Category Archives: Kinesthetic

Body movements

Devil’s Night

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Pennsylvania
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: English

My informant told me about the traditions surrounding Devil’s Night, or October 30th, the night before Halloween. She mentioned that the normal activities boys would participate in would be egging houses at night and “doorbell ditching.” When egging became an issue of destruction of property and legal action could be taken against the children involved, they switched from egging a house to using toilet paper, spreading it around trees and the house yard.

My informant felt that this was a very east coast tradition because of our association to early Halloween traditions and witches in Salem. She could not name when Devil’s Night started, just that several generations of her family knew about it and all that went on that night, usually criminal behavior.

Often this would involve smashing pumpkins as well. My informant thought that maybe this was another imitation of spirits because of the stories surrounding Halloween. My informant said that when she was younger, her parents would tell her scary stories of things that happened on Devil’s Night to prevent her from going out and taking part in the activities that got her fellow classmates into trouble.

BrownBo Formal – Allegheny College

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Meadeville, Pennsylvania
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: English

I thought it would be interesting to ask students who went to school in very rural settings what they did for fun or any college festivals and parties they would have. My informant, who is on a sports team that forms a very tight knit community and serves as her primary group of friends, described to me a usual party held around Christmas time. It was started by the boys soccer team living in a particular house near campus eight years ago. Since then it has become a tradition.

The boys from the soccer teams and basketball teams traditionally ask the girls from the girls’ soccer team to the formal, which is really just a college drinking party. The reason why the boys from the soccer team asks the girls’ soccer team is because those are the people who come out to support their games and share the field with them, which in turn almost makes all of the lore surrounding their sport the very thing that draws them together.

Those who attend the formal wear cocktail attire, which is unique to this event. The reason why it is unique is because, as my informant told me, most of their parties are in very casual and warm clothing because of the small town atmosphere on campus. You have to be comfortable because everyone walks on the icy sidewalks during the winter, and the sports teams in general usually dress more casually than the rest of the student body at Allegheny College.

Folk Dance

Nationality: Filipino-American
Age: 47
Occupation: Teacher
Residence: Seattle, WA
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: Tagalog
Language: English

Bamboo Dance—Tinikling

This is done both as a dance and as a game.  Two people hold each end of two bamboo poles and beat the pole on the ground in repetitions of three.  The first two beats are done with the poles apart, and on the third the poles are brought together.  The dancer does series of foot movements to compliment the rhythmic beating of the poles.  The most basic foot movement are as follows:

First beat: One hop on one foot in between the poles

Second beat: One hop, bring the second foot in to meet the first

Third beat: Jump back on to one foot, jumping back to the outside of the poles as they have now been brought together

The informant described this as quite a prevalent practice.  It can be done as elaborately as possible, with women in costume balancing glasses with candles in them in their hands and on their head.  Or one can find young girls and boys playing this at any given time of the day, more to resemble an American tradition of “double dutch” jump-roping.  It can be played with one dancer, partners, or as many dancers as will fit across the poles.

The informant did not know the history of the dance, or was aware of any details as to its origin.  With a bit of internet research, I found many versions of stories and places of origins, ranging from imitations by peasants of birds, to something involving field workers during Spanish colonization.  I think that this discrepancy in itself emphasizes the significance of the practice itself, in isolation from whatever history it may have.  Additionally, because this is such a widely practiced activity among all ages, regions and social groups, its accessibility lessens the necessity of an explanation.  This is not a tradition that comes out only on special days or to commemorate some historically significant occurance, it does not require special training or practice (although there are obvious different degrees of complexity), it is something anyone on any day.  It is a national game of the Philippines not because of historical significance, but is truly national  because of  ongoing popularity and accessibility by all.

Annotation:  There is an encyclopedia Brittanica entry on Tinikling that can be found with the following link:

tinikling.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 26 Apr. 2007  <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9072567>.

Narrative-New Mexico

Nationality: American
Age: 56
Occupation: Homemaker
Residence: Villa Park, CA
Performance Date: April 6, 2011
Primary Language: English

“She lived in a small town, Magdalena, New Mexico, where there wasn’t much going on. There was a Navajo reservation not far from there, and she and her friends used to go there. They had a strange but lucrative experience. The Native American Navajo men would pay women to dance with them. This was probably in the 1940’s, when my mom was in her early 20’s. She and her friends would be paid 10 cents a dance, and I believe that it was traditional native dancing around the fire. They always had fun, and left with lots of dimes!”

            Jennifer Mizban is a homemaker who was born in New Mexico and moved to California where she lives today. She told me this story about her mother while remembering her past. She remembered this narrative her mother provided that outlined a tradition in which natives and non-natives to New Mexico interacted with each other. The natives had modified their tradition to facilitate this interaction.

            This is an example of hybridization of cultures. The non-natives learned the natives’ dance, while the natives used dimes to dance with the non-natives, who surely infused the new dance style with their own flavor. In this case, a new tradition was made.

Folk Belief-Persian

Nationality: Persian
Age: 60
Occupation: Manager
Residence: Santa Ana, CA
Performance Date: April 18, 2011
Primary Language: Persian
Language: English

“When someone is going on a journey, or a long trip, we usually put water behind them. Like, we pour water on the ground after they leave, so that it makes them to come back.”

            My mom was born and raised in Tehran, Iran, and moved to the United States in 1976. One of the traditions she always kept was throwing water on the ground behind the car when someone leaves on a long trip. She prays and also makes each traveler kiss and walk under a Qur’an. She explained that because long trips are often dangerous and uncertain, she prays for our safekeeping. The water, she says is to make sure we come back. She’s not quite sure why, she thinks the water keeps a path on the ground on which we can return. It’s a very widespread custom among Persians that is meant to help handle the stress of knowing loved ones could be in harm’s way, too far away to be helped in time.

            I noticed that this folk belief, like many folk beliefs, is supported by a folk religious element. This makes practices that seem to invoke magic more acceptable among religious people. Water is given a mystical power as a path back home, but because that goes against religious teachings, in which magic is dismissed as a black art. In this case, the water is given this power by prayers to God that are not delineated in any sacred text. The Qur’an itself turns into a magical object, as well, in this case, but this is acceptable because it is assumed that the belief is in the word of God written inside that provides protection for the journey; however, it is used as if the book itself had its own separate powers.

            Because travel is a liminal time, the leaving ceremony is highly ritualized. Kissing the binding of the Qur’an and walking under it while saying certain praises to God should be done right in order to ensure a safe trip. Forgetting to pour the water or perform some other part of this ritual could lead to trouble down the road.