Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

Christmas Saran Wrap Game

Text: “At Christmas, we did a saran wrap game. Where it’s just like you get a pretty big bowl and add presents into the bowl. Once their in the bowl you wrap it in saran wrap in multiple layers. Then you time everyone, and you have to unravel the saran wrap, like really quickly, so that you can get gifts. Which you want to do because you want because you wanna get the big gift in the middle, but then there’s a bunch of other tiny things like candies and stuff around it, and that was always really fun.”

Context: When discussing Christmas traditions with AL, they described a holiday tradition their whole family would participate in. Grabbing a big bowl with an array of presents, some small like little toys and candy, but with the addition of a bigger wrapped present in the center of the bowl. The bowls for each family member were wrapped multiple times in saran wrap. Everyone then is timed to see who can unwrap their bowl the fastest. They are additionally motivated to get to the center of the bowl so they can get to the big present.

Analysis: This tradition shows how families can turn something simple like gift-giving into a game that everyone gets excited about. The saran wrap game adds competition and urgency, since everyone is racing against time to unwrap their bowl and reach the bigger prize in the center. At the same time, the smaller items like candy keep it fun along the way. Because everyone is doing it together and reacting in the moment, it creates a lot of laughter and energy, which makes the experience more memorable than just opening presents one by one. It highlights how adding a playful challenge can make holidays feel more interactive and bring people closer through shared excitement.

Thanksgiving Treasure Hunt

Text: “The Thanksgiving treasure hunt has to be my absolute favorite tradition out of any holiday. My dad did it for me when I was growing up, and now I pass it on to my kids. My sister, however, does not do it for her kids, so I’m glad I can keep the tradition alive that my dad started. Every Thanksgiving, I get silly gifts for everyone. For example, for my husband, when he had a super old falling apart car, I gave him a toy of the mator tow truck from cars, or the falling year gave him a pair of reader glasses after noticing his eyes were getting old. So, silly gifts like that. I would hide them around the house and write poems with clues to lead people to their treasure. After dinner, we would start with the youngest in the room and work our way up to the oldest. They would open the paper in front of them, read the clue, go get their gift, and come back to the table to open it, and then the next person would go. I even include extra people of we have an aunt or cousin over that year rather than our main immediate family. It’s a lot of fun, and I keep the poems from every year.”

Context: This is a generational tradition that brings a new, fun activity for the holiday. It gives people time to digest in the period between dinner and dessert. The gifts are usually fun little jokes to poke fun at and are enjoyed, bringing laughs to the whole crowd. The clues are written in a poem written by the mom who hides all of the gifts around.

Analysis: This tradition shows how one person can take something simple and turn it into a really meaningful family ritual over time. The Thanksgiving treasure hunt isn’t just about giving gifts; it’s about the experience of finding them, especially with the poems and clues that make it feel more personal and creative. The fact that it was passed down from a dad and is now being continued for the next generation shows how traditions can stay alive even if not everyone in the family keeps them going. The silly gifts also make it more fun and less serious, turning it into a moment of laughter and connection rather than just another holiday activity. Starting with the youngest and including whoever is there helps everyone feel involved, which makes it more memorable for the whole group.

Aircrew Farewell Traditions

Speaker: “In the United States Air Force, especially in the aircrew community, including pilots and anyone who works on the aircraft, there is a tradition for a person’s last flight. After they finish that final flight, the whole group gathers around them. People will bring out a hose, or sometimes champagne, and they will spray that person with water or alcohol.

Usually, by the end of it, the person is completely soaked. It is meant as a fun way to celebrate them and send them off. It is kind of a farewell tradition for someone finishing their last flight with the unit.

Another tradition that is pretty well known in the aircrew community is called ‘burning the piano.’ That tradition was passed down from the United Kingdom. Usually, when we do an exercise or a mission together with British forces, if the mission goes well and everything is accomplished successfully, then people will burn an old piano together.

Everyone gathers around it and celebrates together. It is supposed to mark the end of the mission and recognize that it went well.

I do not really know exactly how these traditions started. I just know that people have been doing them for a very long time. I think they probably go back to at least World War I or World War II. People have been doing them ever since.”

Context: This conversation took place during an informal interview about traditions and rituals within military communities. The speaker described two customs that are common in the aircrew community: spraying a person with water or champagne after their final flight, and the tradition of “burning the piano” after a successful mission or exercise with British forces. Although the speaker did not know the exact historical origins of either practice, he understood them as long-standing customs that have been passed down through generations of military personnel.

Analysis: These traditions reflect the importance of ritual and group identity within military communities. The farewell spraying tradition marks the end of an aircrew member’s flying career or time with a particular unit, transforming a formal milestone into a lighthearted and memorable event. The “burning the piano” tradition appears to have deeper historical roots and is often associated with British aviation culture. Even though many participants may not know exactly where the tradition came from, continuing it helps connect current service members to earlier generations. Both customs show how military groups create rituals that celebrate achievement, strengthen group bonds, and preserve a sense of shared history.

Ghost Month and Not Swimming During Zhongyuan Festival

Date: 04/21/2026

Speaker: “When I was little, adults always told us not to go swimming during Zhongyuan Festival. That is the Ghost Festival, around the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month.

People say that during that time, the gates of the underworld open, so ghosts can come out. We call it ‘opening the ghost gate.’ Because of that, people think the whole month is unlucky, especially near rivers, lakes, beaches, and the ocean.

Adults would always say that if you go swimming during Ghost Month, water ghosts might try to pull you down. They would say the ghosts want someone to take their place, so they look for people near the water. Even if nobody fully believed it, people still avoided swimming because it felt unlucky.

During that month, people also burn paper money and other paper offerings for ancestors and wandering spirits. Families might burn paper houses, paper clothes, paper gold, or paper money. It’s basically an idea is that the dead can use those things in the afterlife.

A lot of families in places like Fujian, Taiwan, and Guangzhou still follow these traditions. Even younger people who do not really believe in ghosts might still avoid swimming during Ghost Month, just in case.

There is also a Taiwanese animated movie called Grandma and Her Ghosts that has a lot of these kinds of Ghost Month ideas in it. It is about ghosts, family, and traditional beliefs, so a lot of Taiwanese people know it from when they were kids.”

Interviewer: “Did you actually believe it when you were younger?”

Speaker: “When I was little, yes, definitely. If an adult tells you not to swim because ghosts will pull you underwater, of course you believe it. Even now, I still feel a little weird about swimming during Ghost Month.”

Interviewer: “So people still follow these traditions even if they do not fully believe them?”

Speaker: “Yeah. Even if people do not completely believe it, they still do not want to risk it. It is one of those traditions where people think, ‘It is better to be safe than sorry.’”

Context: This conversation took place during an informal discussion about Ghost Month traditions in southern Chinese culture. It was originally in Chinese and I use AI tools to translate. The speaker described beliefs surrounding Zhongyuan Festival, especially the idea that the gates of the underworld open during the seventh lunar month. She explained that many families in Fujian, Taiwan, and Guangzhou avoid swimming during that time because of stories about water ghosts pulling people underwater. She also mentioned the practice of burning paper offerings for the dead and connected these beliefs to childhood memories and Taiwanese popular culture.

Analysis: Ghost Month folklores remain especially strong in southern Chinese communities, particularly in Fujian, Taiwan, and parts of Guangdong. The belief that the “ghost gate” opens during the seventh lunar month creates a period associated with danger, bad luck, and wandering spirits. Water is often seen as especially dangerous because of stories about ghosts looking for living people to replace them. Even when people no longer fully believe these stories, they often continue following the customs because of family pressure, cultural habit, or superstition. The continued popularity of works like Grandma and Her Ghosts also shows how these beliefs are passed down through both folklore and popular media.

Tiger Auntie

Speaker: “When I was little, adults would always tell us the story of Tiger Auntie before bed. It was supposed to scare children into going to sleep early and not opening the door to strangers.

The story was usually about two sisters whose parents had to go out to work at night. Before leaving, the parents would tell them very seriously, ‘Remember to lock the doors and windows once it gets dark. Do not open the door for anyone.’

The two girls would stay home alone, and then later that night someone would knock on the door. The voice outside would sound just like their aunt or grandmother. She would say, ‘Open the door, it’s me, your auntie. I came to check on you.’

At first the girls would be scared and refuse to open it. But Tiger Auntie would keep talking and tricking them, pretending to be a relative. Eventually, one of the girls would believe her and open the door.

After Tiger Auntie came inside, she would pretend to be kind and caring. She might sit with the girls, tell them to go to sleep, or stay with them through the night. But actually she was a tiger spirit pretending to be an old woman.

Then in the middle of the night, she would eat one of the sisters.

The younger sister would wake up and realize something was wrong. Sometimes she would see bones, or notice that her sister was gone, or realize Tiger Auntie had claws or a tail. Then she would get very scared, but she would pretend to stay calm.

She would say, ‘I need to go outside to use the bathroom.’

Tiger Auntie would let her go, and then the little sister would run away and climb up a tree to hide.

Tiger Auntie would chase after her and stand under the tree, trying to figure out how to get her down. In some versions of the story, the little sister tricks Tiger Auntie into climbing the tree and then burns her. In other versions, she waits there until her parents come home and save her.

That was basically the story. Adults would tell it to remind children not to open the door to strangers and not to stay up too late at night.”

Interviewer: “Did people really think Tiger Auntie was real?”

Speaker: “When you are little, you definitely think it could be real. Especially because adults tell it in such a serious way. If you stayed up too late or wanted to leave your room at night, people would say, ‘Be careful, Tiger Auntie will come.’”

Interviewer: “So it was kind of like a warning story?”

Speaker: “Yeah, definitely. It was meant to scare children into listening to their parents, going to sleep, and not opening the door for strangers.”

Context: This story was shared in an informal conversation about childhood folklore and bedtime stories in Taiwan. The speaker remembered hearing the story of Tiger Auntie repeatedly as a child, especially from older family members. The story was treated as both entertainment and a warning, and was often used to teach children to obey their parents, stay inside at night, and avoid strangers.

Analysis: The story of Tiger Auntie is one of the most well-known folk tales in Taiwan. Like many cautionary tales told to children, it combines fear with a moral lesson. This type of story is passed by generations of people to let children be cautious. The tiger spirit represents danger coming from outside the home, especially danger disguised as someone familiar or trustworthy.