Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

Colored Ribbons on Every Tree

Text: “Whenever someone dies, the whole town goes out and wraps specific colored ribbons around the trees. We have like 4 blue and pink ribbons on the trees in front of our house for [local mom and dad that died recently]. We do it to show support for surviving family members.” 

Context: My informant is a highschool student from the small town of Hinsdale, Illinois. There was a recent passing of a fellow classmate’s parents, so there are specific references to this one performance of the ritual.  

Analysis: This tradition comes from my informant’s home town, a smaller town where the community is very tight-knit. Everybody knows everybody and the happenings of their lives. So, when tragedy strikes and someone passes, it is a big event that the town collectively mourns. The specific rite mentioned here is a simple one: tie ribbons of remembrance around the trees lining the streets. As my informant alluded to, the ribbons are meant to let the deceased’s family know that the whole town stands beside them in mourning. The colors are often symbolic, representing something about those who have passed. In the case of a recent tragedy, there are paired blue and pink ribbons for the mother and father that both passed. Also, I think that the ritual helps the town process the death too. Since the community is so tightly knit, tragic deaths ripple throughout the entire community. In this case, the two that passed had multiple kids in the local school system and sports teams. Since they were so integrated into the community, the tragedy of their passing affected almost everybody. So, the townspeople banded together to put up ribbons not only as a sign of solidarity for their surviving family members but also as a way to process their own collective grief. 

Annual Eastern Orthodox Church Festival

Text: “[At the festival], they have a “Middle Eastern” dance in a circle and everyone throws money into the middle to raise money for the church. Women cook ahead of time and men work the pots and pans during the ceremony. They sell baklava and hummus to raise money for the church. My dad and I [used to] work the games of chance.” 


Context: my informant is a Syrian-American and was a practicing Eastern Orthodox Christian as a child. He grew up in New Jersey, but went to a majority Middle Eastern Eastern Orthodox church where they would hold this festival. 

Analysis: As was described above, this was an annual festival held by my informant’s church when he was a kid. While he described it as simply an “Eastern Orthodox” church, it is important to note that he and the other people at his church were all of Middle Eastern descent. This is why he specifically mentioned hummus and “Middle Eastern” dancing: he was trying to communicate the idea that this festival relied on common Arabian heritage in a way that would make sense to my Western perspective. Heritage aside, this seems like a festival centered on fundraising. Every aspect mentioned above relates in some way to raising money for the church. The dance was meant to attract donations, the cooked goods were made to be sold, and the games of chance were meant to win money from gamblers. However, to my informant, he was simply recalling good memories of his childhood. He also never mentioned it being tied to any specific holiday, perhaps identifying the festival as something specific to that church. The festival, from an outsider’s perspective, seems to be a way for the church to raise money to stay afloat while also fostering the sense of community that truly keeps a church alive. 

Celebrate 9’s but don’t celebrate 10’s

Text: “Many Chinese people, especially the older generations, won’t celebrate 10, 20, 30, etc because of the way the numbers are pronounced. [Ten] also sounds like the word ‘dead” and, in Chinese, twenty is ‘two-ten,’’ thirty is “three-ten,” and so on”

Context: My informant is Chinese and has grown up close to her relatives, especially as they aged. These are traditions that she remembered seeing in her childhood.

Analysis: This practice seems to be an age-related birthday ritual. As my informant described, “ten” in Chinese sounds like their word for “death.” Thus, it seems that to celebrate a “ten” birthday would be like inviting death. Chinese culture as a whole has many superstitions related to longevity. There seems to be a cultural fixation on living a long life, much more so than in American culture. I believe this is because, in Chinese culture, elders matter much more. For instance, in China, it is legally and culturally required for children to care for their aging parents to show respect and make up for the time their parents spent raising them. In America, it is much more common to see seniors taken care of by paid professionals in care facilities or living on their own. America, conversely, seems to place much more emphasis on youth. Proverbs like “Live fast, die young” and the idea of “peaking” early in life make old age not something to be revered, but tolerated in hopes of living vicariously through your kin. So, while the Chinese have many superstitions about avoiding death in old age, as is evidenced by my informant’s declaration that mostly old people subscribe to this superstition, Americans do not. 

The Sea Snake Dance

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 58
Occupation: Retired Federal Officer
Residence: Henderson, Nevada
Language: English

Text: Before I moved to the United States I attended a wedding in Mexico city, where I was born, and witnessed The Sea Snake Dance for the first time. A song, La Vibora de la Mar, began to play. Simultaneously, all the adults began clinging together and forming a large circle. I wasn’t allowed to join the circle as my mom said it was unsafe for me. The bride and groom stood on opposing tables and reached out one arm towards the other. Then, the human snake ran under their arms and sung the song.

Context: Informant describes first seeing this Hispanic wedding tradition when they were a young child still living in Mexico City. They described their time in the United States, where they have spent the majority of their life, and claim that they have only seen The Sea Snake Dance performed at a select few hispanic weddings. Informant believes this tradition is performed as a gift from the attendees of the wedding, wishing the newly weds a joyous and faithful marriage. The snake, to the informant, is representative of the potential struggles the newly married will face.

Analysis:

I believe this tradition to be rather fascinating, especially its lack of presence in the American- Hispanic wedding scene. The informant, who is now a marriage officiant who primarily serves the Hispanic community, describes not seeing many examples of the Sea Snake Dance in the United States. The few times they have seen it performed, they expressed being shocked. This, to me, is very representative of the changing beliefs that are produced when two cultures fuse. With the population of Mexico being mainly Roman Catholic, marriage holds a very prominent role in their society. In the United States, however, marriage has become less and less meaningful as divorce rates continue to rise. This is likely why the informant does not witness many replications of the wedding ritual that is so common to Hispanic culture. This lacking of reproduction is representative of folk- traditions ability to change in a parallel fashion to those who perform it.

The Traditions of the Prophet Elijah

Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Culver City, CA
Language: English

Text: For as long as I can remember my mom has been leaving our front door open for Passover. We do this because we believe the Prophet Elijah will enter our household and potentially introduce the return of the Messiah. Though I believe this to be a little excessive, as we don’t live in the safest of communities, I recognize its importance due to how long the tradition has been continued. We also pour a specific kind of wine, known as Elijah’s cup, near the entrance of the house.

Context: Informant describes being a follower of Judaism, though they are less strict on themselves, in terms of following the laws of the religion, than prior generations. They also describe Passover as being one of the two most important holidays in the Jewish Community. Informant believes that this act of pouring wine near an open front door will allow for the Prophet Elijah, who is the herald for the Messiah, to enter the household and initiate the return of the Messiah.

Analysis:

I believe this piece of tradition to exist at the crossroads between religious tradition and folk practice. When talking to the informant about this tradition, they brought up the fact that they have Jewish neighbors who do not open their door or pour any wine at all. Informant also describes some people who only open the door or only pour wine to welcome the Prophet Elijah. This, to me, is very representative of the multiplicity and variation that Dundes suggest is necessary in folklore. It is also clear that this entire folk- tradition is essentially a performance. Though their belief may be strong, it may be clear to many, as it is to the informant, that a physical entity will not enter the household. So then, this act becomes a way of tying a community close together through shared actions.