Funeral Tradition: Wearing White at Indian Funerals

Age: 22

Text:

In Indian culture, it is custom to wear white, and only white, to funerals.

Context:

Informant: When I attended my Tata’s [grandfather] funeral last summer, my whole family went out and bought an all white outfit. We honestly looked like European travelers. When we attended the funeral, everyone was dressed in only white which was interesting to me, since I had only attended American funerals where everyone dresses in black.”

Analysis:

In Indian, and specifically Hindu culture, funerals are actually viewed more optimistically, which aligns with the Hindu belief of reincarnation. Their view on death is that it washes away one’s sins and allows them to be ‘reborn. Funerals are not somber occasions where black is worn to mourn and honor the dead. Instead, white is worn to symbolize purity and hope. This aligns with the Hindu practice of cremation over burial; Hindus believe that cremation allows one to leave all of their mortal attachments to Earth and begin anew in their reincarnated chapter without any ties or connections to their original existence. In fact, it is seen as ill-willed and inauspicious to wear black to such occasions.

Funeral Tradition: Removing Mirrors from the House

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 22

Text:

In Chinese culture, it is common for the deceased’s family to remove all mirrors from their house.

Context:

Informant: “When my grandfather passed away, our family remained in a state of mourning for literally months. One thing I distinctly remember was my mother covering all mirrors in our house including my bathroom one, with bedsheets for a few months, I was in 6th grade, so to me this was very different from when my friend’s grandparents all passed; to me it seemed like their families moved on pretty quickly! And it also made getting ready for school difficult”

Analysis:

In Chinese culture, it is common for the deceased to be taken to their familial house to rest after passing away. However, it is a sign of bad luck to view the casket of the deceased in a mirror. If viewed, the reflection will grant bad luck to whoever viewed the image and may result in an early death. The reason that the mirrors may have been covered for months on end is because it is also traditional to respect a 100 day mourning period in Chinese culture, given the deceased a chance to properly mourn their dead loved one and give them the chance to support them in their passing on to the afterlife. Considering how superstitious many birth and death traditions are in Chinese culture, both the ritual to cover the mirrors and mourn for months on end (really 100 days) makes sense.

La Descarnada – L

This is a legend called “La descarnada”. This is legend that is told throughout El Salvador, and is passed on through oral tradition. In the case of L, they told me they grew up hearing this tale, and it was like many legends, meant to scare people, especially kids.

Context: L is a family member, who I asked to elaborate on “la descarnada” a Salvadoran legend.

Story: EN ESPANOL

“La leyenda que hace muchos, muchos años, en un canton all por las montanas de El Salvador, vivía una mujer joven y hermosa. Ella atraía a todo el pueblo, todos los hombres se querían acostar con ella, y tenerla suya. Esta señora, parecía normal, pero en realidad, tenia un secreto. Ella se enamoro con un joven del canton, y con su belleza, estaba mas que segura que el se iba a enamorar, y que se casaría con el. Una noche, un grupo de hombres se toparon con la esta joven, y la atacaron brutalmente. La despedazaron, y la dejaron herida, donde finalmente murió. Desde esa noche, el espíritu de la señora permanece, llena de venganza, y de rabia contra el mundo viviente. Desde entonces, se dice que ‘La Descarnada’ acecha a los desprevenidos que se aventuran en el bosque durante la noche. Algunos dicen que puede aparecer como una sombra oscura, mientras que otros afirman haberla visto como una figura desfigurada y aterradora. Ella busca a los jovenes mas guapos, y los atrae, pero al fin se venga de su injusta muerte, y los mata.”

TRANSLATED “Story: “The legend that many, many years ago, in a canton all in the mountains of El Salvador, lived a young and beautiful woman. She attracted the entire town, all the men wanted to sleep with her, and have her theirs. This lady seemed normal, but in reality, she had a secret. She fell in love with a young man from the canton, and with her beauty, she was more than sure that he was going to fall in love, and that she would marry him. One night, a A group of men came across this young woman, and brutally attacked her. They tore her to pieces, and left her injured, where she finally died. Since that night, the lady’s spirit remains, full of revenge, and rage against the living world. Since then, ‘La Descarnada’ is said to stalk the unsuspecting who venture into the woods at night. Some say she can appear as a dark shadow, while others claim to have seen her as a disfigured and terrifying figure. She seeks out the most handsome young men, and attracts them, but in the end he takes revenge for their unjust death, and kills them.”

Analysis/YOUR interpretation: The story of la descarnada is a fairly copy and paste example of a horror tale. It follows the story of a woman, who was once a beautiful young woman, but once she suffered an unfortunate fate, went on to torment the world. She usually targets handsome men, in order to get revenge for her loss of beauty, and abrupt death. This is a fairly simple story toundestand, and according to L, it is told with the purpose of scaring. Popular among the youth, “la descarnada” is said to lurk at night, and young men are told to be cautious whenever they may go to places that are desolate at night. It seems that there is a pattern between many Salvadoran tales and legends, and a female character. Oftntimes, beauty is used as a lure, only to be completely negated by the authentic form of the entity. This tale could very well be a more modern adaptation of prehispanic, indigenous storytelling. It may be a result of the hybridization that occurred throughout Latin America, and more specifically in El Salvador. L said that this tale is an oral tradition that is passed on generationally, a prime example of oral narrative.

El Cipitio

This Legends is commonly known in the Central American Country of El Salvador. It is a bit of an urban legend, or horror story, especially popular among the lower class, in the “cantones” or slums. These are usually told to kids, and are passed down orally.

Context: This story was told to me by R, a family member of mine/ He grew up in El Salvador, and spend the majority of his life there. I am hearing his variation of the story, and although there are slight regional variations, they usually are very similar. This specific version is from the Sonsonate region.

Story:  EN ESPANOL

“El Cipitio se te aprecia como un niño de aspecto infantil, de unos 10 años de edad. Era bajito con una gran panza, y que lleva un gran sombrero. Solo los niños pueden verlo. El tiene la habilidad de viajar de un lugar a otro, teleportando, porque tiene poderes mágicos y se dice que disfruta comer ceniza o guineos majonchos.El Cipitío es bien travieso y juguetón. A el le gusta aparecerse en casas con hornillas de leña para comer ceniza, o lanzar piropos a las mujeres que se bañan en los ríos. Se cree que el papa del Ciptio es Dios Sol”

TRANSLATED STORY

“Cipitio appears to you as a childish-looking boy, about 10 years old. He was short with a big belly, and he wore a big hat. Only children can see him. He has the ability to travel from one place to another, teleporting, because he has magical powers and it is said that he enjoys eating ash or big bananas. Cipitío is very naughty and playful. He likes to appear in houses with wood stoves to eat ash, or compliment the women he meets. They bathe in the rivers. It is believed that the Pope of Cyptio is the Sun God.”

Analysis/YOUR interpretation: El Cipitio is an urban legend about a boyish looking humanoid, that appears only to children. He is very popular throughout EL Salvador, and is tale told by many in the country. He typically is seen doing various devious acts and overall mcsihhvious behavior.

This is a form of regional legend, that circulated among primary impoverished regions of the country. While a very normal topic in El Salvador, the tales usually simulate throughout the slums that border forests and the wooded areas. According to R, there are some theories as to its origin. Perhaps the largest and most believed one is that el Cipitio is some result of hybridization. That is he is actually the colonial interpretation of pre hispanic indigenous deity. His connection to the Nahuatl sun god, and the colonial attire he is depicted as wearing in his artistic depictions point to this, and make it clear that el Cipitio has some sort of connection to the colonial period. There have been many adaptations of this tale that have been dispersed in authors literature, movies and art, but they all stem from this narrative oral tradition.

El Cadejo

This story is told by M. The basis is a legend from Central America, but the story told was from his personal experience and encounter with the character. 

Context: M is a family member of mine. He is very close in my life. Growing up, he would always tell me about his interactions and encounters with various being growing up in El Salvador. This generated more curiosity within me, and I was fascinated by the fact that these characters were real. I don’t know how to feel about it now that i’m older…

Story: EN ESPANOL

” Tenia como unos 8 anos. Mi mama Juanita me mando a comprar pan una noche. Recuerdo que era una noche oscura, estábamos atravesando un sendero allá en las montañas. De repente, sentí una presencia extraña, como si algo estuviera siguiéndonos en la oscuridad.De allí, apareció de entre las sombras, un gran chucho (DOG), de pelaje oscuro y ojos rojos brillantes como focos. Era el Cadejo. Un gran chucho demoniaco Me quedé paralizado por un momento. El Cadejo me miraba fijamente, como si pudiera leer mis pensamientos. Sentí un escalofrío recorrer mi espalda mientras se acercaba lentamente. Pero algo en su mirada me tranquilizó, como si no viniera con intenciones malas.Entonces, el Cadejo empezó a ladrar. Casi como si estuviera hablando o tratando de comunicarse conmigo. Me quede congelada, muerto del miedo. Como si nada hubiese pasado, el Cadejo corrió, y se escondió en la oscuridad, y se desapareció. Andaba sonámbulo, y por eso lo sentí mas feo, como que me despertó del sueno. Menos mal quede traumado”

TRANSLATED STORY

”I was about 8 years old. My mother Juanita sent me to buy bread one night. I remember it was a dark night, we were crossing a path there in the mountains. Suddenly, I felt a strange presence, as if something was following us in the darkness. From there, a large dog (DOG) appeared from the shadows, with dark fur and bright red eyes like spotlights. It was Cadejo. A big demonic mutt I froze for a moment. Cadejo looked at me intently, as if he could read my thoughts. I felt a chill run down my spine as he slowly approached. But something in his look calmed me, as if he didn’t come with bad intentions. Then, Cadejo started barking. Almost like he was talking or trying to communicate with me. I froze, scared to death. As if nothing had happened, Cadejo ran, hid in the darkness, and disappeared. I was sleepwalking, and that’s why it felt even worse, like it woke me up from sleep. Thank goodness I was traumatized.”

Analysis/YOUR interpretation: 

El cadejo is described to be a big black dog, with bright red eyes. M described them as lightbulbs, shining in the distance. Throughout Central America, there have been tales of this demon dog making its appearance in the dead of night, and scaring people beyond compare. This legend seems to also be a type of myth. It could be plausible that M, and the many who claim to see him ran into an actual dog, who simply made its way, and scared them. Once again, this tale is an example of Narrative, A legend, but also could be myth, as it may or may not be loosely based on a true occurrence. It cold very well be some sort of exaggeration that is interpreted as this demon dog we know as the cadejo. Overall, there is a very strong culture of story telling in El Salvador that reinforces this theory. In the case of M, he claims to have encountered it, and agrees that the tale is common consensus among many Central Americans