Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

The Long Island Strawberry Festival

Nationality: Caucasian, American
Age: 55
Occupation: Therapist
Residence: New York City
Performance Date: Sunday, April 17th, 2016
Primary Language: English

“Well this festival is a festival on the east end of Long Island. And it’s um held like by the Lions Club, which is like a local philanthropic organization and they raise money to give to local businesses and schools. They give it to the club scouts, the Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, homeless shelter, high school Corus, animal welfare, senior center. You know they give it to a lot of places. The Lions Club organized this festival every year and they give the money to the local businesses, groups, community and non-profit groups. It usually takes place in the middle of June, which is the peak of strawberry season. This year will be the 62nd year. It started out really small. Everything strawberry: rides, games, the strawberry queen, strawberry shortcake, strawberries and chocolate.”

 

Who is the strawberry queen?

“She is a local high school student and they pick her. The first queen was crowned in 1956, based on her extra curricular actives and giving back to the community, I don’t think she can be dumb either. So they have the semifinalists, a group of five girls, they wear white dresses, and it is a big deal to be crowed a queen. When they announce the winner, they give her a crown and a big scepter with a strawberry on it. And a big picture of her is in the local newspaper.”

 

What do you think is the significance of this festival?

“Long Island is known for its agriculture and vegetables and strawberries are the first fruit that that gets ready to be picked, the first fruit. It was just a way to build a community thing around it. Strawberries were the first ones in the middle of June. A nice way to kick of summer. It is a way to kick off summer, mark beginning of summer season. They call it ‘Long Islands original and largest strawberry festival, and charity fundraiser.'”

 

 

When did you first hear of this tradition?

“When we bought our house out there. We saw a big sign in the field, and I remember wondering what that was about, I didn’t realize they had a whole festival built around the strawberries.”

 

Who joins in?

“Everyone in the community. People from Long Island, people from all around. It is always packed. Four days and three nights, and they have fireworks every night. Its all ages, from babies to old people and everyone in between, families go with their kids, teenagers, and young adults. Tourists, old people.”

 

Analysis:

The Long Island Strawberry Festival marks a unique way to bring a community together around one of its most popular crops. While the informant is relatively new to the tradition and to Long Island, it seems as though this festival really brings together people from all areas and all ages. The festival represents the richness of the Long Island land and the abundance of crops that it produces every season. Every summer, the Strawberry Festival will mark the beginning of the warm summer to come and the productive season ahead.

Oyster Cassarole

Nationality: Caucasian, American
Age: 55
Occupation: Therapist
Residence: New York City
Performance Date: Sunday, April 17th
Primary Language: English

“So the food I would like to talk about is a casserole that my grandmother used to make and she only made it on special occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. And it was her domain, like no matter where we celebrated the holiday; she was the one who made this dish. And it was an oyster casserole. Don’t make that face it is really good. I can taste it now. It’s an oyster casserole. That reflects – I grew up in Maryland and so the Chesapeake Bay is the body of water where I grew up. And like the Chesapeake Bay is known for seafood. And oysters are one of the biggest crops of the Chesapeake Bay: oysters, blue crabs, and rockfish. Those are the three main like crops or whatever from the Chesapeake Bay. So like when I grew up, life revolved around the water. We always ate a lot of seafood. Seafood was like our way to be connected to our environment. And like you would eat oysters fried, raw, in casserole, baked, like they were really popular. So Grandma Boyd, I don’t know if she developed the recipe but it was like her secret recipe. Um so it was a secret recipe, it reflects our family’s heritage of the Chesapeake Bay.

“And actually, I remember when I was little, Pop Pop [Mona’s father] and I would go, my dad and I would go, to the seafood place and buy the raw oysters for the casserole. We would go buy and bring it home and she would make the casseroles. She would make two big ones, two big casseroles. And she would um bring them and bake them at the house wherever the dinner was. And then everyone would, it was very coveted, everyone would fight over the oysters. Everyone wanted more than one helping. There would be all this good food, but everyone wanted to hog the oysters. And basically, all they are is layers of pan with crushed up cracker crumbs, salt pepper, butter, and chunks of butter, and she would lay the oysters on it, and another layer of cracker crumbs and more layers of oysters and break crumbs. Oh my goodness it is so good you can’t even image. She knew would how to make them just right.

 

When did you first experience/hear about the tradition?

“Probably when like I want to say 1968 when I was eight years old. I remember they became more popular as the years went on. Like within the family. People just knew how good they were. Like you couldn’t have a holiday meal without the oysters. It wouldn’t have been a prober meal. Grandma’s oysters.”

 

What was your grandma’s name?

“Ella Louise Boyd – we called her Louise.”

 

Who typically took part in this tradition?

“Me, and mom and dad, Aunt Liz and Uncle Carl, Grandma Boyd, um and usually Uncle Mike and Aunt Pam, Brittney and Amy my cousins, and anybody’s family who was around. Sometimes Uncle Dan, sometimes Uncle Bob and his wife Francie. Sometimes cousin Trace, my cousin Donna and her husband Earl.”

 

What do you see as the significance or role of tradition in your family?

“Its like just a very, it’s a comfort food. Some families mashed potatoes or turkey is the comfort food, the oyster casserole was the comfort food.”

 

And when exactly would this tradition appear?

“Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. It wasn’t ever made any other time. We always used to eat steamed crabs. That’s a whole other business though.”

 

My Analysis:

This tradition represents more than just a comfort food for the informant’s family. The oyster casserole seems to unite her family during the holiday season, giving them a delicious meal to celebrate around. The informant is clearly very involved in this tradition because she has grown up taking part in it from a young age. The oyster casserole also enables the informant to really take part in her family’s culture because her and her father collect the oysters themselves. It is unique that this tradition also unites the family back to their environment. The oysters represent both her family’s unity but also the local traditions of the Chesapeake Bay.

Steamed Crabs

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 55
Occupation: Therapist
Residence: New York City
Performance Date: Sunday, April 17th, 2016
Primary Language: English

“So again it is another food with ties to the Chesapeake Bay. It is called the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab. And growing up, we would either go sometimes, if we would do a weekend on the boat, we would have picnic tables in the carport of my dads house, and instead of a table cloth, we would put down newspaper, because when you open the crabs up, you would just put the piles of shells in the middle, and clean up would be easy. We would just roll up the newspaper and throw it out. That is like a Maryland tradition.”

 

How you would get the crabs?

“There were two ways. We would either go if there were a lot of people, we would buy them pre-steamed at the seafood place buy a bustle. It was in downtown Annapolis. Steamed crabs have old bay seasoning which makes them red and really spicy. It’s really popular. Or we would catch them ourselves. So this is what I remember, I would go down to the pier and I would have my crab net, I would have my bucket, and I would have my chicken necks, raw chicken necks, and my string. You’re going to be really grossed out when you hear this hahaha. So then you take the chick neck or the chick wing, and you would tie it up with the string and you would have to be pretty long, I don’t know seven or eight feet long, you would want it to touch the bottom of the river. Because the crabs are crawling across. So then you throw it in the water, and you tie the other end on the pier. Ok and you sit and you wait. And when you see the line being pulled out, you know the crab is on it and eating it. And you would be really careful, and you pull it in really slowly, and you pull it so that the crab is lust a foot under the surface so you can see the crab eating. And you hold the string in one hand and you hold the net with the right hand, and you have to be really careful or the crab will swim away. And then you have it in the water and you scoop up the crab. And then you put the crab in the bucket. And you put like a couple of inches of water in the bucket so the crab won’t die.

“So then if you’re lucky you have a good day and you catch a lot of crabs. Then you bring them home ad you steam them in the kitchen. So we had a special pot, you put water in the bottom and have it boiling. And you put the life crabs in and sometimes oh my god my poor mother was terrified, when you put them in and they’re dying they try to get out of the pot. And sometimes one would get out and it would crawl around the kitchen and my mother would freak out. The crabs crawl sideways and they try to pinch you. And my dad would catch them. You would put a wooden spoon in their pinchers to throw them back it. You steam them until you don’t hear any more noise. You just put a lot of seasoning or a bit of vinegar in the bottom of the pan. Old bay seasoning.

 

When usually do you usually have the steamed crabs?

“Only in the summer. You had to wait until the water was warm enough so that the crabs would be out there. You wanted the crabs to be five inches; those were the keepers. The little ones didn’t have a lot of meat in them.”

 

When did you first hear of this tradition?

When I was growing up in Annapolis. I was probably five or six. People would crab on the docks.

 

Which docks do you mean?

We lived on a creek called Spa Creek, and we crabbed a little there, but it was more where we moved to the neighborhood with the house, the neighborhood pier.

 

Who joined in this tradition?

Sometimes my friends, neighborhood kids. Eat them with the family, sometimes the neighborhood kids.

 

What is the significance of this tradition to you?

It was just a pastime, a recreational past time, something to do. Some people go fishing, people who live on the bay or the tributaries go crabbing.
Analysis:

This tradition speaks more closely to the informant’s immediate family. It represents her connection, and her parent’s connection to their local environment, and the importance of using the area for food. The steamed crabs also show the ways in which the informant and her community would be brought together during the summer crabbing season over this traditional dish. This meal really shows the ways in which the local environment is celebrated throughout the United States and how it can unite a community.

 

For more information and traditions on steamed crabs in Annapolis, MD, visit: (also note the common use of newspapers!)  http://www.annapolis.com/crab-season-corner-year/

“Crab Season Is Just Around the Corner.” Annapolis.com. N.p., 13 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.

The Oyster Casserole

Nationality: American
Age: 55
Occupation: Therapist
Residence: New York City
Performance Date: Sunday, April 17th
Primary Language: English

So the food I would like to talk about is a casserole that my grandmother used to make and she only made it on special occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. And it was her domain, like no matter where we celebrated the holiday; she was the one who made this dish. And it was an oyster casserole. Don’t make that face it is really good. I can taste it now. It’s an oyster casserole. That reflects – I grew up in Maryland and so the Chesapeake Bay is the body of water where I grew up. And like the Chesapeake Bay is known for seafood. And oysters are one of the biggest crops of the Chesapeake Bay: oysters, blue crabs, and rockfish. Those are the three main like crops or whatever from the Chesapeake Bay. So like when I grew up, life revolved around the water. We always ate a lot of seafood. Seafood was like our way to be connected to our environment. And like you would eat oysters fried, raw, in casserole, baked, like they were really popular. So Grandma Boyd, I don’t know if she developed the recipe but it was like her secret recipe. Um so it was a secret recipe, it reflects our family’s heritage of the Chesapeake Bay.

And actually, I remember when I was little, Pop Pop [Mona’s father] and I would go, my dad and I would go, to the seafood place and buy the raw oysters for the casserole. We would go buy and bring it home and she would make the casseroles. She would make two big ones, two big casseroles. And she would um bring them and bake them at the house wherever the dinner was. And then everyone would, it was very coveted, everyone would fight over the oysters. Everyone wanted more than one helping. There would be all this good food, but everyone wanted to hog the oysters. And basically, all they are is layers of pan with crushed up cracker crumbs, salt pepper, butter, and chunks of butter, and she would lay the oysters on it, and another layer of cracker crumbs and more layers of oysters and break crumbs. Oh my goodness it is so good you can’t even image. She knew would how to make them just right.

 

When did you first experience/hear about the tradition?

Probably when like I want to say 1968 when I was eight years old. I remember they became more popular as the years went on. Like within the family. People just knew how good they were. Like you couldn’t have a holiday meal without the oysters. It wouldn’t have been a prober meal. Grandma’s oysters.

 

What was your grandma’s name?

Ella Louise Boyd – we called her Louise.

 

Who typically took part in this tradition?

Me, and mom and dad, Aunt Liz and Uncle Carl, Grandma Boyd, um and usually Uncle Mike and Aunt Pam, Brittney and Amy my cousins, and anybody’s family who was around. Sometimes Uncle Dan, sometimes Uncle Bob and his wife Francie. Sometimes cousin Trace, my cousin Donna and her husband Earl.

 

What do you see as the significance or role of tradition in your family?

Its like just a very, it’s a comfort food. Some families mashed potatoes or turkey is the comfort food, the oyster casserole was the comfort food.

 

And when exactly would this tradition appear?

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. It wasn’t ever made any other time. We always used to eat steamed crabs. That’s a whole other business though.

 

Analysis:

This tradition represents more than just a comfort food for the informant’s family. The oyster casserole seems to unite her family during the holiday season, giving them a delicious meal to celebrate around. The informant is clearly very involved in this tradition because she has grown up taking part in it from a young age. The oyster casserole also enables the informant to really take part in her family’s culture because her and her father collect the oysters themselves. It is unique that this tradition also unites the family back to their environment. The oysters represent both her family’s unity but also the local traditions of the Chesapeake Bay.

Golu/Kolu Festival

Nationality: Indian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Seattle, Washington
Performance Date: Monday, April 25th, 2016
Language: Tamil, then English

“There is this festival called the Kolu Festival (or Golu not sure) … it is essentially an open house where you display your trinkets and your collections and you have a bunch of friends together and it is really fun. Just because there is a bunch of people in your house so growing up like all of the kids would go upstairs and have our own party and I mean I would always got to put my Lego collection on display.”

 

Do you know the background story to this festival/holiday?

“All I remember of it is it was just a lot of the little statues and stuff were figure heads of Hindu gods, it was a welcoming festival for the gods. It was something to be happy about if you were Hindu, I don’t remember it now, go me haha. It was fun because there were always a lot of people and a lot of good food.”

 

Talk a little more about the food:

“Mostly traditionally South Indian food because it (not sure if it was a South Indian festival) but my family is South Indian. As I started to like North Indian food more, they would make that more and more. There is a very flat pancake called dosa and usually have that with a variety of sauces or sometimes soups they both go well. There is a lot of lentil-based dishes like daal that is pretty common for my family at least. Mainly because my dad liked it a lot. So I mean that was the food I had growing up. Vegetable rich and very rice based. A lot of different types of rices thrown in.

 

When did this event usually take place?

“Usually in October if I recall correctly. Usually over a couple weekends, sometimes another family would host.”

 

Who usually participles in Kolu?

“Everybody. In all families, an entire family coming over. Like other families and we would go to other families houses too. Or whatever they were hosting. But I mean usually you would split up into different groups.”

 

What do you see as the significance of this event?

“Honestly it was just a good time for everyone to get together. And when I was little I would get to stay up late.”

 

Analysis:

This festival represents the unification and bringing together of an Indian community through the celebration of food and objects. I think that the informant’s experience is primarily based around the food and enjoyment he had as a child. The separation between the children and the adults in the Kolu Festival potentially signifies the generation gap in the way the festival was traditionally celebrated. I think this celebration was a joyous time in Indian culture because families got to display their worship symbols and be brought together.

 

For more information on the Golu/Kolu Festival and other ways it is celebrated, please visit:

http://zeenews.india.com/exclusive/navratri-golu-festival-in-south-india_1471996.html

Sankar, Gayatri. “Navratri Special: Golu Festival in South India.” Zee News. N.p., 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.