Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

The “90-Degree Angle” Bow

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: El Centro, CA
Performance Date: 4/15/2015
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean

“I think all Koreans regard humility and respect. They really do, yeah. I remember when I was younger, from just when I was a girl, my mother made me bow to all adults. And the precision of the bow. She made me practice it. My body had to be bent at a 90 degree angle. Always to my elders.”

Context/Analysis: This is a custom that is performed by all Koreans according to the informant. She first heard it when she was extremely young (probably age three). This is when she first began to walk and speak. It is important to bow at 90 degrees because it is the perfect angle of respect. Too deep of a bow is just not customary, and a bow that is not deep enough is considered rude. When you bow, your shoulders must also move with you, it is not enough to just bend your head. This custom is significant to the informant because it gives her a sense of national identity: although she is Korean-American, she enjoys connecting with her “Korean side.” This custom indicates that even though it has been a tradition for years, it is one that people hold on to. It is part of the Korean heritage.

 

The Dol

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: El Centro, CA
Performance Date: 4/15/2015
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean

“Back in the old country when medicine would be scarce and people would die incredibly young, it was a feat for a baby to live past the age of one. That is why now, the baby’s first birthday is incredibly important in Korean culture. It is…so highly celebrated…On a first birthday, it is traditional to put out objects that can determine the baby’s future. Like, they put out money, a pencil, a microphone…and some other items. I forget. I haven’t been to a Dol in such a long time. Actually they just put out the microphone. Like, since the tradition was available for years, now because the entertainment industry is recent. Basically, the baby will crawl to oneo f the obejcts. If the baby crawls to the pencil, they will become a teaher. If they crawl to the microphone, they will be famous, and if they go to the money they will be rich.”

Context/Analysis: The informant first heard about the Dol tradition during her own Dol, but does not really remember it because she was so young. Later in her life, she went to more Dols and gained more information on how they proceed and are performed. She has been to two other Dols. They are significant to her because they were the Dols of her first cousins. The Dol is a tradition that has been significant/practiced since Ancient times. It is supposed to symbolize a liminal point, in which after your Dol, you have chosen your future.

For another version of this, please see: Sung, Hannah. What a Dol. 29 Vol. Toronto: Rogers Publishing Limited, 2012.

Trading Kandi

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 27
Occupation: Student/Taxi-Driver
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/25/2015
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English, French

“Trading kandi is part of rave culture. I don’t know how it started, but you know those edible candy bracelets? I think that’s how the custom started. I think people started abusing the candy bracelet trend of the 90’s and replaced them with drugs. Because of that, people started recreating these “drug bracelets” with actual beads to make them safer. I think after that, trading kandi became a thing. And candy is spelled k-a-n-d-i. Kandi is the actual bead bracelet just so you know….But yeah, so anyway, the custom evolved as just a way to say ‘thank you’ to a person you’ve met at a rave, like to say ‘hey, you’re cool I like you.’ When you give a bracelet to someone, you’re sort of giving a part of yourself. Some of your happiness. The bracelets kind of represent ‘you’ because you made it…But anyway, what you do is you go up to someone and say ‘hey you wana trade kandi?’ And if the other person is cool with that, then each person makes a peace sign with their fingers. Then you make a heart with the hands of each person…like this…Then you hold hands again as a sign of “unity.” And then you actually lock hands with the other person, say “respect” and the person with the kandi slides off the bracelet from their hand directly onto the other persons. After that, you hug. And that is trading Kandi.”

Context/Analysis: The informant first heard about the rave custom of trading kandi at his first rave. While he was waiting for his friend who was in the bathroom, this girl asked him if he had kandi. He said no, thinking she was looking for ecstasy pills. When he realized that was not the case, the girl showed him the process of how to trade kandi, and he received his first rave bracelet. The informant still has his first piece of kandi, indicating how significant it is to him. He informed that it felt nice to be connected to a complete stranger. He felt welcomed at the rave and has fallen in love with them since then. He has been going to raves for 5 years now. Ultimately, this custom is a ritual of initiation for people who have just been introduced to raving. Once you perform the ritual, the “newbie” raver has crossed a liminal and has been symbolically accepted into the rave culture.

 

Ash-Scattering Ceremonies

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Kailua-Kona, HI
Performance Date: 4/25/2015
Primary Language: English

“I think a lot of Hawaiians would rather be cremated than buried…Yeah. People would rather have their ashes scattered into the ocean. I think it’s a beautiful ceremony. I want to have my ashes scattered into the ocean. I think it’s the idea of being put back in nature. I guess that’s why people like it?…Anyway, I haven’t been to many, but I know that the main family members are the ones who cry the most. Like most funerals, they say a respectful prayer and scatter the ashes into the ocean. It’s just not really a solemn affair. More like just a goodbye.”

Context/Analysis: This ceremony is significant to the informant because it is part of her national identity. She would like to be cremated and scattered into the ocean just like her past family members. Most of her family members have been through the same ceremony, including her grandfather. She first learned of the ritual at her grandfather’s ash-scattering ceremony when she was younger.

It is compelling that Ash-Scattering ceremonies are not a sad affair. Most western burial traditions are incredibly sad and everyone wears black. People at ash scatterings don’t typically wear black. IN fact, it is a custom to just wear formal Hawaiian floral wear. Ultimately, it is a compelling tradition because it suggests that this tradition is more of a celebration of the life instead of a point of termination for the person.

 

How to Eat Poi

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Kailua-Kona, HI
Performance Date: 4/25/2015
Primary Language: English

“Poi is made out of taro. In traditional Hawaiian language, Taro is called Kalo. I feel like it’s fermented taro because it’s really bitter. I hate poi. I cannot eat it without sugar or honey…But anyway, to eat poi, you have to use two fingers and swirl your two fingers twice in the bowl. Using one finger and doing one swirl is disrespectful. Using three fingers and three swirls is seen as greedy.”

Context/Analysis: The informant is Hawaiian, and has eaten poi many times at Luaus. When she was younger, the informant learned of the traditional way to eat poi from her mother at her first Luau. It is significant to her because it is a custom native to her home. Though she does not like Poi, she would still follow the rules on “how to eat poi” out of respect.

This custom is practiced when sharing Poi at a Luau. Food at Luaus is eaten with the hands and shared communally. Because the “right amount” of poi must be enough to not be rude but also not too much to appear greedy, this custom suggests how Luaus are celebrations to share and be generous with friends and family.