Category Archives: Initiations

Ritual: Choosing Your Career Path as a Baby

Age: 19
Occupation: student
Residence: McCarthy, USC

My informant K told me about a Korean ritual called “Dolijabi” that occurs on the 100th day after a baby is born. On the day, the baby’s parents will place different items on a table, like a book, pen, paintbrush, stethoscope, etc., and depending on what the baby touches first, it determines their career path and their future. K told me that when they were a baby, they grabbed the book that their parents set out on the table and their mom said that they were going to go into academia. They said that it did end up coming true because they are now in the Marshall School of Business here at USC studying marketing.

I had heard of this ritual growing up and found it fascinating. I sometimes wonder what I could have chosen when I was a baby and how that decision would have changed my life path compared to where I am now. I have heard other stories about Dolijabi from my other Korean friends, and some of them said that they did end up picking a career path that resembled what they picked, and some ended up doing something completely different. However, they all told me that it is more of a fun tradition for the family and that it is more of a starting point. I do think that psychology places a big part in this tradition as well because if you were to pick up a paintbrush when you were a baby, your parents could think you were going to be a painter and get you a lot of painting materials and enroll you in painting classes. Or if you had picked up a ball, your parents could sign you up to play recreational sports. If you grow up thinking you are meant to have a certain career, then it is likely that you will pursue it. I personally don’t think I would have ended up doing what I would have picked because I always thought I was going to either be a hairstylist or open a bakery when I was younger. It wasn’t until I moved to Canada that I realized I wanted to be an actor.

Luddi

The informant is one of my Pakistani friends who has lived in many different countries, yet is very attached to the culture of his heritage and is very involved in the rituals, ceremonies and overall traditions that are tied to his roots in Pakistan.

Dance:

The informant describes this dance, the Luddi, as a “circular formation that people dance to”. This dance entails the “clapping of their hands and spinning in circles as they are still moving in a circle.” Although the dance is not usually performed for a certain scenario or moment, it is “usually done at celebrations and ceremonies like weddings and dinners with the family” who are brought together and dance to specific songs that link to the informant’s culture. He describes his times watching the Luddi as a “coming together when [they] have not seen each other in a long time” and celebrating the family or a certain event happening at the time. It is always performed in Pakistan when the entire family joins, his family always visits to “celebrate their cousins, aunts, uncles and all the elders that have given us the privilege we have” conveying the importance of the dance in Punjabi culture.

Context:

The Luddi is typically done with “the group of women in the family that are important to the celebration or occasions” and this can range from “family of the groom or bride in a wedding or the parents and siblings of the birthday person.” The joining together of the women in a circle gives them a chance to “celebrate in a space without the men involved”. Although it is usually performed by older women in the family, younger women around the age of the bride and/or person of significance are able to join the dance and “learn the significance of what it means to become an adult woman” in the family that has their culture embedded into their daily lives. Luddi is msot typically seen in the winter and spring when all the family members come back from their travels for the wedding season, therefore, it allows the women to not only celebrate the occasion but also the family and other women.

Analysis:

The formation of a circle as part of the dance highlights the cycle of their culture and the generations that come together to form a chain that connects. It is creating a personal connection between the women of the family in that certain moment, growing as the girls grow and join the dance to celebrate each other. The clapping of their hands emphasises the celebration of the occasion and also creates a unified sound that the woman can sing and dance to, establishing their heritage and Punjabi culture in the form of performance and expression of their joy into feelings. The incorporation of this dance at weddings, which is also presented to be an important and momentous part of the culture in South Asia, highlights how the family is the base of their culture and even the women have their own traditions and rituals that create unity. Furthermore, the circle growing highlights the chain of Punjabi women in the family growing and the representation of the elders teaching the younger traditions to keep the culture alive.

Judgement Day (Yawm Al-Qiyaama)

Nationality: Lebanese
Age: 68
Occupation: Seamstress
Residence: Lebanon
Performance Date: 4/5/2023
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English

Original Text:

“يَوْم القِيامةِ”

Transliteration:

Yawm Al-Qiyaama

Translation:

Day of Judgement (Rising)

My informant has been raised in an Islamic pillared family in Lebanon that has not entirely followed all the beliefs that are enforced but has been taught the knowledge about the religion and the information regarding faith and the afterlife.

Narrative:

Judgement Day is known to be one of the most feared moments in Islam as it is also referred to as “The Day of the Rising”, “The Day of Regret” and “The Striking of Calamity.” My informant has stated that this is “the end of all life in our world when the living is stopped, the deceased come back from the dead state they resided in and are put on trial for their time on earth to decide whether they should be sent to the heavens or hell. Some signs of the day of judgement coming are when events such as “phenomena in the Qur’an, the book of Islam, coming to fruition and if satanic entities or ‘the jin’ were to appear on earth.” This allows Muslims to prepare to be judged for their sins and determine whether they are faithfully good. ‘Allah’, otherwise known as their god, will decide if those who are dead will live in everlasting torment and “if those who have performed his tasks may live freely to fulfil their own duties without punishment” for their sins. It is a day that they “fear, but must accept as it the way that god had intended for the world to progress and end” This is depicted as the beginning of the end in Islam and is the moment that all Muslims stay faithful for as it plays a role in whether they will continue to be blessed for their efforts or punished for their sins.

Context:

It is believed that Judgement Day within Islamic culture and religion is a pivotal part of their upbringing. Although it is “one of the most important parts of our religion and is an extremely important and heavy topic, [they] usually tell the children of the family when they reach a certain age to begin to teach them about Allah and how to be a devoted Muslim” They have also described that this topic is not brought up amongst other adults much unless “it is in a religious setting or during prayer, to remind [themselves] what [they] are performing good tasks for” as it is seen as a religious conversation that exists within every individual’s mind but is not spoken. They must remember that they are living to be a good person and will be punished otherwise, therefore, the children are taught at a young age to understand the complexity of the event and the importance that is tied to being a good person. 

Analysis:

Although the day of judgment is a religious sacrament and piece of information that exists in texts centuries old, it plays a pivotal role in not only children but adults’ thinking and actions. It allows each individual to perform in a morally good and generous manner that benefits their culture and the way they interact with the rest of society as a whole. The manner in which it is presented may be harsh and present divine and satanic work, but it gives humanity the chance to present themselves in a moral manner to live out the rest of their lives in prosperity and hope that they gain the judgment of a good being by staying faithful to their god and the entirety of society. The idea of those rising from the dead appearing as well brings the concept of ‘nobody is safe’ as it is a state of vulnerability that they are placed in on the day that wreaks havoc, crushing any hope for those whose sins have outweighed their good. It presents the idea of gratitude and allowing those who are fortunate to be grateful for their privileges, which can also be seen in other Islamic holidays such as the month of fasting of Ramadan when they do not eat to be more empathetic to those that are less fortunate and do not have the privilege of eating comfortably.

Swedish Folk Costumes

Text:

Folkdräkt – Swedish Attire that depicts family history

Context:

Informant: “Folkdräkt is a dress outfit for women and Busserull shirt and trouser set for men. It represents where an individual’s family comes from, or in many cases, like my siblings and I, the garment is passed from generation to generation. My Folkdräkt is from Mora, Sweden in Dalarna County. Each Folkdräkt from each family has its own distinct patters and garment styles. They are a result of the family’s history, and their certain ties with perhaps specific flowers that can be depicted in Folkdräkt. It is not rare for Folkdräkt within the same region to look very similar, for they are often influenced by geographic elements and resources. Folkdräkt is often worn at weddings and festivals, or any event that may include Hambo. Typically children are the ones performing for adults, but the reverse can also be true.“

Analysis:

Folkdräkt is a dress attire within Sweden that can be used to trace a family’s lineage, or geographical origins. As a folk costume, it is powerful since it’s a physical tie between the individual and their extended history. Nordic countries are known for having a rich, strong sense of folk, that extends from their weaponization of folk to protect themselves since they are smaller countries. Here we can see that this concept may not only occur on the national level, but can be applied to individual families as well. Families within Sweden use Folkdräkt as a catalyst to be able to distinguish themselves from other families. This comes from a desire to be able to define your legacy from others, within a stream of millions of legacies. It is also interesting that Folkdräkt quite literally translates to folk attire, with “dräkt” meaning suit or attire, and folk being an english cognate.

Shaving Heads Before the Meet

CONTEXT:

P is a freshman at USC, and a good friend of mine. He attended a private school in New Jersey before coming to USC. He was on the swim team for 4 years.

TEXT:

P: Yeah, so the biggest swim meet was called Easterns. And we used to dominate that shit; in my time we waned off a little bit, but we still kept the rituals. And one of the many ones was that the seniors could shave the freshman’s head any way they wanted. And that’s been for like, decades, I think, for decades. But basically, my haircut was, I was bald dude. Like completely bald except I had this old man hair, like Danny DeVito hair. And so one guy had, like Avatar hair and another guy had monk hair, like it was just a ring. I have pictures of it! We got a yarmulke from this Jewish kid and put it on top of his head. So the meet was on Thursday, and they would shave heads on Sunday. And you had to go to class with the haircut Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, no hats, no hoods, or the seniors would confiscate them. So you had to walk around. And it was better when we were in groups, like we would stick together. So you would have to be with your brothers like in unity with your shitty fucking haircuts. Having everyone to look at you like, “Ugh, what the hell? What are they doing? What are they doing to these kids?” And we would also have to dye our hair. We got it like, random colors: blue, fucking orange. So you’d have this dumbass hair and it would be bright blue.

Me: You seem to look back on this fondly.

P: Oh, yeah, cuz then I got to do it. Senior year. I got pictures. The seniors, and this one junior named [X], were smart dudes, like they knew how to psychologically prepare you for what was to come. You know what I mean? And Isaac would tell me this. He was like, when you’re a senior, you’re gonna have all these freshmen coming in, you’re gonna tell them they’re gonna shave their heads, and they’re gonna be like, no fucking way. And this is what they did. They told us at first, and we’re like, this is not happening. And you plant it a little bit every other day, maybe once a week, and just be like, “Hey, your head is gonna get shaved, you ready for that? How do you feel about that?” And just little by little, it’s the foot-in-the-door phenomenon. Like, this is an actual psychological thing, the more you get them used to and the more you get them acquainted with it, and you show them — the seniors showed us pictures of when they were freshmen. And they romanticize this time of like, being a freshman and having your head shaved. And it’s a rite of passage. And the more ingrained you are on the swim team, like practice after practice, and like doing all this bullshit, like, you know, getting cookies for seniors, getting your shower taken, then you start to feel part of the team. And then after every practice, if you do well, and you go hard, you get a fist bump from the seniors. And then they became like, my fathers too. So when they started talking about shaving, it just became another thing that was gonna happen. And that was part of being on the team. And by the time it came around, by the time it came around, even the kids that were vehemently like, “I am never doing this.” They were like, “I’m doing it.” And once like more than half of the kids are shaving their heads, then you’re like, “Fuck, I don’t want to be left out.” And then when I was a senior, like, there was this one kid, Rishi who had long flowing hair. And when we told him about it, it was just like [X] told me, he was like, “Yeah, I’m not doing that. I’m just not doing that.” And I kept in mind what [X] said, I was like, “I have patience. Every day, I’m gonna drill this in this kid’s head.” And I shaved his head. I have a video. I have a video of him looking up. We shaved just the top of his head. So there’s just a curtain of hair down here. So I have a video of me shaving the top of his head. And then he looks up and he’s terrified. We laugh about it now. So yeah, it’s something. I know for sure they’re passing that shit down.

ANALYSIS:

Many traditions take the form of rites of passage — that once you do a certain thing, you have now transitioned and taken on this new identity. It’s seen with weddings, frats, and certainly sports teams. In a team with long-standing tradition like that of an old New Jersey boarding school, the tradition and rites of passage are complete. Especially with incoming freshmen, there are certainly “hazing” rituals and other kinds of things that they must do that the teammates before them did to be considered part of them. In a way, these kinds of rituals “unite” the team under more than just the fact that they swim, practice and compete together. Once this action of collective embarrassment and humiliation is completed, suddenly, you “get” to be one of them. Now they “know” what it’s like, and it’s easy to stick together and be united as a team.