Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

Algonquin Founders’ Day Festival

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Context: Founders’ Day has always been a big deal in my hometown, Algonquin. The festival itself officially started in 2004, but the parade’s been going on for way longer, like over 60 years. My dad’s been involved since before I was even born, especially with the parade board, and I kind of grew up helping out. I’ve done stuff like reaching out to businesses, schools, marching bands and other local groups to help get the parade together. The parade goes right down Main Street along the river, and it’s a big deal. There’s floats, marching bands, kids walking around, local politicians and even just people from the community who want to be part of it. It’s always packed. People from nearby towns come out too. It’s not just the parade, there’s a whole weekend of stuff afterwards. There’s a carnival, food, live music. One of my favorite things as a kid was the boat race. I think what’s really cool about the festival is how it brings people together. On top of having fun, it’s about being proud of where you live. Like, through helping out, I’ve gotten to know so many people. Like people in local government, police, even the mayor. And I think that’s part of why the festival exists in the first place. A lot of the people on the board are involved in community and philanthropy, and they really care about giving back.

Interpretation: I think the Founders’ Day festival is a great way to bring the community together in a way that blends tradition, fun, and community service. Not only is it about honring the town’s history, it’s also about building memories in the present. I love how popel of all ages come together to either be a part of or watch the parade, race cardboard boats, and have a good time at the carnival. It reminds me of the annual summer festival in my hometown, they become a sort of social glue. They give people a reason to be proud of where they are from and be part of something collective. The Founders’ Day Festival is a great example of how rituals don’t have to be ancient or formal to carry meaning. They can be recent and still just as deeply rooted in the values of community.

The Renaissance Fair

Nationality: American
Age: 54
Occupation: Unemployed
Residence: Vacaville, CA
Language: English

Text: The Renaissance Fair is a themed festival that recreates aspects of life during the Renaissance era. Held annually in places like Novato, California, the fair features costumed participants, staged jousting matches, medieval-style music and dancing, handcraft demonstrations, and food like roasted turkey legs. Visitors often dress up and speak in faux “Old English” dialects, fully immersing themselves in the historical fantasy. In the 1970s and 1980s, the fair in Novato was a major regional event that lasted for a month, attracting people from all over Northern California. While many attended only for a day, it offered an intense and theatrical experience of a different time period.

Context: Yeah, we used to go to the Renaissance Fair back in the ’70s and early ’80s—probably about four or five times when I was a kid, like from age seven to twelve. It was in Novato, and people came from all over Northern California for it. It ran for a month, but we’d just go one day each year with the family.

Everyone really went all in. People dressed in full costume—like knights, peasants, royalty—all of it. They talked in these funny fake Old English accents the whole time, like “Good morrow, my lord!” kind of stuff. There were beer-drinking competitions, workshops, handcrafts, singing, dancing, and this big jousting arena set up in the middle. It was dusty and hot—always in the summer—so I mostly remember the heat, the dirt, and how packed it would get.

The tents were set up in these big circles, kind of like a village. And everyone was walking around eating those giant cooked turkey legs. As a kid, it felt like stepping into another world. I remember the singing and dancing being really cool, and just seeing people so into it. It was like going to a regular fair, but with way more character.

Analysis: I find this recurring fair very fascinating as it claims to be centered around the time period of the Renaissance, yet is not very strict about historical accuracy. To me what it seems to be more focused on is imagination, performance, and community. It appears to be less of a history lesson and more of a form of storytelling, where everyone becomes a character in a large whimsical play. While there are technically performers and audience members, the involvement and integration of both makes the lines blur between the two. This type of immersion into a different world is not the type of memory a kid forgets easily. I think that’s why these type of event continue to be so popular. They offer families a way to create memories that will last a lifetime.

I think festivals also reflect a more modern desire for play and theatricality in adulthood. This type of festival demands buy in and participation, you must create the joy rather than just receive it.

Houston Rodeo

Text: 

“Every year I go to the Rodeo in Houston around spring break like in March. It’s really fun–they have a carnival and bull riding and petting zoos and lots of food and concerts. When I was little, I used to go with my parents and now I go with my friends every year. It lasts for a few weeks, so most years I end up going several times.”

Context:

My informant is from Houston. She claims that most people she knows who live or have lived in Houston have been to the Rodeo and even go regularly. She also has friends who have travelled to Houston to attend this event. She says that it is a similar event every single year and has been for as long as she can remember. When she attends the Rodeo, she usually wears cowboy boots, denim, and sometimes even a cowboy hat. 

Interpretation:

Rodeos are a common tradition in Texas and include a lot of cowboy and western folklore and represent the historical presence of cowboys and ranching lifestyle in the state. This history and lifestyle has now been turned into competitions and entertainment. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the largest rodeo in the world and occurs annually in March, tying this event to the calendar year. The Texan culture is further represented by the attire that my informant claims to wear, proving this is a tradition you can actively participate in. This tradition also brings people from all over the city and beyond together and even serves as a tourist attraction due to its popularity. 

Black eyed peas for good luck on New Year’s

Text: 

“Every year for New Year’s, my grandma comes over and cooks black eyed peas for us and we eat them with our lunch. She always said it’s for good luck and wealth in the next year and she makes us finish all of them that day, which is crazy because she makes a lot, and I don’t even like them that much.”

Context:

My informant is from Chicago and claims that her grandmother has done this every year without missing a single year since she has been alive. She does not think it makes a difference with her luck or prosperity. 

Interpretation:

This is an example of how traditions and superstitions can overlap. Her grandmother makes the black eyed peas annually on the same holiday with the same people out of fear that she will have bad luck and poor prosperity if she does not. It shows how traditions and superstitions can bring groups of people together over a common belief and/or activity. This is also an example of how food can be symbolic for something else and, therefore, become associated with superstitions. After a quick Google search, it seems that many people believe black eyed peas symbolize coins and, therefore, eat them on New Year’s Day for good luck and prosperity in the new year. 

Crawfish Boil on Easter

Text:

“So my dad’s from Louisiana and every year on Easter after we go to Church, we have a crawfish boil with the whole family and there’s music playing and my dad and his brothers boil the crawfish with potatoes and corn and sausage. All of my extended family goes so it’s pretty fun–we don’t get to see each other that much.” 

Context: 

As my informant mentioned, his father is from Louisiana, and he knows of many other people from Louisiana who have crawfish boils regularly. His family has been doing this for his entire life and even before he was born, although he does not know when the tradition started. 

Interpretation:

A crawfish boil is a great example of a tradition rooted in Cajun culture in Louisiana. As described by my informant, they usually include traditional Cajun food such as crustaceans and sausage. At the event, people come together to eat, showing how communal eating can create unity amongst a group of people. This group could be family, friends, colleagues, a combination of these, etc. Because my informant’s family associates crawfish boil with Easter, this example also shows how a tradition can become associated with religion, holidays, and the calendar, making them cyclic and ongoing.