Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

A Bengali Wedding Tradition

Text: “So in Bengali or Bangladeshi culture, yellow and red are really significant colors. Their significance is exemplified through the ways in which the colors appear in important moments in life, such as how brides usually wear red for their wedding ceremonies. During the Gaye Holud ceremony – one of the many wedding traditions for Bengalis that typically occurs a week or two before the wedding reception – the bride’s and groom’s family and friends create a paste out of turmeric which they then put on the bride’s and groom’s bodies. This is thought of as a way to ward off the evil eye and promote blessings, good fortune, and prosperity for the couple that is soon to be married.”

Context: My informant – a 20-year-old woman from San Diego, California – explained this wedding ritual to me which she said is a very important part of her culture. Her family has cultural and ethnic ties to Bangladesh, and she learned this wedding practice from her family as she has seen it done before every wedding that occurs between a couple who have a connection to the culture. She said that she herself isn’t entirely sure how much she believes in the evil eye and bad spirits, but she feels that the ritual is something that is very important to her identity in the sense that it is something that has been generational in her family. She explained to me that this was something her parents had done before their wedding along with her grandparents and her great-grandparents, and that the ritual serves as a sort of unifying tradition that has been maintained throughout every generation.

Analysis: The significance of colors and rituals in Bengali or Bangladeshi wedding ceremonies reveals the enduring cultural traditions and values deeply rooted in this heritage. The use of yellow and red, especially in pivotal life events like weddings, holds profound symbolic meanings within Bengali culture. The Gaye Holud ceremony, where turmeric paste is applied to the bodies of the bride and groom, serves as a protective ritual believed to ward off the evil eye and invite blessings, prosperity, and good fortune for the couple. This practice reflects a cultural belief in spiritual protection and the importance of invoking positive energies during important life transitions.

My informant’s perspective highlights the intergenerational continuity of this tradition within her family. Despite personal skepticism about the supernatural aspects associated with the ritual, my informant cherishes the ceremony as a foundational aspect of her cultural identity. This ritual’s transmission across generations underscores its role as a unifying force that connects family members through shared heritage and tradition. This folklore embodies broader cultural values of familial continuity, collective identity, and the preservation of ancestral customs. The enduring practice of the Gaye Holud ceremony across generations exemplifies cultural resilience and a deep-rooted attachment to customs that define Bengali identity.

Family Christmas Cookie Making

Main Piece

“Every Christmas, our house becomes a ‘candy factory’ – at some point when I was growing up, my mom found recipes for chocolate fudge, peanut butter toffee fudge, and peppermint bark, tweaked some of them so they didn’t have quite as many sticks of butter and cups of sugar, and started making them to give to neighbors and family. My dad started bringing them to work to give to his coworkers too, and now it’s something everyone looks forward to getting from us each year. My brother and I started helping make them pretty early on, at least since I was in eighth grade, and it’s become a key Christmas tradition – responsibility, even – to share with our mom every year.”

Interpretation

Informant’s Interpretation: This tradition holds primary relevance to informant as a family tradition. She likes to spend the time with her mom, but notes that since the whole thing puts a stress on her mom, helping can sometimes “feel more like a duty than a fun cozy Christmas tradition.” However, she notes that she still heavily associates this with how her family celebrates Christmas and thus enjoys it.

Personal Interpretation: I find this to be a classic example of a family Christmas tradition–particularly so because other families recognize it as such and come to enforce the idea of the tradition from a slightly-external perspective. While associated with a religious holiday, I don’t see any particular direct connection to Christian tradition other than perhaps the origins of the types of cookies. That said, it feels pretty removed from any religious context and has more to do with the time of year and family-centric association than anything else.

Background

Informant is a 21 year old college student raised in Rancho Bernardo, California. She is female-presenting, white, and of European descent.

Rancho Bernardo 4th of July Celebration

Main Piece

“Every fourth of July, my hometown puts on a parade that goes through the same few streets, where people dress up and decorate their cars with red, white and blue – some local businesses, organizations and sponsors are always part of the parade, along with the mayor, local beauty pageant winners, people like that who someone decides are important to the city for one reason or another. I got to be in it with a few other girls once, before my junior year of high school, because I’d won a local singing contest a month before. People stand along the streets to watch, which I’m sure I did a few times with my family growing up as well.
There are some other events associated with the parade, but the one I remember going to with my family is the fireworks show at night, which has always been held on the field of our local high school for as long as I can remember.”

Interpretation

Informant Interpretation: Informant notes she only feels connected to this tradition because it’s something that occurs in her hometown, and not because of the 4th of July. It’s shared by a small suburb, and thus more identity-defining and important to her.

Personal Interpretation: I found it interesting that many of these traditions seem to be a form of showcasing American “exceptionalism” or something “worth being proud of”–cars (wealth), beauty, those with political power. That feels very in line with the individualist framework America tries to set up for itself, as well as celebrating things that society deems of greater importance. Within this context, it is of course contained to a much smaller suburb, but I still felt those themes coming through in the particular description of events and holiday context.

Background

Informant is a 21 year old college student who was raised in Rancho Bernardo, CA. She is female-presenting, white, and of European descent.

Harana: Folk Customs

Context:

AP is of Filipino descent and talks about their experience with their tradition of serenading their partners in front of their parents as a cultural tradition.

Interview:

In Filipino culture, serenading your partner in front of your parents is a tradition to signify the seriousness of the relationship. It is often a long song that is accompanied by an instrument. it symbolizes open love and commitment to not only one’s partner but their family as well. This tradition fosters strong family bonds and creates memories that last a lifetime. It embodies the Filipino cultural values of love, unity, and respect. This cultural practice is mandatory for some families to take their relationship seriously, in a sense it’s like asking a woman’s parents for their marriage blessing.

Analysis:

The Filipino tradition of harana, or serenading, embodies traditional values and culture and is a symbol of dedication and respect in a public, family-oriented setting. This practice emphasizes a common theme in folklore: the importance of family acceptance in romantic relationships. By fortifying ties to one’s family and culture, harana uses traditional music and public performances to help keep these customs alive for future generations.

Big Bear Ritual

Informant: N.N

Nationality: American

Primary Language: English

Other Language(s): N/A

Age: 19

Occupation: Student

Residence: Burbank, CA

Performance Date: 04/26/2024

N.N is 19 years old and is from Burbank, CA. I am close friends with his brother, so N.N is an acquaintance of mine. I asked him if there are any festivals or rituals he participates in regularly. He tells me about the yearly ritual his family does, in celebration of Christmas and December Break. 

“Every December, once school’s out, my family heads up to Big Bear and we stay there for like a week. We started this whole thing about four years ago when my uncle, who’s pretty much obsessed with snowboarding, thought it’d be a great idea for us to get together and hit the slopes. So, my mom would rent an Airbnb, and we’d spend our winter break snowboarding as much as we can. It’s pretty fun. My cousins E. and M. were just getting old enough to enjoy the trip, so my uncle figured it was the perfect time to start. I interpret this yearly celebration as a way for our family to just enjoy winter break and Christmas together in a way that’s unique to us. I really like it and I hope we keep doing this for a long time.”

Their December snowboarding trip also coincides with the Christmas season, which I think adds value to the family bonding experience. Since I know them personally, I know that they are a family that is super active and always into sports so this was probably a creative way to incorporate their hobby into a celebration. For them, Christmas is a time that’s associated with family and togetherness. Even though they aren’t Christian, they celebrate Christmas as a way to get closer and show appreciation for one another. I think that by integrating their holiday celebrations with this active tradition, it allows them to have core memories and stronger relationships since they have a shared experience. Their tendency to make it a tradition also shows how they have celebrated many traditions / rituals before that is personalized to their interests.