Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

Svatební Košile/The Wedding Shirt

 Name: Emma

Text: 

“A girl prays to St. Mary to bring her fiancé back from war.  He comes back and knocks on her door at Vespers, and she suspects something to be off, but it’s dark, and she’s in love with him, so she goes with him into the darkening night, taking the wedding shirts her mother sewed for their impending marriage along with her. As the night passes, each time the clock strikes, he convinces her to throw away another thing connecting her to her religion/culture– first, her rosary– it’s too heavy, he says, as they trudge through the mud, on the way to the church to get married.  Second, her prayer book, because it’s weighing her down. Third, her pendant of St. Mary; she looks into his eyes, and they look dead, then looks around her, seeing they are at the church’s gates– but not the front gates, rather the gates to the cemetery. He looks away, then looks back, asking if she’s thrown her pendant away; Yes, she lies. He asks her to throw the wedding shirts over the fence, and she does, in fear; then, he helps her climb over.  In the center of the cemetery, lit with a ghostly light, is an empty grave. Her fiance takes her by the hand and leads her closer; she looks at the gravestone, and both their names are on it. He pushes her into the grave, as the light of day begins to creep upon them, and she sees him, standing above her– visibly dead, and shaking under the creeping light. Quick, he says, and she prays to St. Mary as he throws the first shovel of dirt over her; her horrifying realization striking her that her lover has come back: dead. Her prayer is answered as the sun rises, and at the crow of the rooster, he burns and crumbles to dust before her with a scream, leaving just the girl and the wedding shirts.”

Context:

“The original written version of the story is a poem written by Karen Jaromir Erben (the same guy who wrote the vodnik down). They’re both in Kytice which means golden wreath or something like that but it was a book of Czech mythology that was banned during the communist takeover for being too nationalist and a lot of the stories the way they’re written are subtly anti communist basically. Like the reason that they feel like they’re warning against what was about to culturally happen is cuz they were. Like this story is obviously like. Supposed to imply that she’s being strung along to throw away these elements of her Czech religious culture and identity for ultimately nothing. In the same way that I think the vodnik was a warning of what it would be like to defect to a different place lol or at least why I always related to it because I grew up like feeling in between water and land / with a loss of national identity because I am neither really Czech or American yk, like it’s about the experience of diaspora. The vodnik is the fish man who has to steal the woman from earth against her will in order to have companionship bc he’s repulsive and lowkey nobody would consensually be with him. And he’s not able to walk on earth without his jacket dripping bc he’s like a fish man. But he can’t find companionship amongst fish bc he’s smart like a person. So it’s lowkey kind of tragic, he’s like a Frankenstein character. Like a character who does horrible stuff but it’s lowkey like You feel sorry for him bc he got made like that. The Kytice (by Eben) is key to Czech national identity. ”

Analysis:

Similar to the ghost memorate of the lady after the USSR occupation, the tale has largely to do with possessions that cannot be taken away that represents the self or more broadly put, to represent not relinquishing Czech national identity as Emma said. This can be seen through the Christian motifs throughout the tale, as different religions were not allowed under communism. Additionally, it mentions wedding artifacts such as the wedding shirt and the church gates. Terminating the wedding and only being a fiancé represents the perpetual liminal identity of individuals in limbo within those two phases caused by death – in a larger sense, the imposing political state of the country and its effects on the identity of individuals. The idea of ghosts or death could be considered an allomotif of communism in this case.

Diwali – Festival of Lights

Name: Diya 

Text:

“Diwali is the Indian festival of lights celebrated because the Lord Rama returned home, taking 14 days after the defeat of the demon Ravana. The whole town was dark, so they lit up lamps (Diyas!) so that he could find his way home. This is why on Diwali, the festival of lights, we celebrate by using oil lamps and colorful decorations.”

Context

“I heard this from my mom when I was young”

Analysis:
A festival is an event that happens during a specific time/place, and includes rituals to represent a right of passage. One thing to note after research is that Diwali occurs on the darkest night of the month Kartik, or rather the New moon. This year, it will be on Nov 1, 2024. This, I suppose, makes the most sense as the darkest time emphasizes the contrasting light present to carry out an even stronger message of hope, return and safety amongst the unknown. In addition, I researched that Diwali usually celebrates two different Lords – Shiva in the North and Rama in the South. There was one variation that illustrates Lord Rama, his wife and his brother returning from a 14 year long exile. I suppose the 14 is the cognate element that is consistent in these two versions, and is a case of monogenesis where it originated somewhere in India and diffused to different regions that created different variations as a result.

Tomb Sweeping Day: Annual Family Gravesite Ritual

Nationality: American / Taiwanese
Language(s) spoken: Chinese Mandarin, English
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA / Taipei, Taiwan

Text

Every year, MC and their family go to visit their paternal grandfather’s grave, usually on his birthday and on a holiday in April called Qing ming jie. The whole family goes, including MC, their parents, their siblings, their grandma, their cousins, etc. First, the family enters a main building, where there’s a plaque with their grandpa’s name and statues of the gods. The family pays their respects to both, praying for peace and protection. They light incense and leave offerings, sometimes for the gods and sometimes for the family members. There are also tables where you can leave flowers. Then, they go up a mountain to visit the gravesite. It’s located in a building eventually meant to hold the remains of everyone in their family. Inside, they clean the grave of MC’s grandpa, pray, make offerings, and leave fruit, wine, and flowers, as well as burn incense. Then, they sit together at a pavilion, talk, and eat food. After that, they read out a poetic prayer three times in front of a pot that represents the earth god. Then they go speak to their grandpa in their head, sharing whatever they like, and ask them for protection and good fortune.

Context

MC has been participating in this tradition for as long as they can remember. For them, it’s not extremely sad, as they never knew their grandpa. It is a bit sad, though, because they know their dad and grandma are really sad during this tradition. But it’s also something to look forward to. MC gets to enjoy nice food and spend time with their cousins, which is fun. They think it’s really cool that they get to connect with their grandpa even though they never met him. They described the offerings for their grandpa as a kind of care package for him; he can get those things even in the afterlife.

Analysis

This family (and cultural) tradition reminds me of Valk’s article “Ghostly Possession and Real Estate,” especially its description of what ghosts mean to people. In it, he talks about how adults like “friendly ghost” stories in which people in the afterlife can help those still alive or connect with them in some way. MC’s family tradition isn’t necessarily about ghosts, but it undoubtedly represents a desire to connect with those who have passed on. By offering up food, wine, and flowers to their deceased relative, MC’s family shows their belief that those no longer alive can still interact with them and their lives. This cultural tradition also represents a value of respect for the dead. By visiting their relative, paying their respects, and cleaning his grave multiple times a year, MC’s family shows that they still love and care for MC’s grandpa, even though he’s no longer with them. Finally, this tradition shows an immense value of family. The fact that everyone in MC’s family is buried in the same gravesite house shows that they want to be together even after death, and the way that their deceased grandfather brings together all alive family members further demonstrates dedication to staying close. Overall, this tradition represents a belief in the spirit world, as well as strong family ties.

Family Pre-Rodeo Tradition

Nationality: American
Primary language: English
Age: 58
Occupation: Insurance salesman
Residence: Mercer Island, WA

Text

MD’s father was a team roper (a rodeo rider on a horse who works in a team to rope a bull). Every year, in order to prep for the Clovis Rodeo, MD and his brothers helped their dad to practice roping by building a fake bull. They attached a bull’s skull to a sawhorse so that their dad could practice roping it. They also tried to rope, but weren’t as successful. MD’s dad’s quarter horse was named Shorty. MD and his brothers helped to get him ready by walking him and taking him into town. In town, Shorty always needed to stop for a drink. MD’s dad always went into Monty’s Liquor Store and got Dr. Pepper. He would drink half of it and give the other half to Shorty.

Context

MD participated in these pre-rodeo traditions with his family every year from when he was 4 to when he was 8 years old. Participating in these traditions was super fun because it made MD feel like a cowboy. They also made him proud of his dad, who really was a cowboy.

Analysis

These annual traditions are telling of MD’s family background and the environment that he grew up in. MD’s father probably asked his sons for help prepping Shorty, building the practice bull, etc. because he didn’t have the funds for ranch hands to do the same things. Farm work is not often an occupation for the wealthy, but rodeos rely on knowledge and skills that only farmers have, such as animal-handling, horseback riding, specific strength exercises, etc. The rodeo as a whole can be interpreted as a celebration of a farming community and their unique skills, similar to the firefighting celebrations discussed in Chapter 4 of Folk Groups and Folklore Genres: An Introduction. I’m also interested in the fact that MD’s father turned this work into games for his kids. They weren’t just helping him prep for the rodeo; they got to practice roping. They weren’t just walking Shorty into town; they were looking forward to a fun show of the horse drinking Dr. Pepper. The inclusion of children in MD’s father’s traditions, especially the catering of these traditions to the play space, demonstrates a value of respect, understanding, and community. MD’s father wanted his children to enjoy rodeoing and the culture surrounding it, perhaps so that they might partake in it in the future. This family pre-rodeo tradition highlights an interesting intersection between a community tradition (the rodeo) and intimate family traditions surrounding it. Larger area traditions and values often affect individual families in this way, such as in Cashman’s exploration of nationalism in rural Ireland. All of Ireland celebrates nationalism, but families in rural Ireland each celebrate in different smaller ways (statues, certain routes home, etc.).

New Year’s Eve Tradition

Nationality: American
Primary language: English
Age: 49
Occupation: Stay-at-home mom
Residence: Mercer Island, WA

Text

Each year on New Year’s Eve, one minute before midnight, SD and her family would all grab wooden spoons and pots and pans. They would go outside on their deck and, at midnight, began to bang the spoons on the pots and pans loudly. As they did this, they shouted “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” very loudly. They did this for around one minute before going inside.

Context

SD first remembers participating in this tradition with her father, mother, and siblings when she was about 7. Her father taught this to her and she believes it’s something he learned from his mother or grandmother. SD has perpetuated this tradition and now does it each year with her husband and son. She’s not sure what this tradition means. She finds it really funny and it brings her joy because it’s super obnoxious to neighbors, but you kind of have to laugh.

Analysis

This family tradition literally rings in the New Year. I think that this tradition serves as a way to celebrate the beginning of the new year with energy and joy, perhaps something which the participants wish to bring with them into the next year. This tradition feels as if it belongs in the “play space” spoken about in Chapter 5 of Oring’s Folk Groups and Folklore Genres: An Introduction. The author of this chapter, Jay Mechling, notes that the play space allows people to do and say things they wouldn’t normally be able to in everyday society (98). I would argue that the minutes between the old year and the new year are very much a “liminal space,” one in which tons of different folk groups are participating in different traditions. The laws of reality/society sometimes don’t feel as if they apply in liminal spaces, giving them special qualities. While loud screaming and banging pots and pans would normally be grounds for a noise complaint, it isn’t in the liminal space of New Year’s Eve. This family tradition flaunts this, playing with social boundaries in a new way. Additionally, since it is so loud, it invites others to join in the celebration. While other family traditions can be very private and personal, SD’s is loud and in-your-face. I believe this may be a way of extending the joy and silliness of the tradition to others, inviting neighbors and everyone who can hear to have some of the good energy the tradition sends out. This belief is further reinforced by the cry, “HAPPY NEW YEAR!”, which is directed at those all around.