TEXT:

“When I celebrate Christmas with the extended family, so like a day or two after Christmas day, we get a red velvet cake, candles, and sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Jesus”

CONTEXT:

The informant said this tradition started when she was young, but she does not remember who started it. She hopes her family will continue the tradition when they move out and start families of their own.

ANALYSIS:

This tradition blends holiday rituals with religious beliefs. This blending is fairly common, with most of what is considered holy days being appropriated from other festival days. Christmas and Easter, two of the most widely celebrated religious holidays, were originally not associated with Christianity, but were later appropriated by the Catholic church. The traditional rituals associated with birthdays, such as the candles that are blown out and the song they sing, are extended to Jesus, who Christians celebrate the birth of on that day. The candles typically signify the passing of another year of life and the song, which is considered a folk song due to it not having an owner, is meant to celebrate the growth of the person whose birthday it is. In addition to the traditional birthday rituals, the informant mentioned that the cake is specifically red velvet. This could be a reference to traditional Christian beliefs about the blood of Jesus, mainly that it purifies the sins of believers. Thus, eating the red cake could be a symbolic representation of embracing her sacrifice for this family.