Tag Archives: festival

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.

Lunar New Year

Nationality: Vietnamese
Primary Language: English
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 04/26/2024

Text:

“Every year my family’s church throws a Lunar New Year festival to celebrate the New year. There is always plenty of food, live music, people, and activities for kids. I used to dread going, but it’s really fun to see people I haven’t seen in a while and to get dressed up in cultural clothes.”

Context:

The informant, who grew up in the California Bay Area, is talking about Lunar New Year, as it was celebrated by his Vietnamese church. While the date changes every year, he recalls the festival and celebration as being a constant for as many years as he can remember. He used to get annoyed with the amount of people he was forced to interact with, and the uncomfortable clothes he had to wear, but now sees the festival as a fun and welcoming event to ring in the New Year.

Analysis:

Lunar New Year is a popular and important holiday across many East-Asian cultures. Lunar New Year festivals are a common celebratory event that I have encountered numerous times. They are not unique to America, and are extremely prevalent in Asia, as well as other countries. The festival, while often celebrated differently, contains numerous common threads, including heavy utilization of red decorations, common foods, etc. This festival is cultural, and holds wide cultural significance as a way to celebrate a new year, and to bring in good omens of health and wealth. I think that the Lunar New Year is specifically interesting because it spans numerous East Asian cultures, and is distinct from religious celebrations, but still holds great prominence and importance in Asian households. I have met numerous people who look forward to the festivals and the food, and see it as a fond memory and event that has been consistent throughout their lives. I think it also speaks to the permeance of culture, as it travels with people as they move and settle in new areas, serving as a way to bond with other people of a similar background.

Flower Moon Music and Arts Festival (Chapman University)

Text

Collector: “Do you participate in any specific rituals or festivals?”

Informant: “We have Flower Moon. It’s a Music and Arts Festival that’s been happening every year for the last three years on the last week of April. It’s usually at the same venue the Garden Amphitheater in Garden Grove, California. It has three stages. And we have 15 different artists, five artists per stage. And it’s not just the music it’s also the arts because we get six different vendors who are all champions to us in the arts. Artists, by the way, are all Chapman students and alumni. And we also get vendors to come sell clothes, jewelry, and food. And it’s like basically like our version of Coachella because it’s the weekend after both the Coachella weekends happen so we call it Coachella weekend three.”

Collector: “How much does it cost for a ticket?”

Informant: “$20 for Chapman students and $30 for general admission. And it’s sponsored by our school, we get sponsors from SGA. So Student Government.”

Context

The informant is a female undergraduate student at Chapman University in Orange, California. She is co-president of The Collective, a music club on campus that’s responsible for organizing the Flower Moon Festival each year.

Analysis

The Festival showcases Chapman Student’s artistic and musical abilities. The financial sponsorship from Chapman University shows that the school enables artistic expression. They provide a space where student’s talents can be appreciated and commodified. The showcase restricts artists to a very niche group: Chapman students and alumni. In my opinion, this makes the event more attractive to people in that university folk group. Ticket price differences urge students to attend, as they get in at a discount. 

Madonna Della Cava Feast

“Growing up in Boston we had a lot of festivals, and a few jump to my mind–there’s an Italian feast that everyone goes to in late August, like in middle of the streets in Boston, and you can get Italian food and listen to live music! It’s great. It’s called the Madonna Della Cava Feast, and my whole neighborhood (the North End) is totally transformed during the festival. I think the festival coincides with one in Pietraperzia, Italy, which is cool because an immigrant community halfway across the world has this intimate thing in common with its roots!”

Context:

This conversation was conducted in person at a dining hall, and I transcribed as faithfully as possible our conversation into written form.

Interpretation:

This also highlights how festivals can have a cultural element where even in another nation, similar aspects are celebrated. Boston has a significant Italian population, so this isn’t surprising, but it does illustrate how these immigrant/motherland communities might be closer than one may imagine, given that immigration to a new cultural context might induce changes in the way festivals are celebrated.

Dia de los Muertos

“I think you know about the Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, which is a big deal in Mexico. Usually it happens in late October or early November, and the whole day is a celebration of those who aren’t with us–when I was back in Mexico, there were a lot of rituals, like how we’d build altars for the deceased and offer flowers, drinks, and food. Otherwise, it was a nice moment of celebrating rather than mourning the dead, which I don’t see an equivalent for in American culture.”

Context:

This conversation was conducted in person with my roommate in our shared room, and I transcribed the text from an audio recording of our conversation.

Interpretation:

This conversation reveals a bit more about the origins and function of the festival—the origin stems from the Catholic church, and then due to other political and social factors in Mexico, became separated from that and eventually became its own separate thing, as a way to honor ancestors. The idea that there isn’t really an equivalent celebration in American culture further contextualizes in Mexican culture and tradition.