Category Archives: Holidays

Holidays and holiday traditions

May Day Dance Performance

Ritual Dance Performance:

At the informant’s elementary school in Hawaii, every May Day there is a celebration where the students perform traditional Hawaiian song and dance.

Context:

The informant went to elementary school in Hawaii and moved to California in the fourth grade. Within her four years of elementary school in Hawaii, this annual celebration was a very big deal, and she spent one day each week practicing Hula throughout the year in preparation for the May Day dance performances. 

Analysis: 

The performance of traditional Hawaiian song and dance on May Day in the informant’s elementary school, as well as the largeness of the May Day celebration, is a clear example of a folk group actively keeping their culture alive. Especially in places like Hawaii that have become part of larger countries like the United States, it is evidently very important to find ways to keep cultural practices thriving. It is clear that celebrations like these are done with the intention to pass culture along to the youth, as well as to celebrate said culture together. Performances of traditional song and dance provide community members with a sense of shared identity as well, likely aiding in making the informant’s school’s May Day celebration so excitedly anticipated throughout each year. Celebrations involving song and dance are very good ways of keeping culture alive and celebrated, because in music and dance performances, everyone involved can participate to some extent, whether they are the performers or audience members.

A Small Town Pilgrimage

My family travel to Mexico during the winter to see our extended family, partake in the festivities, but specifically to my mother to make a “pilgrimage”. Every year in January, a parade celebrating the Virgin Mary occurs, and so does a festival. This lasts nine days, but this part is more religiously focused than it is on fun and games. In the morning, people gather at the entrance of town and begin their walk to the church in the town’s center. Whilst walking, people throw confetti to decorate the large image of the Virgin which is at the forefront of the parade. The rosary is recited out loud as people pray along and hold candles. The walk ends as the people arrive at the church and the bells begin to ring loudly as the people enter the church. Mass follows after the parade.

Ceremonies like these are very special to the more religious people in the family such as my mother and my grandmother and the other ladies of the town. Not many show up to this parade as they do with the correlating night festivities, but it is still culturally significant to the communities as it defines an important aspect of Mexican national identity and its close relationship to Catholicism. At least that’s how older generations feel more so than the younger.

I myself remember holding my mom’s hands during these parades and seeing how devoted she was to these processions. I also came to regard these as integral parts as my identity as a child descending from a Mexican Catholic family.

Fiestas Patrias (Patriotic Festivals)

During the 15th and 16th days of September to commemorate Mexican Independence Day, my parents’ hometown throws a festival. Like in other festivals, they hold a competition to elect a “queen of the festival” as well as tournaments with horse races and even rooster fights. Parades also occur about the town where children and students partake in them. Well known bandas (bands) are invited to perform in the town square so that many people would want to go and dance along. Bailes folkloricos (folkloric dances) also take place with competitions between different dances from different states competing to win. Overall, people gather to dance and celebrate their nation with others.

My mom recalled these types of celebrations as a young woman when she and her family would go and see the bands and the dances. She mentioned that a these are typical traditions of small towns in Mexico. Usually local and involving song and dance with a number of competitive events.

I myself have never gotten to see these type of celebrations but my mom mentioned how they were the festival mostly centered in national pride and identity more so than others. These celebrations seemed more unique as they weren’t heavily tied to religious occasions. As the name implies, they were very patriotic and traces of these festivals are seen here in the U.S. when on these days, people drive their cars with Mexican flags waving in the back.

12 Grapes at Midnight on New Year’s Eve

Text: Every New Year’s Eve, the informant’s family eats 12 grapes within the minute-or-so leading up to midnight. Each grape represents one of the 12 months, and as they eat each grape they make a wish for that month. It is a way for them to bring consistent good luck into the new year.

Context: The informant has participated in this tradition every year as far back as they can remember, and their family is who taught it to them originally. The informant and their family are Argentinian and have always lived in Los Angeles. The informant said that this is their favorite New Year’s tradition because it becomes a fun competition between her and her siblings (as to who can finish the grapes the fastest) and looks forward to it every year.

Analysis: This is far from the first time I’ve heard of this New Year’s tradition, as it seems that many Spanish-speaking cultures partake in similar traditions. Potentially, I could see this tradition as an expression of optimism for the incoming year. I could also see this tradition as a way of trying to attract what you want into the new year, as in class we talked about how many New Years traditions revolve around manifestations during the liminal time that is the transition from year to year. In this case, the grapes might symbolize wealth or luxury.

Matzah Hunt

Text:

During Passover, the informant’s grandparents would hide two pieces of matzo (one for him, the other for his sister) that they would then search for. Sometimes, this would involve a game of “hot or cold”. If they found the pieces of matzo, they would get a bit of money as well.

Context:

The informant is not Jewish, but rather considers themself a mix of various ethnicity, citing Jewish as one, but mentioning that he was mostly Christian and Scottish, with a bit of Native American ancestry.

Analysis:

When looking further into the matzah hunt, I found out that there’s quite a bit of history and symbolism behind it. The bread is part of a group of three matzo, and the one that’s hidden is broken off from the middle one of the three pieces. It is then wrapped in a napkin and hidden somewhere in the house. In terms of symbolic importance, it’s referred to as either representing the sacrifice that was once offered at the temple in Jerusalem, which speaks to the historic and cultural importance of the activity. Alternatively, it can be seen as a way of representing how one must set aside a portion of what they own for the less fortunate. With such an important symbolic represented here, it’s interesting to see it applied to a game for children to play. Judging by the informant’s recollection of the event, I can’t imagine the player of this activity has much awareness of its importance. As a result, they just see it as a game they can earn something from if they win. Perhaps this can be seen as the way folk practices apply in different ways to different people. While the children see a fun game, the adults see a piece of symbolism that represents them as a people, and said children do not learn such symbolism until they are much older.