Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

Chants

Nationality: Asian America
Age: 21
Primary Language: English
Language: English

The informant is California-born Chinese American. She is a member of Chaotic 3 (or C3), which is a hop hop organization at USC.

Chant:

We’re not C1

No!

We’re not C2

Hell No!

We are C3

C3

We are C3

C3

We are C3

Whoop Whoop!

Informant: “C3 is a hip hop dance organization at USC. We say this chant after each practice, and at competitions for team morale. We choose one person to say the first line, and the whole team says the every second line. The first line is said by different person, and how to pick that one person is completely random. Somebody just yells at a name, and that person has to do it.”

“I don’t know who made it. All I know is that this chant has been around a long time. The chant hasn’t changed in three years for sure, because it is the same chant I said when I first entered this group. This year is my third year.”

“When we say it, we put our hands to the middle, and at the last line, we throw our hands up. We almost always do it, and it’s nice. It definitely boosts our morale, and we feel like we are together as a team.”

Team chants have long history. Anthropologists claim that humans, even at the time of their first appearance, made team chants to establish a sense of society. Those chants were said before going hunting, before going to war, etc. The activity of chanting together, especially when the message honors the group as a whole, is enough to boost up the team morale. By chanting daily, the members are reminded of their membership, and their loyalty towards the team grows. This C3 chant is easy, simple and fun. Chanting this would definitely help the team come together.

 

Pledging a sorority

Nationality: Asian American
Age: 21
Primary Language: English
Language: English

The informant is California-born Chinese American. She has lived in California all her life. She wanted to be in a sorority all her life that it was the first thing she did when she came to USC.  She is 21 years old. She is currently a business student at USC.

Informant: “Each of the new members gets a candle, and the ‘pledge moms’ light it as a symbol that they have accepted the new class into the sorority. The pledge moms are the connection between the new members and the actives. After the candles are lighted, the new members are fully crossed as active members.”

“I felt super relieved during the ritual, because this was the last step of sorority pledging. The candles too made me so relieved. Lighted candles were so pretty that by just looking at them, I felt happy and relaxed. It was a good ending to the somewhat difficult pledging process. Also, the candles definitely gave sense of a ‘ritual.’ I felt like I was really becoming a part of their family, not only by words. “

“Crossing into a sorority is a big thing. It’s so special because it’s something that you only experience once in lifetime. Of course, you will do many activities as a member of the sorority, but pledging is done only once. And it’s a time all focuses are on you. It still remains as one of my most special memories.”

Most sororities and their sorority pledging by lighting the candles. It creates a serene, somewhat holy atmosphere. It resembles ceremonies done at church. Both carry similar connotation. Ceremonies done at church celebrates someone into the household of God. This candle lighting ceremony celebrates the new members as sisters. 

Trading vests

Nationality: Asian American
Age: 20
Primary Language: English
Language: English

The informant is Chinese American and he was born and raised in California. 

Informant: “My older brother works at a business firm in New York. He told me about this vest that all investment bankers wear at workplace. It’s called a ‘trading vest.’ The early American traders used to wear this vest. Back then, the trading floor, where they traded stocks, was really cold. So all American traders had their own vest with their own team name on it. The experience of the past has transferred over, and that vest became the symbol of investment bankers. They wear this vest even when the weather’s not that cold. I don’t know if the brand really matters, but most people wear trading vests from the brand Patagonia.

This is a case where a particular fashion item came to symbolize an occupation. The story of how the investment bankers came to wear the vest isn’t so fabulous. However, the experience of wearing the same vest gave them a sense of unity, thus helped them build a group identity. So when people saw a man wearing the trading vest, they would identify him as an investment banker. As time went by, the trading vest became an identification of investment bankers. Now, there is no practical need of the vest, because the trading floor is no longer cold. However, as a way of honoring the legacy and history of the past investment bankers, some people wear it. Also, people wear it just to feel the sense of belonging to the group of investment bankers. This indicates that investment bankers have high esteem for the job. 

Green Tea Facial Pack

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 20
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

The informant is Chinese, and she lived in China until her middle school years. She went to high school in the states, and currently is a Cinematic Arts student at USC. Her home is Shanghai, and she returns home every break. She is an only child.

 

How to make Green Tea Facial Pack.

1. Prepare a bowl.

2. Fill the bowl with water, then add green tea powder. The ratio should be 1:1.

3. Place cotton pads in mixture, so that the pads will soak up the substance.

4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

5. Place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

6. Once it becomes cold, take the pads out and put it on clean face.

7. After 30 minutes, lift the pads.

 

(Do it 2~3 times a week. It brightens skin tone and helps treat acne.)

 

Informant: “I learned about this facial pack from my mom, who learned it from Grandma. It’s a traditional skin care routine in China. According to Mom, it is better than purchased facial packs, because it only uses pure and organic materials. She also told me there is a reason why this routine didn’t go out of date after all those years.”

“I definitely saw positive effects on acne treatment after using this method. I don’t really care about skin tone brightening, so I don’t know about effect on that. I’m a lazy person, so I don’t do it 2-3 times a day. Instead, I do it day before I have special occasions, such as performances, photoshoots, etc. My mom loves this facial pack so she have been following this routine consistently. Her skin is clean and healthy. My mom once told me about this girl whose face was covered in acnes. She tried this method, and after few months her face was clean as a newly born baby.”

 

 

Green tea is the most popular form of tea in China. It is interesting to see Chinese people utilizing green tea in various ways. This method was passed down from generation to generation. Hearing about her mom’s clean skin and a story of the girl  who cured acne, I want to try this Green tea facial pack. Words of ‘I heard someone saw positive effect through this routine’ would help spread this routine to various people.

 

Placement of your shoes

Nationality: Egyptian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Burbank, CA
Performance Date: 4/10/15
Primary Language: English
Language: Arabic

Background: 

The informant is a good friend of mine who attends California State University, Northridge where she is studying to become an occupational therapist. She is a second generation American citizen who was born and raised in Burbank, California. Her parents came to the United States from Egypt shortly before she was born. She is a Muslim and can read, write, and speak Arabic fluently.

Informant:

When I was growing up and even till this very day my parents constantly nag my sister and I about how we place our shoes when taking them off or where the bottom of our shoes are facing while wearing them. The reasoning for their nagging is that in Arab culture, if shoes are not placed with the bottom facing down it is considered a sign of disrespect. My mom always flips out especially if the bottom of our shoes are facing up towards the ceiling. She says it is disrespectful to God and that it will bring bad luck. My dad’s pet peeve is when the bottom of your shoe is facing towards someone while wearing them. So let’s say that you were sitting with your foot rested on top of your knee, and it just so happened to face him. He would have the biggest fit, most likely storm off dramatically and start screaming in Arabic like a psycho. (laughs) Anyways, the whole idea is that you are showing disrespect to whoever the bottom of the shoe is facing It symbolizes that they are not worth the ground you walk on. Basically saying they are worth nothing. The belief is way more common among the older generation of my family. The young ones could honestly care less (laughs). My cousins and I see how some of our parents react to this and were all like damn dude chill out! It’s an easy way to piss them off.

Analysis:

I find it interesting how the simple placement of one’s shoes can be so drastic. It is interesting to see how superstitious other cultures can be compared to my own and others. In my eyes, the one dealing with God is understandable, but the one about having the bottom of your shoe face somebody from the way you are sitting is a little over the top. Although this whole custom shows how extremely symbolic the Arabic culture is. Furthermore, the culture is also very conservative in some areas, which can explain why they have such a strict custom and belief. From knowing my informant for quite some time, it is apparent that parents stress respect a lot because their children are a reflection of them to their adult peers. If their children were constantly breaking this custom, parents may be embarrassed.