Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

Vishu

Nationality: Indian-American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Houston, TX
Performance Date: April 24, 2017
Primary Language: English
Language: Hindi, Tamil

My informant is a young Indian-American woman who takes great pride in her cultural customs and retains a strong connection to and knowledge of these practices. She told me about a practice known as Vishu, a New Year’s celebration specific to Kerala (but different variations are practiced in other regions).

The new year in Kerala is the day of the spring equinox. The preparations for Vishu are performed by the head woman/matriarch of the family, usually the grandmother or mother. She goes and makes an arrangement in the puja (prayer) room of the house, which is where a shrine usually is located. A core part of this arrangement is a metal mirror. Other components include fruits (specifically jackfruit, mangoes, and an open coconut as these are native Indian fruits) to signify a bountiful harvest, a little bit of money, and uncooked shelled rice.

The god in the shrine tends to be either Vishnu or Krishna, but sometimes they can be the regional South Indian deity Ayyappa. The ceremonial plate that holds all of the puja items is made of tin and is very flat with raised sides. There is also a lamp, flowers, vermillion (kumkum) for bindis, and turmeric which is also applied to the neck and forehead.

After the preparation is complete, the woman who prepared it will sleep overnight in the puja room, so that the arrangement is the first thing that she sees when she wakes up. There is a specific time frame that she is supposed to wake up between, as it is auspicious. My informant had trouble remembering the exact times, but she believed the time frame was between 3 or 4 and 6 am. After she awakes, she will pray at the shrine. Then, she goes around the house and wakes up each family member one by one, blindfolding each family member and leading them to the puja room so that the arrangement is also the first thing that they see.

In Malayalam, “vishukani” essentially means “the first thing that you see”. My informant told me that Vishu has a distinctly calmer and more laid-back tone than most other Indian holidays, focusing on being happy with family rather than loud community celebrations. Vishu is also more of an astrological than religious holiday, as it centers around the spring equinox rather than a specific Hindu date.  Other customs surrounding Vishu are the practice of wearing new clothes, occasionally giving money to the children, and popping small firecrackers. Also, there is a traditional meal that is supposed to have every kind of flavor (ie. sweet, sour, bitter, etc.). Sometimes there is bitter mango, or this one sweet that has coconut milk and rice flour.

I love the idea of purposefully setting up an elaborate and auspicious arrangement so that you can begin the new year with a vision of beauty and prosperity.

Purim

Nationality: Filippino-Jewish American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Torrance, CA
Performance Date: April 25, 2017
Primary Language: English

My informant is Jewish on her father’s side of the family, and celebrated Jewish holidays for the majority of her childhood. She continues to do so now, just not as frequently. She told me about the Jewish holiday Purim, and recalled to the best of her ability its significance and customs.

The holiday Purim is based on the story of an evil man named Haman who wore a triangular hat. The traditional food at Purim, a triangular cookie called Hamantashen, is representative of his hat. People gather together, usually at their local temple, and tell the story of the evil Haman who was defeated at the hands of a brave hero. Whenever Haman’s name is mentioned during the story, the audience boos and spins noisemakers.

Another key element of Purim is that everyone dresses up in wild costumes, which is why some people refer to it as “Jewish Halloween”. However, there is less of a focus on monster-based costumes and more of a communal understanding that costumes are meant to be clever or amusing.

I find it interesting that Purim is such a fun and colorful holiday, yet it is so unappreciated and underrepresented in mainstream American (predominantly Christian) society.

Garba

Nationality: Indian-American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Houston, TX
Performance Date: April 24, 2017
Primary Language: English
Language: Hindi, Tamil

My informant is a young Indian-American woman who is well-versed in the customs of her culture and frequently participates in these traditions. She told me about Garba, a traditional Indian dance.

Garba is a non-choreographed dance celebration usually performed during the festival of Navratri (based on the Hindi words for nine + nights). Garba is typically performed by North Indians and Gujaratis but is sometimes celebrated by Punjabis.

Garba usually celebrates the Hindu goddess Durga, who is considered to be the main mother of creation. It consists of two circles, one in the center of the other, with an idol inside the inner circle. The inner circle is supposed to represent the womb of the universe, while the circles represent time because the Hindu concept of time is cyclical due to reincarnation. The dancers are always switching dance partners, so they are constantly moving.

The traditional outfit worn during Garba is a chaniya choli: a top that sometimes has a vest or jacket, with a long skirt and a scarf. People come to this celebration dressed up in bright colors and the women wear lots of nice jewelry – essentially people choose to come dressed up and looking their best.

The version of this dance that my informant is familiar with is called Dandiya. In this dance, each dancer wields two wooden sticks roughly 2cm in diameter and 1.5ft in length. Sometimes these sticks are decorated but they are usually plain. Two people act as dance partners and hit each other’s sticks together: first one stick, then the other, then both, then they spin, and then move on to the next person. This is the basic movement, but people tend to improvise in fancier patterns so their partner has to keep up (my informant jokingly told me that this is why North Indians tend to be good dancers). This style of Garba (also known as dandiya-raas) is associated with Krishna. “Raas” means play/dance. This style is supposed to imitate a sword fight.

I am glad that my informant knows so much about the symbolism behind this dance, as it adds so much more depth and beauty to the understanding of this practice. I also find it interesting that there is a rendition that combines the idea of creation and the flow of time with battle.

Bobbie the Wonder Dog

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Silverton, OR
Performance Date: April 26, 2017
Primary Language: English

My informant comes from a very small and fascinating town in Oregon. The town idolizes this dog named Bobbie the Wonder Dog, and he has become almost a symbol of the town itself. Here is a transcription of her account:

Informant: “So, um – have you seen ‘Parks and Recreation’?”

Me: “It’s my favorite show.”

Informant: “So you know Little Sebastian*?”

Me: “Yes.”

Informant: “We have our own Little Sebastian in Silverton. So, this is a real thing – you can look this up and get all sorts of pictures because we have murals dedicated to this creature everywhere. There is a border collie, a dog, uh, called Bobbie the Wonder Dog. It’s a real thing. In like the 1900s or something, it went with its family on a road trip like halfway across the country and got left behind and made its way back to Silverton without them, so it’s considered Bobbie the Wonderdog and we have, like, um, we have a statue to it, uh… in the middle of the town. We have a bunch of murals to it that showcase its journey, and uh we have a Bobbie the Wonderdog Parade. It’s called- its nickname is The Pet Parade, and everybody- it’s generally in May and everybody brings out their pets, which vary from frogs, to goats, to alpacas, uh… horses-”

Me: “No dogs in Silverton. Or cats.”

Informant: “A few dogs. A few cats. But it’s a lot of farm animals. There are some horses too, you know, but um, I feel like goats are like the peak- oh lots of people walk their chickens. That’s a thing too. Or they’ll like take them in the… like, wagons and move them around. And it’s like a big thing like Bobbie the Wonderdog- I took a drawing class, and one of the first things we learned how to do was draw this dog. It was like really important.”

Me: “This is so wholesome, I love it.”

Informant: “Yeah, it’s like on the internet. Bobbie the Wonderdog, Silverton Oregon.”

I love these quirky small town-specific traditions and festivals. They seem so bizarre and difficult to understand for anyone not a native to this small town, but for anyone who grew up in Silverton, Bobbie is just a part of everyday local culture.

 

*Little Sebastian is a running joke on the NBC television show “Parks and Recreation”. He is a miniature horse that has achieved celebrity status in the small town in which the show takes place, for no reason other than simply existing. Residents lose their minds whenever he makes an appearance at a festival, much to the confusion of characters from outside of the town.

Romanian Bear Dance

Nationality: Romanian-American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Riverside, CA
Performance Date: April 26, 2017
Primary Language: English
Language: Romanian

My informant is the daughter of Romanian immigrants. She has spent much of her childhood visiting relatives in Romania, in an area that she describes as “Romanian hick country”.

There is a traditional Romanian dance known simply as the Bear Dance, in which Romanian men dress themselves in real bear skins and dance through the streets of their town. This tradition takes place some time between Christmas and the new year, as a way to ward off evil spirits and welcome in a safe and prosperous new year. Everyone in the town comes out and watches this dance, even though it is the dead of winter and freezing cold. Romanian winters are similar to Russian winters, and these people are not dressed in the heaviest of clothing. My informant speculates that this was most likely a pagan celebration that has over time become “Christianized” as a holiday ritual.

I’m curious as to how these people acquire so many bear skins – I asked my informant and she admitted that she had no idea.