Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

The Power Song

Nationality: american
Age: 20
Occupation: student
Residence: los angeles
Performance Date: 4/25/15
Primary Language: English

RS is a member of the group WYSE. WYSE is a student organization on campus that stands for Woman and Youth Supporting Eachother. Each week members of the group go to a local middle school and teach health classes to a small group of 8th grade girls.

RS: “We usually just call it power but basically it’s a song and a game that we play during the breaks. Basically all the girls stand in a circle and we say the chant “P-O-W-E-R we got the power cause we are the women of WYSE”. Then one person goes in the circle and like if I went into the cirle I would say “My name is Reegan” and everyone would else would say “Yeah” and then I say “and I’m next on the list” and they go “yeah” and then I go “and I get my reputation cause I do it like this” and then I do a goofy dance in the middle and everyone repeats “and she does it like this” and repeats the move.

To make it more clear:

Middle Person “My name is —–”

Everyone “Yeah”

Middle Person “And I’m next on the list

Everyone “Yeah”

Middle Person “And I get my reputation cause I do it like this” (dances)

Everyone “She does it like this” (copies dance)

How long does it go on for?

RS: “As long as people keep jumping in the middle. A lot of the girls are pretty shy and take some convincing. It’s a good way to get them not to be so embarrassed. They always want to play but sometimes it takes a while to convince them to go in the middle”

Do you know where it came from?

RS: “I think it was just a basic chant and someone decided to change the words to make it about WYSE. I remember doing a similar one at cheer camp over the summer. Everyone in WYSE knows it though, you just kind of learn it once you go to your school site. They do it and you just kind of have to join in”

Senior Theme

Nationality: american
Age: 19
Occupation: student
Residence: denver
Performance Date: 4/21/15
Primary Language: English

KB: “Each year all the senior girls would get into groups and decorate overalls to wear on the first day of school. Basically you wold buy painting overalls and paint them red and blue because those were our school colors. Then you would put like your last name and other fun decorations.”

When would you wear them?

KB:”You would wear them on the first day of school and on game days and stuff. They were supposed to show school spirit because they were our school colors. But it was also a way to see who was friends with who because each group of overalls would look different. My year the popular girls did theirs tie dye so everyone could tell them apart.”

La Chancla

Nationality: Bogota, Colombia
Age: 21
Occupation: student
Residence: USA
Performance Date: April 22, 2015
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

My Informant was a 21 year old female who moved to the United States from Bogota, Colombia in 2004. She lives five houses down on my street.

Collector: Okay, what’s the story of La Chancla?

Informant: Well, it was this sandal that my mom used to hide in the pantry in the kitchen, and whenever we misbehaved, she’d threaten to get La Chancla and spank us with it. We were terrified of it as kids and didn’t want it anywhere near us, because who wants to get spanked right? And she’d use it too – and it hurt. I remember that as we got older, though, we stopped being scared of it (laughs). There was actually this one time when my brother and I opened the forbidden pantry and stole La Chancla from the kitchen. When we did something bad, we teased my mom saying “Well what are you going to do? Get the Chancla?” and she realized it was gone. Her face was priceless. I’m not really sure when she stopped using though, it just sort of… faded out of our lives.

Collector: Do you think your mom was the only one who used La Chancla?

Informant: No way, it’s kind of a cultural thing. Hispanics know what’s up when it comes to La Chancla.

Collector: Only Hispanics?

Informant: I don’t think anyone else uses it, to be honest. They have…what do you call them? The rulers on the wrist? Or something like that. Time outs? I don’t know, people discipline their kids differently in different places.

Parents tend to resort to scare tactics in order to keep their children in check. In a way, they instill fear in them in order to control them, which sounds kind of sick in a way, but it does work. I’m sure it’s all in the best interest of the children anyway, since I do remember having to respect something similar to the Chancla when I was growing up and I turned out just fine. Apparently, this is a tradition because my informant’s parents grew up with La Chancla as well and their parents before them too. I guess it is a Hispanic thing, like a right of passage of sorts.

For more information on the Chancla: http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/11/04/361205792/la-chancla-flip-flops-as-a-tool-of-discipline

 

Paper toss

Nationality: american
Age: 19
Occupation: student
Residence: los angeles
Performance Date: 4/18/15
Primary Language: English
Language: mandarin

RD attended high school in Palo Alto, California and graduated in 2013.

RD: “The paper toss was a tradition on the last day of school. Every senior would bring in like 3 lbs. of paper, like homework assignments, tests, any work you had from high school. So then everyone would toss all their papers into the air at brunch on the last day of school, it was a paper cut waiting to happen”

Was it all at the same time?

RD:”Yeah everyone would go “1…2…3!” and then throw the papers in the air. My year some assholes decided to throw text books which was a terrible idea. So we’d throw all the papers into the air after the countdown and take a big picture while it was happening.”

How long have they been doing it?

RD: “They’ve been doing it forever. Probably like 30 years, they always do it”

Special Dumpling

Nationality: USA
Age: 20
Occupation: student
Residence: USA
Performance Date: April 23, 2015
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese

Informant was a 20 year old male who was born in North Carolina and moved to Santa Monica at an early age. He attends the University of San Diego and is an old family friend that came to visit.

Tradition:

There’s this Chinese New Year tradition that a bunch of dumplings are made and a coin or a peanut is placed into one of them. Everyone knows that one of the dumplings has a coin or peanut, but nobody knows which one. Whoever gets the special dumpling supposedly has good luck for the entire new year.

Collector: Is it true?

Informant: The luck? I don’t know, I’ve never found the coin, but I think it’s probably bullshit.

Collector: So you’ve done this several times?

Informant: Yeah, at a friend’s house. Only my mom is Chinese, but she doesn’t really celebrate the Chinese New Year. My friend’s family does, though, and I think it’s kind of fun to just go over there and participate.

Collector: So it’s a real Chinese tradition, this dumpling thing? Not just a family tradition?

Informant: So I’ve been told. Since my friend is the only one I know who does this I’m not sure. I think my mom has said that it is, but I don’t really remember…I should probably listen to her more (laughs).

Collector: Does it have to be dumplings?

Informant: Yes. I think.

I believe that the informant is trying to connect with his Chinese heritage by participating in this New Year tradition. It’s that whole ethnic identity thing. Since he’s half Chinese, he probably feels like he should participate, although, it does seem like it’s something that he enjoys doing. I know of several traditions that are similar to this one (one involving having money in one’s pocket at the stroke of midnight, and another involving running around with a purse) which indicates to me that many people truly believe that there is something magical about the new year. It’s a liminal line of sorts that requires a ritual in order to pass successfully.