Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

Pibitin

Nationality: American/Filipino
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Diego
Performance Date: 2/25/17
Primary Language: English

My informant is a 19 year old student studying neuroscience at USC.

“Okay, this is a game that my family plays on Christmas, and it’s this Filipino game called “Pibitin.” Um, basically, it’s kind of like pinata, but you have this – it’s kind of like a grid made out of wood, um, and hanging off of the grid, you hang like little gifts and prizes and whatnot. And then, um, you hang it like a pinata, but you can lift and lower it. And so the idea is like, you go and you run and you have to jump and grab the gift. And then like the person that’s controlling it, can like, pull it up when you’re jumping so it makes it like harder to get it. Um but yeah, I don’t know, I guess we play that on, um, Christmas Eve with my family – like my grandparents and everything, which is funny, because like, we have to lower it a lot for them ‘cause they can’t really jump, like more than an inch off the ground. Um, but, yeah so I don’t know, it’s just not really like, gifts gifts, it’s kind of like … random, you know… uh, I don’t even know. My grandma will put random stuff that she buys at like the dollar section of Target, like pencils or like staplers.  I don’t – it’s always like school stuff. I don’t know why. Um, or a gift card, like a five dollar gift card to like Starbucks, or socks. Grandma is like really into putting socks in every gift.”  

Analysis:

My informant uses this tradition to stay connected to her family and her Filipino roots. It is a fun tradition that they perform every year. My informant does not know the exact reason why they do it or where it comes from, but for her it is an essential part of their Christmas tradition.

Shab e Yalda

Nationality: Iranian
Age: 30
Occupation: Pianist/Music Teacher
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 3/23/17
Primary Language: Persian
Language: English

My informant is an Iranian immigrant to the United States. She is a classical pianist and teaches piano.

“So there is Yalda Night, Shab e Yalda, which we celebrate the last night of the fall – winter solstice! Which it is the longest and darkest night of the year! And in our calendar is the last day of the 9th month, which is the last night of autumn! We get together as friends and family and eat fruits, especially watermelons and pomegranate, and dried fruits and nuts and stuff and while we sip on hot tea we read Hafez the Persian poet till after midnight. Basically it’s the celebration of the lights overcome the darkness! And it is my favorite festivity by the way.”

Analysis:

This is a tradition that my informant still celebrates every year, even though she has been in the US for 12 years. It reminds her of where she came from and her family that is still in Iran. She gets together with her Persian community here in the United States and celebrates this holiday to remember her identity.

Norooz

Nationality: Iranian
Age: 30
Occupation: Pianist/Music Teacher
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 3/23/17
Primary Language: Persian
Language: English

My informant is an Iranian immigrant to the United States. She is a classical pianist and teaches piano.

“So we have Norooz which literally means “new day” … “no” means new and “rooz” means day. It’s Persian new year as well as many other middle eastern countries. Its rebirth. The first day of spring! We set up a table called ” haft seen” means seven Ss. We put 7 items that starts with S which each symbolizing different meaning…Symbolizing health, beauty, rebirth, patience, love, prosperity, and affluence, as well as self reflection. We have a special food and dishes for new year. Parents grand parents aunt and uncles gives gifts which is almost always money. We celebrate Nowruz for 13 days, you visit families and friends during these days starting from older member of the family like grandparents. We call it ” eid didani.” On the last day which is the 13th. Families go out to the parks and nature and spend the day outdoors in a picnic manner.”

Analysis:

This is a tradition that my informant still celebrates every year, even though she has been in the US for 12 years. It reminds her of where she came from and her family that is still in Iran. She gets together with her Persian community here in the United States and celebrates this holiday to remember her identity.

 

Christmas Eve Tradition

Nationality: American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Luxembourg
Performance Date: April 26, 2017
Primary Language: English

“So every Christmas Eve, back when my entire family and extended family lived in Seattle, we’d all meet up at the market downtown and then split up into groups so we’d be all over the entire market.  Each group would buy separate ingredients together that make one meal, and then after the market we’d go back to our house and each group would prepare their meal together, so once we all finished cooking we’d have a ton of different meals with our entire family and it’s always delicious and different every time. It’s something we did for twelve years, and now that our family doesn’t live so close together we can’t do it anymore”

ANALYSIS:

What I like about this tradition is that it’s completely unique to this specific family but still rooted in the broader tradition of family coming together over the Christmas holiday.  It’s also really sad that geography had to tear the family apart and bring an end to the tradition.  It makes me wonder if the tradition will live on when the informant has his own family, or how the tradition might evolve within this family now that geography is at play.

Chinese New Year

Nationality: American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Boston
Performance Date: April 26, 2017
Primary Language: English

“So for Chinese New Year, the date changes every year because of the calendar, but some of the things we do, because the culture’s really superstitious, is we take three oranges and put them on a plate in a triangle, and then you take a third orange and put it on top of the three to make something like a pyramid.  You make a few of these orange sculptures and put one in each major room of your house, like the living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, you know.  So on actual Chinese New Year when my family goes out to dinner, we leave every single light on in the house because it’s supposed to let the light wash out all the spirits from last year and leave the house open to new ones and what’s ahead.  I don’t remember exactly why we do the oranges, but the lights wash out the spirits, so at least I know that.”

ANALYSIS:

This annual ritual is really interesting to me because I was never familiar with the customs surrounding Chinese New Year, so I found this really enlightening.  It’s super fascinating to see what parts of the customs the informant knows the meaning behind and what parts have just become arbitrary to the informant.  The idea of washing away the old spirits and leaving room for the new ones is something I find really interesting and poetic, and now I just wish I knew why the oranges are a part of the custom, but because the informant didn’t know, everyone the informant tells, including me, won’t know either.