Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

The Lord’s Prayer- Armenian

Nationality: Armenian
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: La Canada
Performance Date: April 12, 2013
Primary Language: English
Language: Armenian

Hayr Mer, vor hergines yes,
soorp yeghitsi anoon ko.
Yegestse arkayootyoon ko.
Yeghitsin gamk ko
vorbes hergines yev hergri.
Ez-hats mer hanabazort
dour mez aysor.
Yev togh mez ezbardis mer,
vorbes yev mek toghoomk merots bardabanats.
Yev mee danir ezmez ee portsootyoon,
ayl pergya ee charen.
Zee ko eh arkayootyoon
yev zorootyoon
yev park havidyanes.
Amen.

 

This is the Lord’s Prayer in Armenian, usually performed in song. Allison identifies herself as Christian and attends the “United Armenian Congregational Church” in Hollywood, known to be the biggest Armenian church in the US. The church plays a big role in her family life. Her grandparents and parents met and got married that the “United Armenian Congregational Church.” Every Sunday the family meets after church to go out to lunch, giving them an opportunity to gather and spend time together.

Allison described the importance of faith in her and her family’s life and as it relates to their Armenian culture. Armenia was the first Christian nation, and although only a small percentage of Armenia is Christian now, religion remains important to their family and reminds them of their cultural background. Each church service has one sermon in Armenian and the other in English. There are translators, and although Allison is not fluent in Armenian, she recognizes a few words and is able to learn more. Her family travels annually to Armenia on a medical missions trip. When they arrive, songs are sung to them, including The Lord’s Prayer. Allison appreciates this gesture, because the fact that the same prayer is said both in Armenia and at her home church in the US gives her a sense of connection between her community in the US and the nation it stems from.

Annotation

The Lord’s Prayer is in the Bible, the book of Matthew, Chapter 6, Verses 9-13. The following is the New International Version’s translation of the passage, in English. For an easy viewing of this verse, as well as many others in many translations, visit http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A9-13&version=NIV.

 9“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’

 

Quinceañera

Nationality: Mexican, German
Age: 20
Occupation: Studeny
Residence: Quartz Hill, CA
Performance Date: April 20, 2013
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Quinceañeras are celebrations in hispanic cultures when a girl becomes a woman at quince años, or fifteen years old. Marcea had a quinceañera of her own, in which I participated as a dama. She explained the traditions of of the quince and what it meant to her.

 

This tradition has gone back hundreds of years, and is this Hispanic equivalent of a Sweet 16 in American culture.

The participants of a quince have unique names and functions. The girl being celebrated is named the Quinceañera. Her court is a group of damas (girls) and chambelanes (boys). The court is usually made up of fourteen damas and fifteen chambelanes. Altogether there are fifteen couples, symbolizing her age. Marcea’s court had less couples, instead they had six. This is a group of the Quinceañera’s friends and family members, generally under the age of 20. Some members of the court can be very young, not even gone through puberty yet. Marcea said that the demographic for courts skews younger, partly because the Quinceañera’s closest friends and family are usually around her age. She made the parallel to bridesmaids and groomsmen, which are generally the same age as the bride and groom. In a quince, the court symbolizes youthfulness and the process of maturation. They help to present the Quinceañera to the world.

The Quinceañera’s godparents, aunts and uncles are called padriños and padriñas who act as donors and contribute to the celebration. Padrinos and padrinas are also present at Hispanic weddings. The donors are the individuals that will guide the Quinceañera in her adult life. It is not an official declaration of future involvement in the Quinceañera’s life; however, as it is usually the family who guides the girl, it is usually the family who act as padrino and padrina. Since hispanic families tend to be large, this can cover a large price of the celebration. Sometimes there is just one, sometimes there is a couple for every aspect of the celebration. Typically, a couple will sponsor one aspect of the quince. For example, one aunt and uncle will pay for the limousine, another for the cake, so on and so forth. There is a special dance for these couples during the celebration. Marcea herself didn’t have any padrinos or padrinas for her quince. She appreciates the advice her family gives her throughout her life, but there was no formal representation of this in her celebration.

There are traditionally two parts to each quince- a church ceremony which lasts about an hour and a party which can last of hours afterwards. As a large portion of the Hispanic population is involved with the Catholic Church, the religious ceremony is a large part of most quinces. Marcea did not have a church ceremony as part of her quince, because she hadn’t had her communion yet, so the priest would not bless her. However, Marcea was able to describe the process to me. Usually, parents, godparents and the court are part of the church ceremony. They give the Quinceañera her gifts- rosaries, a tiara and a bouquet that is left on the alter of the Virgin Mary to pay tribute. It is a time of thanksgiving for life and womanhood.

Usually court arrives to the party in a limousine, often sponsored by a padrino and padrina. There is generally a large room with a dance floor and a dj, giving the guests plenty of opportunity to dance, which Marcea says her family loves to do, as well as providing space for the traditional dances that will take place. In addition there is a slideshow featuring the Quinceañera playing in the background.

During the party, one of the traditions is the changing of the shoe. Marcea described this as “ a pretty popular tradition that people usually keep,” emphasizing its importance within the celebration. At the beginning of the night, the Quinceañera wears flats. Her dad changes her shoes from flats to heels, symbolizing her development from a little girl into a woman. Marcea prepared beforehand and marked with a marker the hole that her dad had to use to fasten the shoe, revealing the weight of the moment and her desire for nothing to go wrong. Afterwards, the father and daughter dance together. At this time, her father is supposed to recognize her as a mature woman. Marcea identified this time as one of the most emotional for the men of the family.

Then the father hands his daughter to her chambelane, a sign of his respect for her maturity. The dance proceeds, with the Quinceañera and her court. Marcea isn’t aware of any symbolism in the courts dances, besides entertainment and fun. Courts tend to take dance lessons for a year to a year and a half before the quince. Marcea and her court took dance lessons for about four months beforehand. There is a formal dance, which was the waltz for Marcea’s quince, and the baile sorpresa, which included cumbia, hip hop and the hustle. The songs we danced to were by Rihanna, Selena and Chris Brown. Usually the baile sorpresa is salsa or cumbia; however, Marcea’s quince had a mixture of diverse dances.

Although Marcea didn’t participate in this tradition, at some quinces the Quinceañera is given the responsibilities of a woman within the celebration itself. She is responsible for speeches, cake cutting and even service. While watching videos online to brainstorm for dress ideas, Marcea saw girls serving their padrinos.

The dress is usually white, symbolizing purity at the coming of age. Recently girls have been wearing pastel colored dresses. They are usually large ballgowns. There are never trains on these dresses, because the style is reserved for weddings.

 

 

The whole event is centered around the Quinceañera. It symbolizes the transition from a girl to a woman, with all the responsibilities it entails. There are many aspects of the event which I was not able to include, as it is a vast celebration. The tradition is documented in the award-winning film Quinceañera, which juxtaposes the purity and extravagance of the celebration with pregnancy, poverty and the trials of everyday life.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451176/

Irish Dance Competitions

Nationality: Irish, German, French, Czechoslovakian
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 18, 2013
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Siobhan was very active in Irish Dancing from age 5 to age 18. She described a typical dance competition to me.

The two most common kinds of dances are soft shoe, or the reel, and hard shoe. Soft shoe dances are bouncy and fast paced. They use leather shoes, that criss cross at the front. Hard shoe dances like the horn pipe are danced using trebles and clicks. Trebles are when the dancer brushes their foot backwards and forwards and clicks are when the dancer hits their heels together to make a clicking noise.

Siobhan described a couple of narratives that were represented through choreography. A group dance represented the weaving of an Irish cloth. Another dance features boy and girl pairings and centers around Irish women and their sailor husbands who are leaving for sea.

The competitors are judged on technique, energy and stamina. Judges look to see that the soft and hard shoe dances are properly executed, like the “turn out” with feet crossed over and turned in. Dancers must maintain energy, exhibited by high jumping and high kicks. Although the dances are generally short, they take endurance, so stamina is another category to be judged.

The music they dance to is typically live music consisting of accordions, fiddles and keyboards. The music is lively, fluid and constant throughout the competition.

Irish dresses typically have Celtic designs, each with its own unique narrative behind it. However, Siobhan has noticed a trend in competitions recently to stray from the natural and traditional and towards a beauty pageant atmosphere. Girls now have sequined dresses and wigs instead of traditional Celtic designs and natural curly hair.

Local competitions are usually held in ballrooms of hotels, with a stage set up near the front. Regional or national competitions are held in larger hotels with multiple ballrooms or convention centers. World competitions are held in either Ireland or Scotland and occasionally in the US.

Audience members include families of dancers, dance teachers, other students from dance schools of Irish dance and any interested public in the area.

Siobhan noted that Irish dance is not exclusive to ethnically Irish individuals. She has met Asian, African American and South African people at Irish dance competitions. Siobhan noted that the experience fostered a sense of diversity.

Siestas- Ecuadorian

Nationality: Irish, Scottish, German
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: May 1, 2013
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Angie spent the summer of 2011 in Ecuador in to visit family, do “touristy things” and study the language. She already knew some things about the language because she had studied for four years with a professor who had lived in Ecuador. She visited cities and towns near the Andes, like the city Ambato and surrounding areas. She lived in Ambato, traveled to the Amazon twice, to the beach once and to the capital, Quito, once.

Angie learned the most about siestas in Ambato, where the downtown area would shut down almost completely between the hours of noon and two, called a siesta. (Angie noted a difference in pace between Ambato and Quito. While Ambato was more laid back, Quito was very fast-paced and reminded her more of an American town, generally without siestas.) Businesses in the city would close down, leaving open only cafes where families would gather to eat. Siestas are not as much about napping as they are about eating and spending time with family. Both food and family are very important aspects of Ecuadorian culture. Ecuador has a very family-oriented culture, with big, multi- generational families. During siesta, smaller units of families gather together to eat. Food is a very important export of Ecuador, with bananas, bread and roses being their main ones. It is even present on their crest. Lunch is the biggest meal in Ecuador. People get the most sustenance from lunch, eating meats and heartier foods in the afternoon. Dinner consists of fruit, bread and coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Angie also observed that people generally don’t return home until past midnight.

The importance of food is evident in Ecuador, as it instructs their pace of life and allows families to join together.

Kahuna

Nationality: American
Age: 24
Occupation: Assistant Media Planner
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/22/13
Primary Language: English
Language: N/A

A Jewish summer sleep-away camp in Malibu, CA by the name of Camp Hess Kramer holds hundreds of Jewish kids ranging from eight to seventeen for most of the summer.  The camp, being near the beach, has a beach day once a week where the entire camp goes to Zuma beach to enjoy the day.  The camp typically leaves after eating breakfast in the main dining hall, but there is an essential step the campers must go through before ensuring they will have a great, sun-filled, fun day at the beach.  They must call out to Kahuna — the symbolic guarantor of a great day at the beach.

The counselors at the camp typically create a skit to detail the kids the necessity of getting Kahuna to show up at dining hall and talk to the kids.  In order for Kahuna to come to the dining hall all of the kids must yell out “Kahuuunnnnnnaaaaa” at the top of their lungs in order for him to hear their calls.  Typically after three or four loud calls out to Kahuna he shows up to the dining hall.  Kahuna is dressed in beach attire with red swim trunks, visible sun block on his nose, sunglasses, and shirtless with a big red “K” on his chest.

After Kahuna’s arrival he begins to explain his role for the kids.  Kahuna details all of the necessary things campers must do to ensure they have a great time at the beach — essentials such as putting on sunscreen, drinking a lot of water, and of course reapplying more sunscreen.  Kahuna also organizes the campers in the dining hall into four different groups and gets them to chant individually in four parts — “Beach, Sand, Sun, Fun.”  The campers must chant this multiple times loudly in order to ensure a sunny, fun day at the beach.  After the chanting it fulfilled to Kahuna’s expectations he is free to dismiss the campers and he leaves as all the campers board the buses.

Kahuna has been a figure of Camp Hess Kramer beach days for over a decade and will continue to represent beach days for the camp in future years.

I think Kahuna serves a strong role at Camp Hess Kramer because he encourages campers to make sure that they have a safe, fun time at the beach.  Kahuna’s emphasis on wearing sunscreen and drinking a lot of water is obviously a result of the counselors and staff members wanting children to remain hydrated and avoid sun burns.  Also Kahuna’s emphasis on having a fun, good time at the beach is a result of counselors and staff members wanted the campers to get in a good mindset for the day and for the campers to have fun at the beach.  It is also interesting to note that the word “kahuna” means in Hawaiian wise man or shaman.  This relates to Kahuna as a figure at Camp Hess Kramer as a wise man of the beach.