Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

Tradition – Chinese

Nationality: Chinese-American
Age: 34
Occupation: Real Estate Agent
Residence: Pasadena, CA
Performance Date: May 2007
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

During an engagement, the woman and man are supposed to exchange twelve gifts and present them to each other during the engagement ceremony.

Karena learned about this tradition through her parents, who brought it over from Taiwan.  She says that the presents have to be thoughtful and classy and presented in nicely wrapped, half-open box.  She says that most traditional weddings do include this tradition, exchanging gifts such as watches, wallets, and purses.  This gesture often results in extravagant gifts and sometimes displays how much money the family has to spend on the other family.  Though she does not agree with this tradition, she still follows it to please her family in their wishes to have a Chinese wedding.

Since Karena is a wedding planner on the side, she is familiar with certain Chinese traditions regarding engagements and marriages.  For her own wedding, she followed these traditions and saw it as another part of the process for engagement.  Her interpretation of the tradition was no more than pleasing her family.  It is very important to respect the customs of one’s ancestors for them to celebrate the union of two families.  In contrast to American weddings, Chinese weddings are very involved in each other’s families, making sure that the two get along.  The exchange of the presents is also a symbol of friendship between the two families.  In addition to her interpretation, another approach could be taken.  The exchange of presents can represent how each family is financially able to support each other.  It also acts as a way to join the families together; by exchanging these presents, the families can unite together through the couple.  These Chinese traditions are a way to respect the elders of the family as well as bringing the families closer together as the couple prepares for marriage.  These traditions are also brought over from Asia to be integrated into Asian-American weddings, showing the hybridization of the two cultures.

Tradition – Beverly Hills, California

Nationality: American
Age: 23
Residence: Beverly Hills, CA
Performance Date: March 17, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

“The Snatch Breakfast- Well it was when I was younger, on my birthdays before any of my friends could drive so my mom would drive… to pick up all my friends. Then um they would all come back to my house and wake me up and then we would all go to breakfast…”

“In theory it’s a really fun thing but in reality it was awful because I wasn’t a morning person, and I wouldn’t continue the tradition on with my kids if they weren’t morning people either because I hated it, but it is a family ritual that I went though, then my brother, and now my sister” After recounting the family ritual of Snatch Breakfasts, Eric asked his parents where they had the idea of Snatch Breakfast and his mom explained that her parents had Snatch Breakfasts for my her when she was young. Eric is a 23-year-old USC graduate. He grew up in Beverly Hills and now continues to work in Los Angeles as an accountant. Eric and I were discussing childhood traditions and family rituals at my house with my roommate when we got stuck on the cycle of birthday rituals because every family has their own and they are always fun to share. Eric and I met his senior year of high-school so I was too late to be a part of the Snatch Breakfast but I have attended a few for his younger sister.

The Snatch Breakfast is synonymous with the their family so it was obvious that Eric would share this ritual with my roommate and I. It really is a part of their family and although he doesn’t like being woken up by a room full of his friends, Eric does like idea of it being a generational thing and no matter how crazy everyone gets, there is no doubt that on a birthday morning there will be a Snatch Breakfast.

The Snatch Breakfast is the perfect example of a family tradition. It has been done for many years and I’m sure it will continue to be done for many years. It provides a great story to share with friends and its fun to partake in.

Ritual – Beverly Hills, California

Nationality: American
Age: 23
Residence: Beverly Hills, CA
Performance Date: March 17, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

“I never got dollars from the tooth fairy- I always got coins… special coins though, like silver dollars. It was always a surprise to see what coin I would get… they were always coins that are never used though, so I had a box that I saved them in… As I got older, I learned that my mom actually saved my teeth…”

The tooth fairy comes to almost everyone I know, and as a kid it was an honor to loose a tooth, it was a prize to be able to show off a gap in your smile and then on top of that you got a present from the tooth fairy. Eric is a 23-year-old USC graduate. He grew up in Beverly Hills and now continues to work in Los Angeles as an accountant. We were talking about teeth one day at my house because I had a dentist appointment over spring break. As we were on the topic of teeth, I remembered that when I was little I opened a drawer in my mom’s dresser and found my teeth. Of course I was devastated because I thought the tooth fairy had my teeth, but my mom calmed me down by explaining that what the tooth fairy actually does is take the teeth from under my pillow and replace it with money and then put my teeth under my mom’s pillow. Apparently, the tooth fairy did the same for Eric when he discovered that his mom also had a collection of his teeth. However, there was difference between Eric and I, I got some money, usually a $2 bill and a little stuffed animal while Eric usually got some collectable coin. Eric first heard about the tooth fairy from his parents who had to explain to him about loosing a tooth and then how to put it under his pillow and wait for the tooth fairy’s surprise.

Eric and I were laughing about how seriously we took the tooth fairy and how other kids we knew also cherished her. Loosing teeth is a natural stage in life but making it into something magical and mystical because of the fairy makes loosing teeth monumental. Almost everyone has a tooth fairy story but each one is unique which is why I think people love to share their own version.

Ritual

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Residence: Encino, CA
Performance Date: March 1, 2007
Primary Language: English

“On the first of the month I always say Rabbit Rabbit- without fail… I usually try to say it before my feet touch the ground… as I’m getting out of bed… but sometimes I forget until later on in the morning, but I always say it at some point”

Lindsay is my 22-year-old best friend and roommate. She grew up in Encino, California also known as “The Valley” but after graduating from USC last year, she lives with me in Westwood, California. Lindsay is superstitious about a few things, she religiously says “Rabbit Rabbit” on the first of the every month “because its good luck and I feel uncomfortable if I don’t.” Lindsay and I discussed her superstition on the 1st of March, when I heard her say “Rabbit Rabbit” while making breakfast. I had heard of it before and occasionally said it myself, when I remembered, but I wasn’t a true believer like Lindsay.

She learned about this superstition and ritual from the kids’ network Nickelodeon when she was young, probably when she was about 8-years-old. Since she learned about it she has always performed the ritual. She doesn’t have a reminder, it is all instinctually ingrained. She actually taught her brother and sister about the superstition, and now all three of them say “Rabbit Rabbit” on the first of every month.

The superstition is really a ritual for Lindsay, she always performs, “without fail” like she explained. It is part of her identity, and what is important to her, so it makes sense that she would want to share it with me. Though Lindsay did share it with me and her siblings, it is also a private ritual of hers that she doesn’t usually advertise. To her, it is of the utmost importance and very significant in her own life. From her relentless practicing of the ritual its value and significance is obvious. Lindsay probably shared this item with me because it is part of her identity, both the belief and the practice. She firmly supports the notion that saying “Rabbit Rabbit” is good luck for the month. Wikipedia has a page dedicated to the superstition and investigates its origins, its uses, and its variations like “Being the first to say “rabbit rabbit” to a person on the first of the month will bring good luck. Once someone says rabbit rabbit to you, you are no longer allowed to repeat it to anyone, thus having bad luck for the next month” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_rabbit. (3.20.07).

Folk Practice

Nationality: American
Age: 50
Occupation: Landscape Architect
Residence: Northridge, CA
Performance Date: January 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

“Cut flowers last longer if you put sprite or aspirin in the water”

Michael was born and raised in Northridge California. He has three brothers all still living on the West Coast. Michael studied horticulture at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and then opened his own business in Beverly Hills. Michael is extremely knowledgeable in regards to plants- he knows all names both common and scientific. He has mastered how to care and maintain plants. Michael taught me how to prolong the life of cut plants in my house like a vase of flowers. The simple procedure  of adding a dash of sprite soda or an aspirin into the water will keep flowers alive longer. Chemicals in the 2 additives keep the flowers healthy. Michael remembered investigating this folk remedy at school, “sometimes people even add a small amount of bleach in the water for the same effect. There are many little tricks to maintaining cut flowers, scientifically I’m not sure which have been proved but I know what works for me and my clients.”

Alan Dundes claimed Americans have always been a society to further advance science and this remedy falls in line with that claim. People tend to invent and experiment with improving their surroundings and this is a popular remedy for quick dying flowers. Michael explained that “he always adds a splash of sprite” when he has some in the refrigerator. He explained his remedy to me as he prepared some flowers for his house, pouring about 1.5ounces of sprite into the vase before he added his freshly cut flowers.