Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

“Bowling in Heaven” (memorate)

by Grace Robinson

“When I was little, I was really scared of thunder storms and [my] Grandma would always tell me that the sound of the thunder was actually the sound of people bowling in heaven, -and after she told me that story enough I wasn’t scared of them anymore.”

My informant spoke with great passion about this short narrative that was replayed to her many times as a child. She told me her grandmother was very Christian, so she thought that claiming that the loud thunder was actually the result of heaven-dwellers indulging in a carefree recreation, would ease by fear. Her grandmother was ultimately right, as the reminder soothed her anxieties over thunder storms, having grown up in such a religious household, the familiarity to religion from the group she was raised with aided her, even though she doesn’t claim to be especially religious herself.

I also find it interesting that while I would still classify this short narrative as a memorate, since it pertains to a personal experience, it also shares many traits with that of ‘myths’. It is essentially a kind of creation story for a universal truth, seeing as folk everywhere hear thunder. It’s a sacred narrative about how something came to be (the thunder deriving from something holy), and it doesn’t take place in the real world (i.e. Heaven). So while I wouldn’t quite classify this piece as a myth, due to what I believe to be a small reach, it definitely seems to share its qualities.

“Hand Licker” (memorate)

“[In first grade] there was this scary story that [my classmates and I] would tell each other on the way to school – it was about this marries couple of homeowners with their dog who would always hear weird noises at night, so they’d stick their hands under the bed and let the dog lick it to make sure it was okay. One night when they heard an extra weird noise, the wife stuck her hand under the bed, and the dog licked it, but then they heard the noise again so the husband went to check it out and it was their dog locked out of the room, while something under the bed was still licking the wife’s hand.”

I asked my informant who it ended up being under the bed.

“Some guy who broke in.” she told me.

She said that the story was brought up by a classmate one day and spread through her grade level swiftly, many of her fellow first graders marveled by the disturbing narrative.

“It was mostly just entertaining to us.”

Though I don’t doubt for a second that children will pass around vulgar stories for the sake of entertainment or “shock factor”, I believe that this story can also be viewed as a warning against blind trust. Although the couple always heard the strange noises, they never investigated the cause of the news and therefore were late to catch the creepy man who hid under their bed at night.

Skol!

Text: 

When the informant’s family gathers together for a meal at his grandparents’ house, they all hold up their glasses and say “skol!” at the same time, as a cheers-ing tradition. When they say “skol”, they look into everyone’s eyes before taking a sip of their drinks. When they raise their glasses up before saying “skol”, they are supposed to hold it chest level, as high as their third button. 

Context:

The informant has grown up with this tradition at every one of his family dinners with his grandparents, and is very accustomed to it, although he doesn’t know what the word “skol” itself means. The informant’s grandfather learned it from his parents who are Norwegian. The informant says that the “skol!” tradition is a Scandinavian tradition, and so his grandfather knows it from when he and his parents lived in Norway. 

Analysis: 

This folk tradition within the informant’s family exemplifies the draw that many people feel towards tradition, even if they don’t necessarily know what it means. Most of all, it exemplifies the power that tradition has to bring groups of people together, especially when the traditions feel specific to a certain group.

In this way, traditions operate so much as markers of identity. In fact, perhaps the identity that traditions like the informant’s “skol” tradition gives to those who practice it carries just as much weight to them as the actual purpose/intention of the tradition itself. Additionally, practicing a tradition specific to a certain region/group after leaving said region keeps a sense of identity alive for its practitioners. 

Pre-Dinner Ritual

Text: 

The informant ate sit-down dinners with his immediate family every night growing up. Before they ate, they would always hold hands and say a few words, almost like a prayer.

Context:

While this dinnertime tradition is very common among religious households, the informant’s family is nonreligious, not subscribing to any organized religion. Instead of a typical prayer, the informant’s family’s “prayer” was said to no one in particular, and was often expressing gratitude. 

Analysis:

This tradition is a very common one, however, is usually affiliated with some level of religious background. Seeing it done without a religious background shows a lot about the shared values that both religious and non-religious people have in common. Although the informant’s family is not giving a prayer of gratitude to anyone in particular, it is still important for them to be grateful for their meal. In this sense, the tradition also seems to bring the family together and work as a bonding ritual with which to connect with each other every night through their gratitude. The informant’s lack of religious intent with his prayer shows that when a prayer of gratitude is not said to any particular deity or entity, its ability to bring a group, like the informant’s family, together seems to hold just as much weight as the ritual/prayer’s original purpose.

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.