Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

Superstition/Ritual

Nationality: African-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Performance Date: April 12, 2007
Primary Language: English
All dirty laundry needs to be washed before December 31st at midnight. My mom makes me search the entire house.

Notes:

The subject had many New Year’s rituals to share pertaining to his family. He said that every New Year’s Eve his mother made him search the house for all dirty laundry so that she could wash it before the New Year. He emphasized all laundry stating that everything and anything dirty that could be cleaned in the washing machine, was. When I asked about the reasoning behind this he says that it is considered bad luck when crossing over into the New Year if you have dirty laundry. He furthered this making a connection between the cleaning process and the superstition saying that it’s not a clean start to the New Year. The subject was unsure of its origins exactly but said that it was a popular custom in African American families, saying that his entire family does it.

At first I thought that his may be a clever way to make the kids get all of the dirty laundry done before the New Year, however once I heard that it was not a clean start to the year, I believe it has more to do with this. I think it reflects the idea of a clean slate, making sure that the New Year is started fresh without the trials and tarnishes from the previous year. I think it symbolizes a lot more than what it first sounds like. Having a clean house and clean clothes to enter the New Year allows the family to ease into the year without having to deal with the problems from the past. The clothes can be seen as past year occurrences that need to be washed away before the New Year. I think that the fact his mother makes him search through the entire house, which he emphasized telling me that even socks or pillowcases were included, shows her strong belief in it. It is obviously a big stress reliever for her as well, since entering the New Year the house is clean and she does not have to do the laundry.

Superstition – University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Nationality: African-American
Occupation: Student
Residence: Saint Louis, MO
Performance Date: April 1, 2007
Primary Language: English

Don’t shave on Game-day. (with reference to USC football)

Notes:

The subject told me that its bad luck to shave (a guy’s face) on game day, saying that the team you were rooting for would lose. This is a huge superstition on USC campus, due to the obsession with USC’s football team. The subject is a member of the Trojan Marching Band and stated that this is a widely held belief for the band as well as most students on campus. When he told me this superstition a few other guys were around and he pointed at one and said you shaved when he played Oregon State (USC lost the football game this past season (06-07) to an unranked Oregon State). The guy quickly denied it, as if he wanted to deflect the blame of losing the game. It was obvious that they both believed and followed this tradition. The subject however was not sure how it started or why it only referred to shaving but swears it works.

I had never of this superstition before coming to USC, but that could be because all of the sports at my high school were not amazing. I think that this ritual definitely has a lot to do with the university and its tie to athletics, in particular to football. I do not think that the act of shaving itself has a lot to do with the custom, other than the fact that it is an everyday occurrence for men, and skipping it implies that they are doing something special. I think that if there were other things men did as often as shave, other than bathing, eating and sleeping, they would be equal contenders as to this ritual. I did find it interesting that both boys were so into the custom, and that the accused one was so quick to deny the comment. It really showed how fervently they followed the superstition.

Ritual – Mexico

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 27
Occupation: Barista
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 17, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Leave a cup of water on the nightstand before you go to sleep every night.

Notes:

The subject told me that both her mother and her neighbor leave a cup of water on the nightstand before they go to sleep every night. The idea behind this is that the ancestors come to drink the water. The subject said that she has heard of a couple of people doing it, but does not know where it exactly comes from, she refers to the Day of the Dead celebration that occurs in early November, in which the entire neighborhood travels to the cemetery to bring food and drink offerings to the dead. She says that taking care of their ancestors is a big part of Mexican culture.

I think that this custom reflects the idea of taking care of and looking after the dead, much like the Day of the Dead celebration. I think that leaving the water out at night shows the ancestors that the people have not forgotten about them, it shows that there is still the respect there. Leaving water is also a part of the Day of the Dead celebration, and when I asked the subject about this she said that it’s the only drink the ancestors drink. She said that everyone brings water for the dead. The fact that her mother and her neighbor do it every night shows their dedication to this custom. I asked the subject if she continued the custom since she lives alone now, and she said no. She said that her mother moved here from Mexico, so she continues a lot more of the traditional beliefs, while the subject does not. This is known as acculturation and assimilation. The subject, being a second-generation immigrant, has taken on more elements of the American culture, and lost some of the traditional Mexican ones.

Ritual – Mexico

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 27
Occupation: Barista
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 17, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

When a girl is still living in her parent’s house, any boy that wants to go out with her must come and ask her parents first. He has to sit down with them and ask permission before she is allowed to see him. This occurs for every new boyfriend she has, not just her first.

Notes:

The subject told me that in Mexican culture, the daughter is very protected, and that when she becomes old enough to date, it is still gone about in a very special way. She said that the boy had to come to her house and ask her parents, in particular her father for permission first before he can go out with the girl. The subject said that a few boys had to come over to her house when she was younger and that she was very embarrassed because her father gave them hard times, and that he was a very strict man. She was afraid that all of the kids at school would make fun of her, but to her surprise her father let her go out with the boys. She said that this is widely practiced in Mexican households, and that that is probably why boys actually did come over, because she said she was afraid no one would want to come to her house just to go out on a date. Then I asked her if it was only for her first boyfriend, and she shook her head and told me that every new boy that wanted to ask her out had to come to her father and ask permission.

This tradition reminds me of the idea that the boy needs to ask the parents permission to take the girl’s hand in marriage, which I think that this custom is derived from. In the past, girls were married at a much earlier age, (the same age that they are now allowed to date), and therefore the boy had to come ask for the hand in marriage, but now since girls don’t get married at 15, they ask permission to date the daughter. This tradition also reflects the idea of respecting your elders, a popular belief in Mexican culture. The fact that the boy has to ask the father for permission shows the importance of the father in the daughter’s life, he is her protector, and thus acts as a guard to turn the unsuitable boys away. The subject said that for the most part her father let most of the boys date her, and that he was not too harsh. Its hard to imagine this custom in American culture, because kids have “boyfriends” at 10, and I think that a lot of the boys even at age 16 would shy away from having to talk to a girl’s dad. There has definitely been a loss of respect for the elders in American culture. This is why it is so interesting that this custom is still practiced. It is much like the quinceanara, the celebration of the daughter’s fifteenth birthday in which she becomes a woman and is allowed to dance with a boy after she dances with her father. It is obvious that the father and boy are two recurring symbols in the girl’s life, and the father always comes first. This reflects the respect issue and the idea that she will always have her father to support her.

Ritual – Arizona

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 50
Occupation: Instructor
Residence: Chandler, AZ
Performance Date: March 27, 2007
Primary Language: English

You must put up your Christmas lights and decorations Thanksgiving weekend and they must be taken down New Years weekend.

Notes:

The subject’s street is known as “Christmas Street” to the city and is a stop on the Phoenix Light Tour during the holidays for tourists. It received this name because everyone on the street goes all out to decorate for the holiday season. Simple strands of Christmas lights are not accepted, his street has mini ferris wheels, a Candyland-themed house, a Disney character themed house, and many more. The neighborhood is very close knit and takes immense pride in celebrating the holiday season together and with the community. The Christmas Street ritual is taken very seriously, with the neighbors often giving free sets of Christmas lights to the new neighbors , as well as showing them a video of the street so they know what they are getting themselves into. The subject feels that the ritual of when to put up and when to take down the lights came to be after a bunch of neighbors got together to talk about the holidays. The Christmas street phenomenon was born then and there. He says that this ritual is even expected of the visitors, as crowds of people start to walk the street the day after thanksgiving and are disappointed when the entire street is not at its known magnificence.

I think that this ritual reflects making the Christmas season as long as possible, so as soon as thanksgiving is done, the lights go up and are not taken down until the next big holiday, New Years.  This custom is followed by a lot of people, since Christmas has transformed into a season, with holiday music playing on the radio at this time and Christmas decorations up in the malls around this time as well. I think its interesting the way American culture has transformed this holiday into a plethora of festivities, this subject’s street is a perfect example. Pictures of the street are attached.

The subject’s home:

The subject’s neighbor’s home: