Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

Dia de Los Muertos

Nationality: Mexican/American
Primary Language: English
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Date: 4/21/2024

Text:

“In Mexico, the Day of the Dead is not just a time to mourn our loved ones who have passed but also a celebration of life. Families create altars with photos, foods, and items the deceased loved. It’s a colorful, vibrant expression of remembrance.”

Context:

E.C. first experienced Day of the Dead with her family in Mexico City. She explains that this tradition reflects the Mexican view on mortality and the afterlife. She remembers her grandma explaining that it is connection rather than separation.

Analysis:

This celebration challenges a lot of common perceptions of death in other cultures. As Mexicans take it in as a part of life to be embraced and celebrated. It’s a powerful reflection of how cultural practices can shape attitudes toward life and death. And how their interpretation is a more lively and uplifting one compared to other cultures.

Apollo and the Island of Rhodes

Informant Info:

  • Nationality: Greek
  • Occupation: Professor
  • Residence: Connecticut 
  • Primary language: Greek

Text and context:

I.T chose to inform me on one of the most well known myths from Rhodes, the island in Greece where he is originally from. The myth surrounds the island of Rhodes and involves Helios, which is the sun in Greek. The myth begins with the day the Greek Gods met to decide who would be the patron god for each island/ region. Zeus gifted a beautiful island that was beginning to emerge from the ocean to Apollo. This island is Rhodos, and this is why the patron god of Rhodos is Apollo. I.T informed me that Rhodes has more days with Sun than any other place, even while other places are more South and should be receiving more sunlight than Rhodes. The god sun is Apollo, and I.T says Apollo was carrying the sun behind his horses as he rode across the universe. Apollo rode with his horses and the Sun, and he would stop more times in Rhodos, hence why Rhodes has more sun. 

Analysis:

I recently went to Greece for the first time, specifically in the islands of Rhodes and Athens. I spent the majority of the time in Rhodes, where I.T is from. I.T introduced me and my fellow USC peers to the history of Rhodes, which is his true home. As I walked the streets of Rhodes, I saw symbols of Apollo carved into buildings. At the center of all the symbols, Apollo’s head was always located. I.E informed us that in the head of Apollo is the symbol for Rhodes. Through this myth, I was able to see how the Greek people also use creation stories to explain how parts of Greece came to be. Some Greeks also believe that Rhodes is the most sunny place on Earth because of their Patron God, and they use Apollo to explain this. In Rhodes, people greatly praise Apollo, and they carefully cherish the Acropolis of Rhodes, where the remains of the temple of Apollo is also located.

Soulas Greek Festivals

Informant Information:

  • Nationality: Greek
  • Occupation: Professor
  • Primary language: Greek/  English 

Context & Text:

I.T spoke on village life in Rhodos, and going with family to the monastery of Soulas, where the yearly festivals were held. E.T said, “These festivals are lost in time, beyond recorded time in Greece, they have occurred continuously..” From the neothlithic period, Greece has had a religious component and a form of entertainment for people. The monastery has served as a temple for the god Dionysus, the god of wine and good luck. The monastery is located In the mounts, surrounded by pine trees. These festivals take place in July for the whole month, where the village people become united. These festivals also served as a time to establish friendships and relationships, especially since the whole island and other islands like Athens would go to compete in athletic games. I.T recalls his village making huts from the branches of the trees and staying there for a month, children playing in the stadium, and everyone would dance and sing. He described these festivals as a sort of business expo, where people would bring animals to sell, or ceramics, dry foods, etc. This location is a sight to marry because of the significance of the place to the whole island, I.T mentioned how his own daughter chose to marry there. At these festivals, traditional food was made and drinks were open to everyone, there was no age limit. However, drinks could only be offered by adults and the purpose of drinking alcohol was for appetite and good company. Wine wasn’t used to get drunk, if they got drunk they would not be allowed to drink again and they would lose respect for breaking a code of conduct. 

Analysis:

I, myself, have been to the monastery of Soulas on my first visit to the island of Rhodos, Greece. This is where I met I.T, and he was born and raised in Rhodos and knows all about its magnificent culture. Upon visiting this site, I was able to learn more about Greek culture, specifically in Rhodos. When researching this sight in particular, I found that inside the temple there is a sacred water source that is believed to hold healing properties. In the outside area surrounding the temple, there are various sports facilities in which the competitions occur for the athletic games. Additionally, I found that these annual festivals that take place in the summer are done in honor of Saint Soulas, and pilgrims travel there days in advance to prepare for the festival. I believe that the Greek people hold such a strong sense of national pride, and they love to honor their rich culture by opening their doors to everyone in events such as the festivals of Soulas. 

Danza Del Venado

Informant Info:

  • Nationality: Mexican 
  • Residence: Los Angeles
  • Primary language: Spanish

Text:

A.E chose to inform me of an ancient dance from la Mayos, he has known the dance for as long as he can remember in the region of Sonora. It’s the dance that represents the native indigenous Mayos de Navojoa, Sonora. He learned to dance “El Danza Del Venado,” in primary school(elementary). Indigenous Mayos came and taught him, he recalls them speaking their dialect. He competed with other schools and won medals for the dance. A.E heavily emphasized the importance of the dance costume. The costume consists of: a bandana on the head of the person, and above that a real, dried head of a deer. there was another bandana covering the mouth, and a “ropon de manta” covering the body. A belt made of leather that had multiple “pezunas de venado” which in English means the little hooves of the deer. From the big toe, to the ankles up to the calves, there are “tenabaris” that make noise. It is important to note that they dance barefoot. In the dance, they hold “Bullis” that come from a tree and have seeds inside that make noise. This dance is often performed in festivals, one of them being Sabado de Gloria and el Dia de San Juan. The dance is performed by only one person representing “El Venado” and is accompanied by four people playing drums and other instruments while singing the song “El Vendo Baila” in the Mayo dialect. 

Analysis:

After interviewing A.E, I conducted some research to find out more about the origins of this cultural dance. El danza del venado originated in Sonora, Mexico and contains pre-hispanic origins. The Yaqui people started this ritualistic dance, however; since the Mayo people were close neighbors to the Yaqui, they also adopted this dance into their culture. For context, the Mayo Indian people were located in southern Sonora, and northern Sinaloa. The Yaqui Indians were located in southern Sonora as well. This deer dance is performed as a way of honoring the deer that is being hunted for the purpose of feeding the folk group. It is a way of paying tribute to the sacrifice being made, which is the deer. This dance form is a deeply cultural and historical form of ritual and festival entertainment. While in modern times it is used predominantly as a source of entertainment, historically El Danza del Venado was used as a form of respecting nature, especially after taking something(such as hunting a deer).

Folklorico Dance

Informant Info:

  • Nationality: Mexican
  • Residence: Los Angeles
  • Primary language: English/ Spanish

Text:

E.H has been dancing folklorico since she was six years old. She is a Mexican American college student who has found an important aspect of her identity through folklorico. She has been a part of GFUSC(Grupo Folklorico at USC) since freshman year. She has found that it has been a way of embracing her Purépecha heritage and culture. Her passion for folklorico has led her to learn more about the history of folklorico, the different dance forms that pertain to folklorico, and the way dancers have to dress. E.H now teaches folklorico to elementary students, while also educating them in different regions. E.H and Grupo Folklorico at USC practice different dances for several weeks in order to prepare for the grand performance towards the end of the semester. Throughout the semester, they also hold small performances at different events and festivals to show their appreciation for their culture. E.H is a dance instructor, and she makes sure to teach steps that pertain the specific region in order to maintain as much cultural originality as possible. E.H told me that not anyone can just go ahead and teach Folklorico, one must be educated on the history of the dance form and the different styles of dance it entails.

Analysis:

I hold a personal connection with folklorico, I also dance folklorico with GFUSC. I originally joined for the purpose of embracing my Mexican heritage and learning to dance such a beautiful art form. Through this club, I was able to learn different regions and their distinct styles of dance. Some of these include Sinaloa, Veracruz, Yucatan, Jalisco, etc. Each region has different steps and “vestuario,” or clothing. For example, Sinaloa holds more of the traditional folklorico elements in the dresses, they are very colorful and flowy dresses. Meanwhile, Yucatan has a more box-like structure in the dress, they are not flowy, and are typically a satin white with embroidered flowers. The songs are also picked out depending on the region they pertain to. Performing with other Hispanic and Latino students has allowed me and many others to find a home and community here at USC.