. In my informant’s family, the meal is usually tamales. Since tamales are a traditional meal in Mexican culture, especially around Christmas time, it is not surprising that they would be associated with Three Kings Day.

Tamales require a substantial time commitment due to the amount of time it takes to prepare and cook them. Therefore, the baby Jesus toy becomes a game. If the rules of the game are followed, the loser must dedicate time to cooking the tamales. The baby Jesus in the bread becomes an elaborate variation of drawing of straws that nominates one member of the family to cook tamales.

 

Lithuanian Wedding Pranks

Nationality: Lithuanian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Francisco, CA
Performance Date: 4/22/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Lithuanian, French

Collection/Background: Lithuanian Wedding tradition: songbook/singing/dancing/pranks

A: “Are there any certain traditions within Lithuanian weddings? Like are there any pranks or things of that sort?”

B: “Oh yeah! So pranks…I guess at each table you have to have a songbook that has a bunch of songs, and one of the events throughout the wedding is that people can choose a song and like during the meal, they can go up to the bride and groom and sing it to them. You usually get a lot of drunk renditions of songs *laughs* but like groups will come up or solos. And there’s also… um this wedding dance that’s done where the bride and groom sit in the middle while the wedding party dance around them with um… with these woven like pieces of fabric — I have one in my room — that they hold and wrap their arms around while dancing so at the end of the dance, the bride and groom are like completely wrapped in these things, and it’s supposed to showcase their unity.”

A: “Oooh!”

B: “We should go to a Lithuanian wedding! Maybe I’ll take you to the next one. Also, another prank is that when the bride and groom, before they walk into the venue and then to the tables, all of the wedding party sit in bride and groom’s seats with these hats on. And they pretend to be these random people that took over the wedding basically, and then the bride and groom have to sing to them to get them to move, which is kind of weird.”

A: “Interesting!”

B: “So they do that, and the name is like “Čigonai” because I guess in the olden days, they were taken over by the country and so that’s like the group that you kind of make fun of, which sounds kind of bad. *laughs* It’s like the people from the countryside or something.”

Context: It is apparent that music plays a strong role in Lithuanian culture holistically with song and dance frequently included. Further, some of these wedding traditions seem to stem from historical context including submission to another nation. Such references can be found in the attire worn by and actions performed by those who prank the couple. For example, the hat serves as a symbol to indicate the resemblance to the other foreign group. Further, the woven fabric, another folk object, takes on the symbolic meaning of unity.

Interpretation: Practical jokes are common in weddings throughout many cultures. Often, the individual at the expense of the joke is going through a rite of passage. In this case, marriage is the rite of passage, in which the couple is progressing to something greater. Further, the hats worn by the prankers may be an example of “blason populaire” as it draws from a stereotype.

 

Lithuanian Flower Accessories – Folk Object

Nationality: Lithuanian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Francisco
Performance Date: 4/22/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Lithuanian, French

Collection: Lithuanian flower crowns – folk object

A: “What is the significance of flower crowns or flower accessories within the culture?”

B: “Yeah so in weddings, the bride wears “Vainikai” which are kind of like flower crowns at the party afterwards which the bridesmaids make. Also, so um the national outfit that we have is really big on wool and stuff like that, but it started out with a flower crown on top because I guess… um back when it was like a little country in the countryside, the only thing that they could find to decorate their hair was flowers so they would pin them together. And now what you wear — you can’t really dance with flowers in your hair — so now what you wear is this crown that has fake flowers on it, and it’s supposed to symbolize that of the past. But for song festivals and weddings, you wear actual flowers in your hair. And for weddings, the bridesmaids make the crowns for everybody.”

Context: Flower accessories are worn in various scenarios throughout Lithuania, as it is a component of the nation’s traditional outfit. Further, the accessory is worn both casually and formally. Sometimes, the Vainikai are made from real flowers while others are artificial. Also, the occasion determines who makes the Vainikai.

Interpretation: Folk objects often take on symbolic meanings. Vainikai ties present-day Lithuanians to the past by referring to traditional garb and long time traditional practices.

 

Lithuanian Folk Song

Nationality: Lithuanian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Francisco, CA
Performance Date: 4/22/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Lithuanian, French

Collection: Lithuanian Folk SongThe informant detailed various songs that most Lithuanians know from their childhood which are not believed to have an author.

Context: Folk music can be interpreted in various ways including rhythm and tone. This folk song’s lyrics are significant for interpreting the context. According to the informant, everyone in the United States’ Lithuanian community seems to know the folk music including this song. This particular song originates from Lithuanian immigrants who sang about their desire to return to their homeland. As a result, the song ties those in the United States to older traditions and to the people back in Lithuania.

 

Lithuanian Festivals

Nationality: Lithuanian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Francisco, CA
Performance Date: 4/22/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Lithuanian, French

Collection: Lithuanian festivals in Lithuania

A: “In Lithuania, are there any festivals?”

B: “Oh, let me tell you. We have a singing festival and a dancing festival, and these happen um every two years and and then I guess every two years, one of them is in Lithuania and one is somewhere around the world. So this year there is going to be one in Lithuania, whereas last year there was one in Baltimore. They have had them in Japan, China, Australia, Boston, places like that. So basically, it’s a joint festival where folk dancers or folk dancing groups from around the world, that practice — I’m in one in L.A. called Spindulys. Um *giggles* — practice every week and learn all these dances. And they come together and perform these dances; there are like 3,000 dancers all in sync in the national clothing, I guess the folkloric outfit. *laughs* And it’s a three-day event, so there is two day like two hour performances of the dances, and they have a showcase of singing all of the songs, but I’m not in a singing group. And they sing the traditional Lithuanian songs.”

A: “So essentially, it’s two of the same festival in two different places each year? Or one is dancing and one is singing?”

B: “Um… one is dancing and one is singing, but it’s the same festival kind of. I guess it’s just put together, so I guess it’s one festival.”

The informant went on to describe another version of the traditional Lithuanian festival which takes place in California called L.T. Days. The community within the United States created a local Lithuanian gathering which happens once a year. This festival has around 500 people, but the larger festival in Lithuania gets around 15,000 attendees. At L.T. Days, the informant participates in the traditional folk dancing with her group.

Context: According to the informant, the original Lithuanian festivals stemmed from Soviet control over Lithuania; Lithuanians held “small festivals underground… to keep the song and dance of Lithuania alive and to keep the language alive. And they did it behind the backs of the policeman.” Nowadays, the festivals are held to celebrate traditional Lithuanian customs and practices.

Interpretation: The community often plays a major role in festivals as demonstrated by the informant’s discussion. Also, festivals are known to  have symbolic references to protect or preserve community ideals and identity, just as the Lithuanian festivals hold onto song, dance, apparel, and more.

Annotated Bibliography:

“ FROM THE HISTORY OF SONG CELEBRATIONS.” Song Festival 2018.

According to the Lithuanian Song Celebration website, festivals praises “creative self-expression, vitality of the national culture, love for the homeland and solidarity of its people.” Further, festivals are one of the most significant ways to connect distant people both geographically and culturally. The article also references the Soviet period in which Lithuanians celebrated discretely to maintain their culture.