Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

Hungarian Harvest Dance

GP’s family is from Hungary. His father is a first generation American, and his aunt collected Hungarian family traditions that she then passed on to GP. They are no longer practiced by anyone in the family, in fact, they stopped practicing most of them after World War II. However, the stories of the traditions and customs are still passed down to family members, and collected by GP’s aunt. One involves a harvest celebration.

“Around the middle of October a big Harvest Dance is always held.  The hall is decorated–hanging from the ceiling across the entire hall are strings to which clusters of grapes, pears and apples have been tied. There are boys and girls dressed in Hungarian costumes–it is their job to try and catch someone stealing one of the fruits while they’re dancing.  If they do they take them to a special table and they are told how much they have to pay for the fruit (usually a dime in those times). This money went to help out the school and church.”

This is another festival that falls in line with the seasons and the natural harvest of crops, celebrating the bounty. The hanging fruit is a fun twist, especially as a fundraiser that supports the local community and strengthens the community and traditions.

Hungarian 1st of May

GP’s family is from Hungary. His father is a first generation American, and his aunt collected Hungarian family traditions that she then passed on to GP. They are no longer practiced by anyone in the family, in fact, they stopped practicing most of them after World War II. However, the stories of the traditions and customs are still passed down to family members, and collected by GP’s aunt.

“On the first day of May at midnight the young men cut down lilac branches and attach colored strips of paper to them. Then they take one and put it on the roof or chimney of a marriageable daughter.”

This is a ritual coinciding with spring and fertility, as the young men court the marriageable women. I haven’t heard of putting flowers on the roof of a girl in other rituals, but it sounds like it is part of a general celebration of spring as well.

Burying St. Joseph Statues

Nationality: Irish, Italian
Age: 50
Occupation: Real Estate
Residence: Palos Verdes, CA
Performance Date: 18 April 2016
Primary Language: English

Superstition: Burying St. Joseph Statues

 

Informant:

D.N.  is my father. He was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri as the fifth of eleven children living under his mother and father. He is one of nine boys and two girls, and played several sports in high school where he eventually matriculated to USC. He studied engineering and now works as a real estate developer living in Palos Verdes Estates, California with my mother. He has three sons, and I am the youngest of the three.

 

Folklore:

“Like me, my mom was a very religious lady, and very superstitious, too… I learned that from her. When she was fifty years old, and all of us were starting to leave the house, she decided she was bored and wanted a job. She quickly became the top realtor in Saint Louis. Even two years after her death, she was still in the county’s top ten realtors. She attributes her success to burying a small statue of St. Joseph in the yard of every single house that she sold. The day she got the listing, she would drive to the site and bury the figurine. She always asked me to come with her since my middle name is Joseph. She claimed I was her ‘good luck charm.’ I’d like to think she was right!”

Analysis:

I think this is really cool, and particularly special to my father, since his namesake is so important. My grandmother was extremely religious, and this practice was very important to her. I also believe that her superstitious nature was passed down to my father. She claims that nobody taught her this idea. She just came up with it. I think that’s pretty cool. Whatever works, right?

 

 

Eyelashes

Nationality: Irish, Italian
Age: 50
Occupation: Real Estate
Residence: Palos Verdes, CA
Performance Date: 18 April 2016
Primary Language: English

Superstition: Eyelashes

 

Informant:

D.N.  was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri as the fifth of eleven children living under his mother and father. He is one of nine boys and two girls, and played several sports in high school where he eventually matriculated to USC. He studied engineering and now works as a real estate developer living in Palos Verdes Estates, California with my mother. He has three sons, and I am the youngest of the three.

Folklore:

“My mother was full of superstitions and rituals. I’m not sure if it was just our family, but whenever one of us lost an eyelash…. She would immediately grab it and put it on the back of our fist and say ‘Make a wish!’ I’m not sure if any of my wishes truly came true, but it became a habit that I still practice to this day… Whenever I find an eyelash of mine, I immediately put it on my hand, make a wish, and blow it away.”

Analysis:

I didn’t realize that I inherited this from my father and grandmother, but I regularly do this as well. I also encourage my friends to do the same. It seems that some part of me feels incomplete if I have a shed eyelash and I don’t make the wish… It almost feels like I’m holding in a sneeze. Superstition, rituals, and customs… whatever you choose to call them… are very powerful.

Topping Out

Age: 50
Occupation: Contractor
Performance Date: 29 March 2016
Primary Language: English

Topping Out

Informant:

Nathan Dixon. Mr. Dixon is my best friends’ father. He grew up in New Jersey under some challenging circumstances. He was not given anything and had to work for everything that he had. He moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18 and has worked his way up from the role of a humble construction worker to the owner of a construction company. He is a very successful contractor and enjoys an adventurous life full of skiing, hiking, and traveling with his three sons and wife.

 

Folklore:

“So I guess the closest tie I have to Folklore in my line of work would be ‘Topping Out.’ It’s different for every job, but basically, when me and the guys reach a certain point in the construction process, we celebrate. Depending on the job, this can be when we put the last beam in place when framing. A lot of the time when it’s a remodel, it’s when our mason puts the last brick or stone in. A lot of people put a tree or wreath there and make a toast…. We work harder than that. I’m not very superstitious, but I do acknowledge it. We’ll have a lunch break or do something like that, but we don’t call it quits. We roll up our sleeves and continue to finish what we’re there for.”

 

Analysis:

This custom seems similar to the celebration of breaking ground on a construction site. I like Mr. Dixon’s approach – he acknowledges the tradition, but adapts it in his own way. He doesn’t conform to the natural custom, but places his own personal approach on it while still staying true to the roots of it. It seems that this is an international tradition, which is more widely celebrated in foreign countries.