Category Archives: Festival

Story of Christmas Eve (as told by Caitlin)

Nationality: German
Age: 21
Performance Date: 04/23/18

We don’t really do this anymore, because my brother and I grew up. But when we were little kids we would go to church for Christmas. We were too little to go to midnight mass. We would put out milk and cookies for Santa and the Christkindle, which is the Christ child who we were told brings us our gifts. But because we grew up in Liechtenstein we knew both about Santa and the Christkindle. And also carrots and water for the reindeer. We would put them just outside the door of the patio. We would go into my parents room and my mom would read us this story she would read every Christmas eve. It was called I believe “One Wintery Night,” it was one of those cute books that was hand drawn. We would be cuddled up on her bed and my mom would be reading the stories to my brother and me. Notice how my dad wasn’t there haha. Mom would tell us he was working. All of a sudden we would here one of the bells on the Christmas tree ring. That meant Santa had come. And we run downstairs and the presents would be there and we were so excited. We would open the window and yell “Thank you Santa and Chirstkindle.” Now as an adult I realize it was my dad the whole time.

  1. Were you ever suspicious that it was your dad?

Not when we were kids. I guess we really believed my dad was working that late on Christmas Eve.

My Thoughts:

It’s interesting how family traditions can be blended from more than one place. For example Santa, a quite American tradition and Christkindle, a tradition from Liechtenstein. It’s cute how these kids were so excited that Santa had come. I personally believe in educating kids to reality sooner rather than later, but I suppose I can see the merit in letting them believe in the magic of Christmas.

Easter Eggs

Nationality: Armenian
Age: 56
Performance Date: 04/08/18

In Aleppo, when I was growing up, we didn’t have fancy egg coloring kits. What we would use to dye our Easter eggs was skin of red onions. There weren’t a ton of colors… there was only red. There’s a reason for that. During the crucifixion of Christ, Mary had an egg in her shall. While she witnessed her son bleeding out on the cross she cried. Her tears mixed with the blood of Christ blended and colored the egg she carried. The color red represents Jesus’ blood. Also the hard shell of the egg is a sign of the tomb in which Jesus was encapsulated and as you break the egg you release Jesus from the tomb as He resurrected.

My grandmother would boil the eggs on either Good Friday or the Saturday after along with the skin of red onions. I would stand next to her and watch her peel the onions and put it in the boiling water. After the eggs were boiled they were removed and cooled and then we would put them on a platter. We put them in the living room… we didn’t have a family room… sometimes we put them on the dining room table. When guests would come, we would sit around the table and greet each other in the Easter tradition. One person would say “Krisdos haryal i merelots,” which means Christ is risen from the dead. One would reply, “Orhnyal e harutyun’ Krisdosi,” which means blessed is the resurrection of Christ.

We would leave the eggs overnight till Easter morning. I always got to be the one who carried the plate from the kitchen to the dining room table… it’s not much but it was my role. Then we would fight the eggs. My uncle would come… when he was born, Easter was very close to his birthday so they named him Harout after the Armenian word for resurrection, haroutune. In American his name is Harry. I fought the most eggs with him. I won most of the egg fights… I don’t know if they let me win or if I won off of merit but either way… I won.

My Thoughts:

I never knew there was a reason behind dying eggs. It’s interesting how now there are many different ways to dye eggs. Companies have monetized a religious tradition. I suppose that’s the case with many holidays though including Christmas, Valentines Day, and Hanukkah.

The Festival of Vardavar

Nationality: Armenian
Age: 56
Performance Date: 04/08/18
  1. What kind of holiday traditions did you celebrate in your family?

I remember one thing called “Vardavar,” it’s 98 days after Easter celebrating the transfiguration of Christ.

  1. Where do you celebrate this?

I used to celebrate this as a child when I lived Aleppo, Syria.

  1. What does Vardavar entail?

It was a festival where people would gather with buckets and small bowls filled with water to pour water on each other. You would pour water on family and friends and even on strangers. Everyone knew on that day, that you would expect to get wet.

  1. What did the water signify/ What’s the origin of this festival?

I believe it began as a pagan festival worshiping the goddess Astghik, the goddess of water, beauty love and fertility. The name Vardavar comes from the Armenian tradition to give up roses as an offering to Astghik. The word vart means rose.

  1. What is the transfiguration?

The transfiguration is when Christ became radiant in glory. It refers to the experience of momentary divine radiance.

My Thoughts:

It’s an interesting idea that this ceremony is celebrated by splashing water on each other. I feel like the splashing water is similar to drowning, which is the opposite of fertility, however water is also cleansing and healing.

Luau Themed Party

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/10/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Hebrew

Main Piece: Luau Themed Party

My aunt would host a luau themed party once a year. It was a Hawaiian themed event that we used to see the family. The entire house would be decorated in Hawaiian things like flowers and torches. Oh, and Hawaiian bread rolls: they have a sweeter taste than regular bread. Another dish is purple mashed potatoes. She, my aunt, gets them at the “special market” near her house. We really enjoy going to these events and seeing all the family members and eating all the good food. We aren’t Hawaiian and don’t really have any connection to Hawaii, but the theme is really fun.

 

Background Information:

  • Why does informant know this piece?

This is a traditional festival that her family has every year.

  • Where did they learn this piece?

At the luau party every year.

  • What does it mean to them?

It is a chance for her to enjoy time with her family at a fun and non-religious setting.

 

Context:

  • Where?

At her aunt’s house

  • When?

During the summer.

  • Why?

To get all the family members together.

 

Personal Thoughts:

I think it is very interesting that even though they have no connection to Hawaii, they still have a luau themed party each year. Since her entire family is Jewish, and usually only get together for religious celebrations, it must be nice to have a party that is unrelated to a religious holiday.

Clicking Sticks: A Folk Dance

Nationality: Indian American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 3/27/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Telugu, Hindi, Spanish (kinda)

This is like a dance slash game -um- it’s from like Indian Hindu culture actually like it used to be Hindu, but it’s kind of becoming more of like an Indian thing now -um- and basically you have these sticks. Each person has like two sticks; They’re called Raas (pronounced “Ross”) R-A-A-S -um- and like you, you just go around like hitting your sticks with other people’s sticks and it’s like you, you just like dance around all night like hitting sticks with other sticks and like you’ll make like patterns with your friends and like different complex like dances.

 So like if I have these two sticks and you have yours we could be like 1, 2, 3, turn (gesturing to alternating sides with each count and then spinning around with sticks touching your partners) and then there’s like two lines and they go like opposite ways and like so like I’ll go like… so we both move to our, our left so like after we, I hit your stick three times and turn or whatever then I’ll go to like the person next to you and we’ll do the same thing and we’ll keep going. It’s kinda like a circuit kind of.

Yeah and it’s like it’s around the time so that this whole um dance party thing is called garba -um-… G-A-R-B-A. Um- so -um- yeah and it’s usually in like October November it’s like uhh fall harvest type of thing. Yeah. 

The Informant, one of my classmates, shared the dance of Raas after discussion section. The dance is commonly performed during the Navratri festival alongside a similar and simpler folk dance called Garba. The festival is celebrated to pay respect to the Mother Goddess of the Hindu religion, Shakti. The performance of the dance celebrates the nine incarnations of the goddess.

The Informant told me that she doesn’t remember a time where she didn’t take part in the festivities of Navratri, including the folk dances of Raas and Garba. They’re a part of her life. She doesn’t know who taught them to her or when she first danced. One of the Informant’s favorite parts of the dance is the color. She said it reminds her of Holi, the famous Indian “festival of colors” in which people smear each other with color. By the end, everyone is a vibrant hue. In Navratri, the people begin the festival wearing colorful and vibrant Garba garbs. The dance is rather simple. There are no official steps, but performers click sticks to keep rhythm.

Raas was a traditionally male dominated dance, but has become more inclusive over the years. The two things prominent in Raas are vigor and force, however, a one of passion instead of violence. Raas and Garba are both fast-paced energy-filled dances comprised of two circles, one rotating clockwise and the other counterclockwise.

I loved this account of some of the folk dances cherished in India, but I loved the backstory even more. The fact that these dances have been a part of her life so long that she can’t remember a time that they weren’t present is, in my belief, a true marker of a folk dance that is massively culturally important.  This act is a merging of three areas of folklore. The dance itself, the festival at which it’s performed, and the mythology it celebrates.

For more information on Raas, Garba, and the Navratri festival, see here.