Optimal Sleep

Nationality: Taiwanese American
Age: 55
Occupation: Software Engineer
Residence: San Marino, CA
Performance Date: 3/30/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin (Chinese)

Advice:

“From 11 to 1 is the best time to sleep according to Chinese medicine”

 

Background:

This piece of advice came from my mother.  The original source of this advice came from relatives that informed my mother after hearing about studies based off of old medicinal practices.    According to some of these studies, while none of them specifically pick a time that is most effective for sleep, they tend to say that later in the night, it becomes more difficult to wake up.

 

Analysis:

What caught my attention was the matter of how this piece of advice was spreading on.  With no proof or need to verify the claims in the statement, it seems to spread to different members of our family to continue to get passed on.

Funeral

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Marino
Performance Date: 4/24/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Japanese

Interview:

“We go to the temple for funerals.  Everyone eats lunch or dinner together like a family reunion.  It’s like a funeral but also an opportunity to catch up with each other. I went to those funerals, but I don’t really think of them quite as funerals.  “

What usually happens in these events?

“We go to the house of the person who died.  The priests come there.  Usually the day is spent making food and preparing the house, then making an alter and decorations.  Service where they have chanting, and at one point they take a string, and wrap it around the attendants around the hands of the attendants.  Same thing happens for blessing the house.

After the service is over, before noon, then the priests can eat, but if it’s after that, then no.  Then after that they party and eat.”

 

Background:

The subject describes the traditional events of a Sri Lankan funeral of which he has participated in a few times.  He also stated that it emphasized family in a way, bringing people together who may have been unable to communicate for long periods of time.   Similar to stories I have heard from Louisiana, rather than mourning the death, they celebrate a person’s life.

 

Analysis:

I found that the idea that death could be viewed as a celebration to a person’s life rather than mourning was incredibly positive.  It seemed like a means to help people move on after death and in this case, rekindle the family bonds that may have slowly drifted away.

Vesak

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Marino CA
Performance Date: 4/24/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Japanese

Interview:

“And we are technically supposed to celebrate the buddha’s death and birthday.  Like go to the temple.  It’s in August I think? It’s called V-E-S-A-K.”

What do you do at the temples?

“You worship the priest and do meditation.  Then usually you eat snacks.  Probably not anymore because I think only the kids get snacks.”

What is your take on this tradition?

“I haven’t celebrated this for years.”

“I think there’s a tradition where you light lanterns.”

 

Background:

While my informant has forgotten his views on the holiday, he did note he enjoyed partaking in the traditions of his family.  The holiday Vesak is known as the holiday that celebrates the three stages of the Buddha’s life, death, birth and reaching of enlightenment.  Often this celebration involves lighting lanterns at the temples.  Some of the places releasing the paper lanterns into the air.  The three methods of celebrating Vesek were to first bring happiness to others, then praying to the Buddha and celebrating days of observance.

 

Analysis:

I noticed that the paper lantern celebration with sending them off to the sky was similar to the paper lanterns sent up as wishes in Taiwan.  It is also interesting to see the religion celebrating a festival to offer charity to those less fortunate.

Christmas

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Marino, CA
Performance Date: 4/24/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Japanese

Interview:

What type of holidays do you celebrate?

“We do Christian and Buddhist things at the same time, we go to church on Christmas, then do New Year Sri Lankan stuff.”

What do you usually do for Christmas?

“Stay for the service.  Then go home.”

Do you do anything else?

“We usually have dinner on Christmas.  Usually with family.

Sometimes we go for midnight mass.”

From whom did you get this tradition from?

“Found out from parents.  It’s a way of learning about my grandparents on my mom’s side of the family.  I think my mom isn’t really Christian either.  I think my mom is agnostic too, but she just takes the traditions as well.”

 

Background:

The informant himself being agnostic, still celebrates holidays as a means to get closer to his parents.   He also stated that he is most likely going to inherit the traditions similar to how his mom has from her parents.

 

Analysis:

While the particular practice of celebrating Christmas was not particularly different from most other families, what stood out to me was the common way in which traditions get passed down.  Rather than it being necessary because of the religion, it becomes a means is a means to have connections to parents and family members.  I found similarities in his story as what happens in my family, where my family goes to temples in Taiwan to pray for good luck to accompany relatives.

 

 

Dragon Boat Festival

Nationality: Taiwanese
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: LA
Performance Date: March 24, 2018
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: english

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.