The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in China and Taiwan. The festival either comes from the legend of Qu Yuan or from the similar legend of Wu Zixu. Family’s make a wrapped food called Zongzi on this special holiday. While many remember the story, the main purpose of the holiday is to bring family together.
Tamuke
She lived in Kyoto, Japan for three years, where she studied Shinto and learned the Japanese folk song “Tamuke”. This song is supposed to connect her to “the souls of the spirit realm”. Nani used to be able to play it on a Japanese flute, but does not remember how anymore, nor does she have a flute.
Nani’s Myth
Nani considers herself a student of all religion, but agreed with the term “spirituality”. She said she believes “god is most of all in the coyote and the raven, they were here before us, they created us”. This reminded me of Native American mythology so I asked what she thought of it… she thinks it is “beautiful and full of great stories, but I don’t agree that the coyote is a trickster. I think the coyote loves us.”
Garlic Bath
Taking a bath with garlic will purge your “dark energy and balance your spiritual karma. This can have physical and psychic effects” -Nani… She says she takes a garlic bath once a week. This practice is not based on any religion, but rather a “type of spirituality that isn’t associated with institutions”.
Door Knocking Superstition
You must knock on doors to rooms nobody is in, so to not surprise the spirits when you enter. If you do, you can acquire a type of bad karma.