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The Cecil Hotel is considered one of the most haunted hotels in the country. The hotel was opened in 1924 as a luxury hotel but quickly hit difficult times as the Great Depression took over Los Angeles and as the area surrounding the hotel transformed into Skid Row. Over the years, the hotel has been plagued with multiple suicides and an unsolved murder. Many believe that the hotel is now haunted by the spirits of those who passed within its walls.

Context:

Informant: “In 11th grade, my class took a trip from Irvine to Los Angeles for the weekend. When we were given some free time to explore the city, a couple friends and I decided to join a ghost tour. On one of our stops, we were taken to the Cecil Hotel. At this time, the hotel was closed for renovations, so it should have been completely dark and uninhabited when we visited.

Our tour guide stopped in front of the building for a few minutes and explained the hotel and its history. When we were done with our stop and had started walking away, one of my friends grabbed my hand and excitedly screamed, “Oh my god!”. A light had turned on on one of the top floors of the building that was definitely not on before. My friends and I just giggled at each other, but then we stopped giggling when the light turned back off, then back on again almost immediately, especially because our tour guide had just mentioned how construction had been paused for the last couple of weeks. We just kind of all looked at each other in fear and ran ahead to join our tour group.”

Analysis:

The Cecil Hotel is well known to LA natives and ghost story fans alike. The hotel has been plagued by so many rumors and crimes and speculations that no self-respecting individual would dare spend a night in the hotel. Many previous guests have reported eerie noises, unexplained disappearances of objects, and of course, lights and appliances turning on and off at will. My informant’s experience is a memorate that reinforces much of the lore surrounding the hotel; the unexplained, supernatural-esque experiences and the eerie feelings that people get when they even just walk by are simply spooky. Whether or not my informant’s experience was actually supernatural or just a construction worker testing out lighting will never be clear. However, given just how much crime and degenerate activity goes on in the hotel, it’s no surprise that the ghosts and spirits of the wronged or damned may still haunt the hotel.

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Shakchunni is a spirit commonly seen in Bengali Folklore. She’s commonly depicted as a young ghostly woman, dressed in a white sari, who could be commonly seen frequenting isolated highways, graveyards, and the like. She is the ghost of a married woman who was scorned/abused by her husband before dying from said abuse at a young age. She wanders the material world looking to exact her revenge on men and women in happy matrimony. Her most common story features her attempting to kidnap and replace a Brahmin woman who has a good relationship with her husband, in an attempt to live the life she never got to experience.

Context:

Informant: “My Bengali mother used to constantly scare me into behaving as a child by telling me that this ghost woman named Shakchunni was going to come and scold me if I didn’t do my homework, finish my dinner, etc. For most of my other Bengali cousins and friends, this seems to be a shared experience.

The version of the story that I had heard as a child was that she haunts the Earth, looking for men and little boys who misbehave. I’m not going to lie, I never really knew why. She is know for the ‘shankas’ [coral/shell bangles] that she wears, and honestly the sound of bangles clinking used to scare me as a kid.”

Analysis:

In much of South Asian folklore, there are many legends surrounding women who have been wronged seeking to exact their revenge. Given how women have long been mistreated in South Asian culture, it shouldn’t surprise most that many of these stories are about women who have been abused by the husbands, fathers, families, etc. It’s interesting to note that my informant, a male, was told the story of Shakchunni by his mother as a cautionary tale; in many retellings of the legend, Shakchunni is seen as a protector of women—especially younger women or those being abused—and a punisher of immoral men. In her legend, she is often wrongfully demonized for her actions; even her main story, where she attempts to kidnap and replace a woman, is pitiful, as it just shows the pain of a scorn woman who wants the life she always deserved. Shakchunni is not only a martyr for many Desi woman but a cautionary tale for those who wrong them.

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Before Chinese newlyweds can marry, they commonly participate in a ‘Hair Combing Ceremony’ where the parents of the bride and groom will comb their respective child’s hair four times while uttering blessings.

Context: 

Informant: “When my cousin got married last year, my family and I flew back to China for two weeks to participate in a long string of pre-wedding activities and traditions. Out of all of these practices, one specific one stood out to me. The night before the wedding, I sat in a room with a few of our family members and watched my aunt comb my cousin’s hair as she recited [what I think were] Buddhist passages. The whole thing lasted just a few minutes, but this activity was hyped up so much. While it was happening, my mother explained to me that this was a common practice in a lot of weddings to bring good luck to the marriage. Even the groom received his own ceremony, apparently!”

Analysis: 

Rituals, both repurposed Buddhist and traditional ones, are commonly found in most Chinese weddings. The hair combing ceremony is no exception. My informant seems to have witnessed a modified version of this ceremony; traditionally, the ceremony involves several pre-rituals, such as bathing and eating, and has to be done very auspiciously—for example, the bride’s ritual must always start one hour after the groom’s ritual and must be done at a time of day designated by a holy individual. The key thing to note about this tradition, however, is that the crux of it features an ancient Chinese blessing that is uttered which each comb of the hair.

Superstitions are common in Chinese culture and this ritual is no exception; many superstitions in Chinese culture pertain to the concept of ‘aging’ which is seen as a pathway to respect and wisdom. The act of combing one’s hair symbolizes the transition and resolution of childhood as the couple-to-be transitions to adulthood. In my informant’s version of the ceremony, hair is only brushed four times. In the actual ceremony, hair should be brushed 10 times, with a specific proverb/mantra uttered every single time the hair is brushed. Each mantra is a blessing of prosperity and happiness to the newly couple; for example, the loosely-translated line “May you fill your home with your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all over the place,” both wishes the couple success and alludes to their lineage and generational prosperity. Ultimately, this simple ceremony ties very strongly to key Chinese beliefs relating to aging and wisdom as well as acknowledges the superstitious nature of many

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Dumplings are a traditional meal commonly eaten on Chinese or Lunar New Year.

Context:

Informant: “Every Chinese New Year, my mother always prepares a feast, the main staple/course of which are the dumplings. She always says it’s a must we eat them on New Years, so much so that we even eat them on American New Year’s as well.”

Analysis:

Wealth and success are values that are strongly held in Chinese culture. In fact, they’re so integrally tied that one must achieve wealth and prosperity to truly be viewed as ‘successful’. The dumpling’s that my informant eats every Chinese New Year is such an engrained tradition because it is said to resemble the money pouches—i.e. the red envelopes commonly handed out on Lunar New Year—which are symbols for wealth and prosperity. Even the dumpling making itself is ritualistic as it commonly a family where all members participate in the cooking process, a sign of familial values and unity that are very important in their culture.

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On Nowruz, most commonly referred to as Persian New Year, it is a custom to buy and wear a completely fresh and new set of clothes.

Context:

Informant: “Before every Nowruz, my Kazakh family will always go to the mall and buy a brand new set of clothes to wear. Back when we used to live in Kazakhstan, we would always buy a fresh traditional outfit; but now that we are in the states, we just usually stick to mall clothing. To me, it’s like buying a new outfit to wear before the first day of school.”

Analysis:

In Persian, and many Middle Eastern cultures, cleanliness is a strongly held value that is encouraged especially before important cultural occasions. For example, most Muslims will bathe before praying or entering Mosques as a symbol of respect and purity. It is also a value associated with rebirth. In addition to my informant’s callout about buying a fresh set of clothes, many who celebrate Nowruz will also clean their entire house during the holiday. This is a sign of the washing away of sins and also symbolizes the rebirth of those who celebrate the holiday as it marks the beginning of the New Year.