Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

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.

Pinning

Performance Date: 18 April 2016
Primary Language: English

Pinning

 

Informant:

R. S. is my adopted Grandfather. He married my maternal grandmother after my Mother’s biological father died in an Air Force airplane accident. R. S. graduated from Stanford with an engineering degree while also running track. He was in the Air Force and spent time in real estate development before retiring. He then became the mayor of Indian Wells for two terms, and now remains very active by sitting on several boards, such as the Living Desert: Indian Wells’ zoo. R. S.is part Cherokee. His wife and my Grandmother is a Reverend that remains very active as well.

 

Folklore:

“I have found the ‘Pinning’ tradition particularly interesting. It has been around for as long as I can remember. Your Dad pinned your Mom… from what I understand it’s still pretty common today, right? I didn’t have the pleasure of pinning your Grandmother, since we didn’t meet until after Stanford. I love the idea of it, especially in modern times. It seems to me today that long-term relationships have seemed to take a back seat. I appreciate the tradition and respect that pinning maintains between fraternity gentlemen and sorority women. Commitment and loyalty are something we start to see less and less now… Pinning is a tradition that keeps it in place.”

Analysis:

Basically, a brother of a fraternity “Pinning” his significant other in a sorority means that he is placing her above his brothers. This is an extremely poignant and significant act, as a fraternity member places all loyalty in the hands of his brothers and its bond. By pinning someone, he is placing her above this sacred bond. It has become increasingly rare, which almost makes the sacred tradition even more special in today’s day and age.

Noodles for your Birthday

Nationality: Filipino-American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Performance Date: 4/25/2016
Primary Language: English
  1. “So on our birthdays we eat noodles because we believe that they’ll give us log life. Ya. It’s not like my family thinks if we don’t eat it we’re going to die sooner. It’s just that we’ve been doing it for so long we just keep doing it again.”
  • She knows it because she’s Filipino and it’s part of Filipino culture
  • She learned it from her family who practices this tradition and passed it on to her and her sisters
  • It’s just supposed to mean that eating noodles will give you long life if eaten on a birthday
  • Context of performance: we were just discussing various types of family traditions and culture
  • I think it makes a lot of sense, the idea of noodles representing longevity. Noodles are typically long, smooth, and consistent which would be the ideal type of life to lead as you grow. I just don’t know how I feel about the consumption of those noodles leading to long life, however. I don’t feel as if there would be any specific benefit to eating those noodles however there’s not really another way to connect with a symbol that’s a food besides eating it. I think it’s possible that they hope by consuming that food they are giving themselves the opportunity to be able to reflect the qualities of the noodles which they want to be representative of their lives.

 

Wine and Chicken

Nationality: Brazilian
Age: 22
Occupation: EMT
Residence: Rancho Cucamonga, California
Performance Date: 4/25/2016
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish
  1. We did this thing for Christmas or anytime family was together we’d get in line, oldest to youngest, take a sip of wine, make a public wish, and a private wish, then pour the little shot of wine into a chicken that was cooking over the stove. It was a Venezuelan cultural thing we learned from my grandma who has been doing this since she was a child.
  • He knows this because his family still partakes in the tradition
  • He learned it from his parents who picked up the tradition from his grandmother
  • To him and his family it’s an opportunity for them to bond and express their good wishes for each other. However, beyond this, he doesn’t know the significance of the chicken, wine, or wishes. They just do it because that’s how things have been done for the last couple generations.
  • The context of this performance is that we were just talking about interesting traditions around the house that we have experienced.
  • I find this incredibly interesting, however I’m failing to find any connections between the chicken and wine and long life, beyond the idea of the coming together over food a traditional way for family to bond. Perhaps it has to do also with wine being a common Catholic symbol of importance, and when you’re sharing wine with someone it’s representative of being open and friendly with one another.