Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

Hamlet-inspired Theatre Ritual

Nationality: American

Age: 22

Occupation: Student 

Residence: Orange County, CA, USA

Date: 4/30/2025

Language: English

Description

This is one that I used to do in high school theater. We’d do it before every show as part of our warm-ups, and it was like one like we don’t do the full…I don’t do the full warm-up anymore, but I will always do this portion, because I think it just like helps me kind of get in the mindset and the work that I’m about to do (on stage). So, we were in high school theater, we do all these warm-ups, and we do all these, like, kind of funky, like tongue twisters with a beat, but it was kind of fun. And, you know, got everyone kind of in the mood to work. And then at the end of it, our director would have us, you know, close our eyes and kind of feel the ground beneath your feet. And feel the space around you and all that. And she’d have you just kind of…center yourself, and I feel like it’s very like it’s very yoga, meditative. And so…now I do this on my own. It’s more self-led, but, basically it’s like the final, quote-unquote, tongue twister that you would do, but it comes from…I think it comes from Hamlet. Let me look it up and make sure. So Hamlet in Shakespeare, it says “speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounc’d it to you, trippingly on the tongue.” the speech. And he’s talking to, like the first player. Yeah, I don’t know exactly what happens with Hamlet, [so] I didn’t know that that was from a play. I thought it was just something that she created. And when we do this, she’d have us just kind of first…say it and just say it and then say it and really hear the words. And then you say it as your character, and whatever. 

Subject’s Opinion:

Subject: And I think over the years in that program it had transformed from a tongue-twister to something that I actually really stood by as a performer, which is why I still use it. Because I think it the way that I take it is speak the speech, which is obviously like…honor your text. I pray as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue, and it it almost feels like it’s like a higher power pushing you forward or compelling you to speak. And I feel like that’s a lot of what performance is. You’re just kind of trusting the work that you’ve done, and the preparation, for you to just go and then be prepared and also to honor the story and to serve the writer and to serve the character and to serve the audience. I don’t know, and I always say that and I’ll always stand there in the back with my eyes closed right before I go on stage or sometimes in warm-ups. Now, if I’m leading them, I’ll always help everyone do that and just kind of appreciate the work that I’m about to do and the possibility of it and the unknown. And I’ll always say it because I just think it’s really, I don’t know, it’s just kind of endearing. Interviewer: How should I put this? Let me think about how should I ask this question? Do you think… because it’s from an author text which in it by itself isn’t folklore. But [what] do you think [about] the new life that it took on as a part of the heritage, and as part of the…that ritual. How does that help you? 

Subject: I think what’s funny is that when I first started using that, I didn’t know it was from something, so I didn’t like have the predisposed notion that I was just reciting a Hamlet line. Instead, it felt like it was something larger than myself, like larger than the company. Because it felt so ethereal. So, I think, like? When you’re taking things from works, when you’re taking something from something as well known as Hamlet, but you’re still trying to make it your own, you’re weaving so much of your own personal experience for the personal nature behind why whoever created that Mantra or whatever created it or took that line specifically and used that. And I just think that, like, within that program when I was in high school, part of it was understanding how to not be selfish in your work. And I think using that line, like, using that text was kind of a way to bring it up forth and also just honor yourself as an honest artist and like, I don’t know, like, keep moving. So, when I think about it now, I don’t think about the fact that it’s a Hamlet line. Because for me, it, it’s separated from that completely. It has nothing to do with Hamlet. It is everything to do with what that experience was in high school, and what that professor did before with students before me, and it was something that she had done for years and years and years, and I was just another batch of students who came to learn that and came to appreciate that, you know. 

Analysis: 

The most fascinating part of this collection is the folkloric nature the authored text took on after generations of repurposing. As the subject put it, though she understands that it’s from Shakespeare’s text, she never associates it in its original context, and instead upholds the oral tradition of the ritual and attends to the source of how she knew it instead of what she knows it is from. She also highlighted the fact that rational knowledge of it being from Hamlet is always overshadowed by the memories and emotions that are brought up when the words are uttered, which points to the adaptive, dynamic, and affective nature of a piece of oral folklore such as this one. 

The “Shit Damn Motherfucker Motherfucker Damn” Ritual

Nationality: American

Age: 21

Occupation: Student 

Residence: Mason, OH, USA

Date: 4/29/2025

Language: English

Description

This is a a theater ritual that the people at USC do. And there are different variations of this at other schools, but there’s one very specifically that USC does which I really, really like. It’s [done] before a theater performance. Everyone gets together in a circle. Every actor gets in a circle. And you start really low and very quiet. And you say: “shit damn motherfucker motherfucker, damn! This dumb bitch just stole my man. Gotta find another fucker better than the other fucker, shit damn motherfucker motherfucker damn!” You do it four times, and you get louder and you get higher off the ground until you’re like jumping and screaming. And after that, it’s, like, okay, let’s go. And everyone goes back to their dressing rooms, gets focused, and begin the show. That’s the ritual. 

Subject’s Opinion: 

Interviewer: Do you know where that came from? 

Subject: I don’t know at all where it came from, but I know at other schools, there are variations of this. So I assume that it came from some sort of like, bigger, more professional thing, and then people sort of took from that, like took their own versions from that. From that original typical folklore. 

Interviewer: Why do you you think it’s such a significant thing that’s done here? 

Subject: Well, I think there’s multiple things. I think one people just love saying swear words. And, and also before a performance, you have to get very, like, energized. You have to be very active, even if you’re playing a very inactive and unenergized character. You, as the person who’s playing that character, need to be sort of heightened. Um. And there’s something about the consonants as well…shit damn motherfucker motherfucker, damn. Like the consonants of that are very activating. Um, and also just the community bonding aspect. We’re all like having fun. We’re all like… it’s silly. It’s ridiculous. You can’t take it seriously at all. Like, you cannot take that exercise seriously and getting yourself into that sort of like heightened, heart-beating state, and then having to take it down to like a performance, and having to have all that energy inside of you while you’re like…rocking it with whatever you’re doing. 

Analysis

As an active participant of the theatre community, I’ve seen the ritual performed many times, and can attest to the strong impression it leaves on anyone seeing it done for the first time. Witnessing or taking part in it being performed is a rite of passage for all theatre-makers at USC, as it means you’ve completed a show ready for performance, marking an important moment not only for the actors, but the people behind the scenes. And as one’s theatre career unfolds at USC, they will see this ritual done again and again, each time more meaningful than the previous, as it is symbolic of the camaraderie and pains and joys of telling a meaningful story together.

The Christmas Tree Pickle

Nationality: American

Age: 21

Occupation: Student 

Residence: Mason, OH, USA

Date: 4/29/2025

Language: English

Description

It’s a ritual that my family does on Christmas morning. It’s one we used to do, but now we don’t do, um. Because we got older, but basically there’s this old. I think German or Austrian tradition where you would, uh, hang a pickle on a Christmas tree. Okay, and whoever finds the pickle gets to open the first present. And so, in order to, uh. Uphold that tadition. Uh, my family had had I think we still have it. I think it broke eventually, but we have a pickle ornament that we would hide amongst all of the other ornaments. My parents would hide it Christmas night and then Christmas morning, and, whichever of me and my siblings found the pickle first got to open the first present and the Christmas day starts with the the finding of the pickle. 

Subject’s Opinion

Interviewer: What do you think the pickle meant? Why a pickle? Why do you think that’s the case?

Subject: I don’t know. It probably has something to do with, maybe… the smell of it. Oh, I don’t know. I, I feel like it could have to do with the smell of it. Um, because it’s like a sort of like, briny, sort of, like, very strong smell coming from the Christmas tree, and some sort of purging of that from the tree. Sounds like it could be something significant, but I’m also completely talking out of my ass. 

Interviewer: What do you think then having that thing does to your family Christmas mornings?

Subject: It makes it feel more like…I guess something is beginning, like a ritual is starting. It’s like if we just sort of woke up and started hacking at the presents like crazy, which is what we do now, it doesn’t really feel like there was something significant beginning. It’s just sort of like, there’s a clear through line from the last day into the next, but there is a significant, okay, we’re all coming here and initiating something. And it can be its own little thing, so you find the pickle, then it’s the present opening ceremony, and then once all of it is done. It is the acknowledgment between a group of people that something is beginning that is separate from what has happened before.

Analysis

The Christmas tree pickle seems oddly specific and clearly rooted in a greater cultural heritage, but the subject expressed he had no idea where the ritual came from. What is observable is the effect of the ritual, how it gives order and structure to the family’s Christmas mornings, in turn creating a narrative that concretizes meaning and consolidates memory as it unfolds. As all rituals do, the act of finding the pickle allows the family to embody meaning from the past and use symbolic actions to bring unique meaning to the warmth and joy of Christmas mornings.

Christmas Songs

Age: 19
Occupation: Student

Context: “I grew up in a big Christmas family. We went to church, decorated every part of the house, and sang every Christmas song there was. Singing wasn’t just for caroling; it happened throughout the season. Every year, the same songs, the same excitement. My parents were especially big on the ‘magic’ of it. They were really believed in ‘the magic of Christmas’ and really believed that it brought everyone closer together. I personally don’t know about that but I think it’s nice that even just for a little bit or just one day, everyone gets even closer for the holidays. There’s one song specifically called Must Be Santa, and it was so annoying, but we used to sing it at church every year.”

Analysis: Singing Christmas songs is a ritual that blends both religious and secular traditions. In families like Anne’s, it reinforces seasonal joy, community belonging, and shared memory. A song like Must Be Santa, though often seen as lighthearted or even annoying, takes on symbolic importance through repetition; especially in a church setting where it bridges sacred and playful elements. The act of singing together, becomes an expression of belief, nostalgia, and identity. It binds participants to cultural rhythms and holiday expectations. Even “annoying” songs serve as touchstones of collective memory, especially when tied to family or religious routines.

Protect My Grandchildren Ritual

Age: 20

Text: This practice comes from the person’s grandmother’s side of the family. The ritual blends cultural traditions with personal spirituality and takes a modern tweak of a ritual that was rooted from an official Baha’i ritual.

Context: “Ever since I was a child, whenever we visited my grandmother, she would burn incense. It wasn’t for any special celebration or event; she just did it whenever we came over. She’s Persian and has practiced the Baha’i faith most of her life, but this incense thing wasn’t strictly Baha’i. I see it more of a cultural and familial tradition. She always said it was to protect us from demons, especially the kids. When I first saw this happen, I just never really understood this practice; mostly because when I was a kid, it was just literally smoke. But after growing up, I really started to appreciate the gesture and protection of my grandmother.”

Interpretation: Burning incense as a protective act is a tradition present in many other cultures. In Persian households, this practice often blends Zoroastrian or folk beliefs with newer religions like the Baha’i faith. In this case, it functions as a quiet, domestic ritual of care, centered on shielding children from unseen harms. Though not explicitly religious, it holds a strong spiritual meaning and demonstrates how rituals can coexist alongside formal religion as intergenerational protection.