Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

A Very Blind Engagement (Japan)

Nationality: Japanese-American
Age: 85 and 26
Occupation: Retired and Student
Residence: La Canada and Pasadena, CA
Performance Date: March 2012
Primary Language: English

My grandmother was first told this story by her mother-in-law, my great-grandmother, roughly fifty years ago.  The account is actually about my great-grandmother and how she met her husband, my great-grandfather.  Ever since she heard the story, she has retold my aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters and other relatives as a piece of interesting family history.  With this entry, my goal is to illustrate the “telephone effect,” or alteration of the original story, that can occur after only three generations by interviewing my grandmother and my brother.  My brother has heard the story from both my grandmother and my mother, so his version is expected to be different from my grandmother’s.

The story as my grandmother tells it goes like this:

“Your great-grandmother, Mitsuno, was born in Hiroshima and was the eldest child in her family.  Because she was the eldest, she was responsible for her younger siblings, so she stayed at home while her siblings went off to school everyday.  One day, when she was in her twenties, she heard about an opportunity to go to the U.S. and meet a husband.  She was probably eager to experience life outside her hometown.  She was given a picture of her husband-to-be and took a ship to Los Angeles.  He was from Hiroshima too.  It was common back then to marry within your region of Japan…  It was frowned on to marry outside your city… But anyways, when she got off the ship… Boy, was she surprised!  He was much older than the picture!  So… she got right back on the ship and went back to Japan.  Well, your great-grandfather, Sakuichi, went all the way over to Japan, found her and convinced her to come back to the U.S. with him.  She eventually did, they got married and lived in Los Angeles.  But it certainly wasn’t a happy marriage!”

When I interviewed my brother, the story was altered a bit and also condensed:

“I don’t think I’ve heard that story in a couple years or so… I interviewed Grammy for one of my Asian-American classes.  Um, I don’t really remember who it was or how we’re related to her, but it happened during the early 1900s, when there were early forms of ‘mail order brides’… Basically I think she wanted American citizenship, so she blindly traveled from Japan to the States to meet her husband.  When she got off the boat, she took one look at him and convinced the boat crew to take her back to Japan.  I guess he didn’t just take that lying down, and he sailed to Japan to bring her back….”

The two versions of the story present the same plotline, but are noticeably different.  My grandmother offers more information and descriptions, while my brother omits specific names and also adds some other details.  My brother seems to put it into his own context becuase the last time he said he heard the story, he used it to relate to an Asian-American Studies course.  These contrasting stories are expected though, since my grandmother knew my great-grandmother and learned the story first-hand.  Yet, still, my grandmother’s version may be very different from my great-grandmother’s account, and that account may be very different from my great-grandfather’s account.  After just three generations since the original story was told to my grandmother, only the “punch line” of the narrative has survived.  The case study demonstrates the multiplicity and variation that commonly defines folklore and how stories are transformed over time.

Ritual

Nationality: Hispanic
Age: 54
Residence: Riverside, CA
Performance Date: 3/15/12
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

My father told me that his mother used to tell him about an old hispanic superstition and ritual that when you are at a baby shower a woman must thread a needle then have the pregnant woman lie on her back on the floor and someone must hold the thread above the woman’s stomach. The thread is said to move as soon as it is hovering over the belly, and whichever way it swings decided the sex of the baby. If the thread swings to the left then the woman is supposed to be having a boy and if the thread swings to the right then the woman is supposed to have a girl.

I believe that this is just another game played at baby showers that is supposed to guess the sex of a baby for fun.

Russian Superstitions: Black Cats and Broken Mirrors

Nationality: Russian, American
Age: 35
Occupation: Adjunct Faculty at the University of Southern California
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 16th, 2012
Primary Language: Russian
Language: English

Interview Extraction:

Informant: “Ah well, one of I think, you know international superstitious things is defiantly with the cats. But if it is here it is just bad luck. But in Russia it actually means bad luck or even maybe very horrible disease.  If the black cat crosses the street you must spit over your right shoulder three times, and then the left. So it kind of cuts the curse. Also, I know that it means a disease or death in like, your closest circle of relatives or friends if you look at the broken mirror.  So actually, even if the mirror just cracked it means that you have to pick it up and through it outside of your house without looking at that.  Because for example, in Germany broken mirror means seven years of bad luck, but in Russia it means that everything is going to extreme. It’s like disease? No! Dead people.”

Interviewer: “Why do you think people in Russia are so superstitious?”

Informant: “Well of course, all those superstitious ideas come from pagan times, you know? And Russia was influenced by so many countries because at one point we had Vikings, we had Mongols ruling the country for almost… 12 and 13th century for more than 100 years. So all those influences I would say, they created… I don’t know. Maybe people were scared? And of course in Russia the weather conditions are pretty tough too. You know, living situations was always tough. So maybe people wanted to feel more protected or find reason of like why something bad happen to them.”

Analysis:

I agree with my informant’s analysis of Russian culture and superstition.  Life in Russia has historically been very difficult, due to both political and environmental reasons.  I believe that it is a basic human desire to try to make sense of your world, especially when things seem to beyond your control.  As my informant mentioned during the interview, people want to feel safe and find the reason behind why good things and bad things happen.  Therefore people turn to superstitious beliefs to set up a system of rules to follow, which gives them the illusion that they have more control over their lives than they actually do.  I do not know why the superstition of black cats and broken mirrors appear in other cultures besides Russia.  The notion that a broken mirror is unlucky sounds logical, because broken objects have lost their use.  There is another related superstition in Russian culture that says giving someone a gift that is broken is unlucky as well.  Superstitions are a major aspect to Russian culture, and these beliefs are still present in the way people live today.

My informant was born in 1977, Moscow, Soviet Union (now Russia).  On completing her undergraduate education in Moscow, she moved to California to earn her graduate degree in theatrical design from Cal State Long Beach.  She now works as a faculty member for the USC School for Dramatic Arts.  She became a US citizen in 2012.

Annotation: The black cat superstition is also mentioned at this website, which also lists other Russian superstitions.
http://www.aerotranslate.com/russian-culture/russian-superstitions-in-everyday-life.html

 

 

PLUR Ritual- Rave Culture

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: April 20th 2012
Primary Language: English

Peace, Love, Unity, Respect

My informant was in her first year of college when a friend asked her if she would like to go to rave. She attends college in southern California where there is a large amount of raves held. A rave is a concert where multiple DJs play predominantly techno, electronic, trance, and house music. A whole rave culture developed out of the way the music makes one feel and the drug culture attached to it. Ecstasy, is the most commonly used drug at a rave and is known for its euphoric effects. In this euphoria, users created many rituals that made the drug trip even more potent and exciting.

One such ritual is called PLUR, used for the trading of rave bracelets called candy. My informant was taught that the week, up to a day before the actual rave, you make candy. Candy are brightly colored, beaded bracelets, often with words or phrases on them in letter beads. At the rave, you wear all the candy you made on your arms and perform the ritual throughout the night.

PLUR stands for Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. The two participants stand facing each other. They then extend the arm from which they are trading the candy from towards the other person. Simultaneously, the participants make the peace sign with the outstretched hand and touch the tips of their fingers together, this stands for “Peace”. Next they both form a half a heart with their hands and form a full heart together, “Love”. Next they touch hands, palm to palm, “Unity”. Lastly they interlock fingers, standing for “Respect”. While going through the motions, they say each word that the motion symbolizes. After they have said “Respect”, one at a time, with their free hand, select the bracelet they are going to trade, slide it down their arm and over their clasped hands onto the other’s wrist/arm. Usually both participants give a piece of candy or you can just give a pice away. The goal is to trade with as many people as you can throughout the night. This is a way to meet as many people as you can and spread the message of PLUR, while leaving the other person a memento of the candy.

She was taught this by her “ravemother.” A rave-mother is the person who teaches one the ways of raving. They give their trainee their first piece of candy through their first PLUR ritual, and give them a rave name.

This ritual is usually done soley at raves, however, when wearing candy, with a willing other, one can do PLUR whenever and wherever. For example, we were at a rock concert together and some guy came up to us who saw she was wearing candy and on the spot asked to trade.

The rave setting is based on a group mentality, where participating in the rituals makes the culture much more than it appears. It is not just a concert to those who follow the traditions and keep them alive. This is what PLUR is, it developed through the desire to share, to touch, and to express one’s happiness with the people one is with in that moment. It is a ritual of spreading good will and good feelings to enhance the euphoria, to transcend to a new level, through the combination of mind altering drugs and music in a setting where others are looking for the exact same experience.

Oplatki Polish Ceremony

Nationality: American/ Polish
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Sacramento, California
Performance Date: April 23, 2012
Primary Language: English

My informant is half Polish from her mother’s side and was raised upholding Polish traditions. She was taught that the most important and sacred of the Polish traditions is the Wigilia, which translates to Christmas Eve Vigil.

The Wigila has many different parts, the one in particular I will discuss is the Oplatki. The Oplatek (singular) is an unleavened (lacking yeast) wafer, similar to a host for Catholics. The wafer is very thin and made of flour and water. It is larger than the palm of one’s hand, and in a square shape, with a religious image imprinted on it.

On Christmas Eve, before dinner, the Oplatek are handed out to each person in the family. Each member will then go to another, and in a pair, will break off a small piece of the other person’s wafer. Once you have broken off a piece, you give them a blessing, tell them you are proud of them, wish them good luck, good health, and that any desires or wishes they have, will come to light for them in the new year, then you eat it.

My informant says this is a very cherished ceremony because it is a genuine way of getting the family together and interacting. Each person must participate and go up to every other family member. This forces communication, any tension or ill will, if it exists, must be put aside to uphold feelings of love and good will towards all.

She was taught that this ceremony has existed for a very long time, beginning in Poland. Her family has been doing it for as long as they can remember. This specific ceremony is carried on by people of Polish heritage all over the world.

If a family member is not able to make it home for Christmas, they will exchange pieces of the wafer by mail, which shows just how dedicated to the ceremony families are.

Poland is a very religious country, with large populations of Christians and Catholics. In the Catholic religion, Communion, the taking of the host, is the climax of the mass. The host symbolizes Christ’s body, Christ who sacrificed his life for his people, when one takes in the host, they are proclaiming their faith, devotion, and praise, in a very personal, physical way.

The Oplatki takes Communion out of church and into the home, an even more personal and intimate setting. To eat the host with those that you love and are of your blood, to offer them a blessing, individually, makes it a sincere, touching experience. It is close to the hearts of those who perform it, which is why it continues as a heritage tradition.