Norwegian Viking Festival at Avaldsnes

Context: My informant remembers a viking festival that is celebrated in his hometown of Tonsberg in Norway. The name of the Festival is where it takes place in the viking village known as Avaldsnes, yearly. They would all gather around the town square as a viking holiday sometimes putting on viking costumes and eat really good food with all his friends and family around.

Context: Tonsberg was a viking trade center and had one of the biggest fortresses in Norway. Tongsbergw as established as a center of power. The place continues for hundreds of years to be rules by kings and cheftains and things like that.

Analysis: The Norwegian Viking holidays, of which there are plenty, usually consist of celebrating a battle or conquest and having a day to remember the triumphant vikings. InAvaldsnes it is more about the history of the city and how it has stood for so long that the people celebrate.

Norwegian Independence Day

Informant: Every single 17th of May, which is Norway’s independence day, Everyone dresses up in traditional outfits from way back in the day and walk in a mass downtown. Usually the large group consists of mostly kids walking down the big street dressed in tradition old Norwegian style of clothing. My informant remembers walking down the street with the people waving and cheering for them including his family on the side of the road.

Context: Similar to The many different independence days celebrated around the world, Norway doesn’t differ much. It is a day to remember their independence where everyone celebrates, and is usual, the kids get celebrated the most.

Analysis: This Norwegian Festival is similar to something like the Fourth of July here in America. We celebrate us becoming our own country and have always celebrated since. Norway celebrates every single may 17th the day they got their independence day.

Olsok Day

Informant: July 29th when Olaf the holy (olav den hellige) died in a grand battle in 1030. After he died, that is commonly referred to at least in Norway as the end of the Viking age. He had red cheeks while he was buried, this is a symbol that he was still alive as he was being buried. This is where Christianity took over.

Context: My informant learned of this information from his Parents when he was younger. When he used to live in Norway he would “celebrate” this day on July 29th. His parents instilled values and taught him using old stories of the viking age, personally to my informant he liked to celebrate this Holiday because it reminds him of his parents and their teachings, as well as his own history in Norway.

Analysis: This holiday in Norway is certainly an interesting on with some serious dichotomy. On one hand the people love their viking roots and celebrating a holiday where the viking age ended and Norway was “colonized” into Christianity might be a slippery slope. On the second hand there are certainly more religious people who treat it as a proper holiday. For some it is a day of remembrance and hold more weight than for others.

Chupacabra

Text:

The chupacabra was, in the words of the subject, a goat-looking humanoid creature that would suck the blood out of its victims.  If the subject ever went on a hike or into someplace more rural and nature-like with his family, then they would tell him and any other children with them that the chupacabra was always somewhere, and was waiting for kids who didn’t pay attention or didn’t heed their parent’s warnings so that it could snatch them up and carry them away to devour them.  They would especially remind the subject of this story if they and their peers weren’t staying close to the parents, and were going too far into the wilderness without supervision.

The subject reported that descriptions of this creature varied every time they were told about it, with the subject sometimes being told it was a monster, to sometimes being told it was a demon, to sometimes being told it was simply a scary animal.  However, some things that always stayed consistent with the retellings was that it was very small, very fast, very strong, and extremely grotesque.

Context:

The subject, N.S., grew up in the urban areas of Los Angeles, but was very close to rural hiking trails and other natural, outdoorsy environments, where they and their family would make regular weekend trips towards hiking trails and parks.  It was in these hiking trails and parks that the subject was warned by his parents of the dangers of the chupacabra, and of the dangers of going too far from their parents in the rural area.  The subject also stated that the stories about the Chupacabra slowly began to be phased out of their life as time moved on, until eventually, their parents never mentioned it again.

Interpretation:

The superstition of the Chupacabra was likely meant as a way to prevent the subject from running off from their parents when in heavily wooded and rural areas, especially since the subject could navigate the sometimes-thick brush more easily than their parents could.  By giving the subject a dangerous boogeyman in the form of the chupacabra, the subject’s parents were able to ensure that the subject would stay close to them, as well as avoid taking any unnecessary risks whilst they’re out in such an unfamiliar and dangerous environment.  The Chupacabra also likely had some history buried in actual sightings, with people over time spotting creatures that matched the chupacabra’s descriptions, and created a superstition hidden behind the Chupacabra’s nature and danger.

Pastillas de Leche

Text:

Pastillas de Leche is a type of food that originated in the Philippines.  Described as a milky, powder-like food, the meal is usually served as a sweet side dish or desert for people to finish their meals with.  Typically, a single batch of pastillas de leche will consist of about thirty small rolls.  To make pastillas de leche, one will need: five cups of whole milk; three quarters of a cup of powdered milk; one cup of sugar; and two tablespoons of butter.

To make pastillas de leche, one must first pour milk and two-thirds of a cup of sugar into a saucepan or a pot, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Then, one must bring the saucepan to a simmer until the mixture is reduced to a paste-like consistency.  While doing this, one should also scrape the bottom and sides of the saucepan to prevent sticking, and keep it at a low boil to prevent burning.  This process can take around half an hour to an hour to complete.  Once the texture is thick and paste-like, add butter and milk powder.  Stir until the mixture is homogeneous.

The mixture should be cooked for a couple more minutes, or until the mixture becomes thick, soft, and doughy.  Once it reaches this consistency, transfer the mixture to a slightly-oiled or buttered bowl, and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.  Once the mixture has cooled, roll it into thirty rolls that are each around an inch long.  Use the leftover sugar to coat the pastillas; roll each one into the sugar.  Traditionally, the pastillas are rolled into food-wrapping paper for serving, but there’s no consequence if one decides to not wrap the pastillas de leche into these wrapping papers.

Context:

The subject, L.D., first learned of this recipe from their aunt, who lives in the Philippines.  According to the subject, pastillas de leche is a traditional food to serve in the Philippines, and was historically served as either a desert or a side dish for people to finish their meal with.  Pastillas de leche were also often brought to parties and shared with family and close friends.

Interpretation:

Pastillas de leche are most likely meant to be a communal food, due in large part to the huge batches that are made at a time and the way they are meant to be shared and eaten amongst friends and family.  Pastillas de leche is meant to be a food that encourages feelings of communal understanding amongst its consumers, and is also meant to be a food that is made with the intention of making sure that everyone going to a social event or function is able to have at least one, and share in the sweetness of the food with everyone else there.  Likely, pastillas de leche are also meant to be something that is not particularly filling, given its small size, adding to the sense of everyone being able to share in it, regardless of how full or hungry they are.