Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

Hou Yi and Chang’e Legend

Context: The informant is a 21 year old USC student and the daughter of two Taiwanese immigrants. She told me that she was definitely missing some details, but this is the story she learned growing up about the origins of the Mid-Autumn festival. The following are her exact words.

“So, there’s a couple, right, and the guy has like superhero strength – warrior vibes. At the time, there were 10 suns in the sky, and they were so hot that they were burning everything up, so he shot 9 of them out of the sky, leaving only one behind. As a reward, some higher power gave him this magic potion to make him stronger, but in the middle of the night, the day before he was meant to take it, his enemy poisoned it. For some reason, he still wanted to take it, so before he could, his wife drank the whole thing to save him. She ended up floating up into the moon, and so during the Mid-Autumn festival, because the moon is full, people say you can still see her silhouette up there.”

After doing some research, I found out that this is known as the story of Hou Yi and Chang’e, an immortal archer and his wife, the moon goddess before the latter becomes the moon goddess; this seems as if it would count as a mythic narrative. Not only is this the origin story of the sun, but it’s also the origin of the designs present on the moon. There’s a pretty common history of humans seeing faces where there are none (tree trunks) and looking at the moon would reasonably yield the same result. It’s not a story that anyone thinks could have happened, but also not a story that one would disagree with, considering the nature of it. Interestingly, there’s multiple different versions of this story online, including ones where Hou Yi goes mad with power rather than having his elixir poisoned and instead Chang’e must protect others by acting against him. It would be interesting to see if these differences revealed anything about typical historical conflicts that a certain region might have faced or a regional variation in values that might have caused this oicotypical difference.

Raksha Bandhan

Informant: RG

Ethnicity: Indian

Primary Language: English, Telugu

Age: 21

Text: [RG] Every year for Raksha Bandhan, I perform aarti, tie a rakhi around my brother’s wrist, and then feed him sweets. After that, he buys me a gift. I usually feel closer with my brother afterwards.

Context: Raksha Bandhan is an annual Hindu ritual that celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters; sisters pray for their brothers’ happiness and well-being, and in return, brothers vow to protect and cherish their sisters. Aarti is the waving of a lit lamp (typically in a clockwise motion) in front of the image of a god, or a person being honored. Rakhis are a sacred thread that are meant to be worn until it falls off the wrist naturally. 

Analysis: Raksha Bandhan primarily serves to reinforce the relationship between siblings. In Hinduism, one’s connection to god is one of the purest forms of love they can form; by performing aarti for their brothers, sisters are equating their love for them to their love for god. The rakhis themselves are a physical symbol of the sister’s love, and the brother’s protection. Raksha Bandhan fosters a deeper sense of loyalty, connection, and duty to family, all of which are deeply tied to Indian culture within the household. 

Haldi

Informant: SK

Ethnicity: Indian

Primary Language: English, Gujarati

Age: 24

Text: [SK] Indian weddings usually last a few days because of all the different ceremonies that take place. One of these rites is the Haldi ceremony, where family and close friends apply turmeric paste or water to the bride and groom to be. At my sister’s Haldi, we used water guns filled with turmeric water to drench her and her husband.

Context: The Haldi ceremony is a pre-wedding ritual practiced across most traditional Indian weddings. The informant noted that he participated in the Haldi ceremony at his sister’s wedding, as well as some of his cousins’ weddings. He mentioned that the ritual felt lighthearted and fun, but also made him emotional because it signaled the start of the wedding.

Analysis: Haldi ceremonies are rooted in the usage of turmeric, which plays an important role in Indian folk medicine. The plant is medicinally used for its antibacterial and antiseptic properties, but in many South Asian cultures, it is also believed to have the ability to cleanse one spiritually. Weddings are a transitory period, marking the shift from single to married life; purifying the bride and groom by applying turmeric paste or dousing them in turmeric water is a cultural practice intended to prepare them for the transition into this new era. Furthermore, the act of applying turmeric to the bride and groom is often turned into a lighthearted, candid act (as mentioned by the informant, who used water guns) as a preclude to the more serious main wedding ceremony. With only family and close friends being invited to take part in this celebration, the ritual also serves to strengthen familial bonds and other social relationships. 

Ugadi

Informant: RS

Ethnicity: Indian

Primary Language: English, Konkani

Age: 58

Text: [RS] Ugadi is the start of the new year for the Hindu lunar calendar. This year we celebrated on April 9th. There are legends that go along with it…we believe that Ugadi is when Rama came back after his victory over Ravana and became the king of Ayodhya. 

Context: This festival has been celebrated by Hindus, particularly South Indians, for hundreds of years, intertwined with the epic story of the Ramayana (as mentioned by the informant, the belief is that Ugadi marks the triumph of Rama over Ravana). The informant commemorates the festival with his family each year; the tradition has been passed down for generations. The informant also noted that he thinks of Ugadi as the start of spring. 

Analysis: Ugadi is an important cultural celebration that intertwines the agricultural cycle with Hindu mythology. The festival’s role in the agricultural cycle serves as a marker of the beginning of harvest time; following the festival of Holi, Ugadi usually sets the Hindu new year between the months of March and April, heralding the onset of spring. As with many other Hindu holidays, it celebrates the triumph of good over evil, and the new beginnings that follow. With springtime having connotations of growth and renewal, the festival’s date is especially significant to the start of the Hindu new year. Beyond its agricultural significance, Ugadi helps to create a collective cultural identity amongst South Indians, reinforcing a sense of community and a connection to the environment in light of the new season.

Holi

Informant: LL

Ethnicity: Jewish

Primary Language: English, Telugu

Age: 19

Text: [LL] Holi is a festival celebrating love, happiness, and color. It’s almost like Mardi Gras, where huge crowds of people really let loose and have fun throwing colors at each other. 

Context: The informant usually celebrates Holi with his adoptive family, where they have a party and throw colored powder at each other. However, the informant mentioned that the festival is also popular amongst his friends; he also noted that people from many different backgrounds have participated in the celebrations he has seen. He described it as a “crazy but joyful experience,” and overall felt a deeper sense of connection to his family and Indian culture through the festival.

Analysis: Taking place at the beginning of March, Holi is a springtime festival celebrating love and color after the end of winter. Holi is reminiscent of childhood activities like throwing water balloons at each other, presenting participants with the opportunity to reflect on their youth, aligning with these themes of rebirth and renewal during spring. Like many other Hindu festivals, Holi is rooted in religious beliefs. However, most modern participants are simply looking for a reason to let loose and enjoy themselves during the festivities. Participants in the festival throw colored powders and water at each other to celebrate the change of season; oftentimes, by the end of it, they are covered in so much color that they are nearly unrecognizable. For many, the festival fosters a sense of community and transcends the boundaries of social barriers such as race and class as a result of this anonymity as well as the fast-paced, playful nature of the festival.