Tag Archives: Rituals

Debut (18th Birthday)

Nationality: Filipino American
Age: 23
Occupation: Student
Residence: Cerritos, CA

Text 

“When I turned 18, I had a debut. It is basically a Filipino coming-of-age celebration. It’s like a quinceañera but at 18. For Filipinos, it’s a big deal. Turning 18 means you’re entering adulthood, so you’re presented to your family and community with all the grace and glamor of a princess. 

The most memorable part of my debut was the 18 roses and 18 candles.

The 18 Roses are dances. 18 men, usually dads, cousins, and guy friends, each danced with me one by one. They handed me a rose and sometimes say a short message. It can get pretty emotional.

The 18 Candles are when 18 girls or women light a candle and give a short speech about me. Some speeches were funny, and others were mini love letters from my closest friends. It was a way of seeing myself through the eyes of people who had known me my whole life, and it really stuck with me. 

I didn’t grow up in the Philippines, but doing the debut made me feel connected to that part of me.”

Context 

The informant is a second-generation daughter who celebrated her debut at age 18 with a full program including traditional elements like 18 Roses and 18 Candles. She emphasized that while she was raised in the United States, the debut helped her feel connected to her Filipino heritage. 

My interpretation 

The debut functions as a coming-of-age rite that is both performative and symbolic. In folkloristic terms, it marks a liminal moment, a passage from girlhood into adult social identity that is celebrated through structured ritual acts. 

The debut reinforces intergenerational values, especially within diasporic settings where tradition must be actively chosen and adapted. The event also serves as a space of collective storytelling as speeches and dances become public affirmations of the debutante’s identity, relationships, and future. Through these performances, the community participates in shaping the celebrant’s transition, offering both affirmation and expectation.

Kings and Queens Birthday Song

Age: 18

Date of Performance: 4/28/2025

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: English

Residence: United States

  1. Text

The informant is a college student. She referenced a folklore ritual she was taught from a young age in a preschool setting that was used for birthday’s. Each time it was a student’s birthday, they would sing a song saying, “Kings and queens and princesses too, want to wish the best for you, so wish day wash day what do you say birthday! Happy birthday to you!”

2. Context

“Now anytime I celebrate a birthday that song pops into my head and sometimes I will sing it because it was such a core memory for me.”

“Singing this song reminds me of preschool and all the memories I created there, it gives me nostalgia.”

3. Analysis

This is a ritual that the informant learned at a very young age. It was folklore shared by her community in preschool, among other young students, an artistic expression to wish a good birthday to each other. This example shows how folklore can be used to reflect on the past and incite feelings of nostalgia and reflexiveness of one’s past experiences.

Four Advent Candles

Age: 19

Date of Performance: 4/24/2025

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: English

Residence: United States

  1. Text

The informant is a college student. She referenced the lighting of the four advent candles during the traditional Christmas season in December. It was a religious practice for her and her family and a way to celebrate their annual winter holiday.

2. Context

“Like the four advent candles that lead up to Christmas. You light one each Sunday before Christmas and it symbolizes hope, peace, joy and love.”

“It was just a way to celebrate with family and come together. We would sometimes go to church to do it but mostly just the sweet sentiment is what made it tradition for us.”

“Kind of for as long as I can remember. Yeah, I think we’ve just always done it no matter where we are on Sundays in December.”

3. Analysis

This is a ritual that is rooted in religious context from the Bible. It is meant to represent a different aspect each Sunday in the preparing for the coming of Christ. For this informant, it was adjusted to have religious undertones, and yet become more rooted in the familial aspect and honoring Christmas tradition. The informant clearly values the large morals reflected by the practice, and how it brought together her family to celebrate a holiday.

Pirate Weekend

Age: 20

Date of Performance: 4/24/2025

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: English

Residence: United States

  1. Text

The informant is a college student. She referenced how her family used to go to a nearby bay every year to celebrate “pirate weekend” as a kid. It was a temporary ritual but they treated it as a ‘holiday’ and celebrated it together annually.

2. Context

“We used to drive on up once a year to the bay for pirate weekend when I was a kid.”

“I went from like ages two until eight and I loved it. They had these smoke cannons that always impressed me. It was just bonding time for family but amazed me as a kid.”

3. Analysis

This is a ritual that the informant’s family turned into something of a holiday. They took a nearby communication of art within a community and adopted it as a ritual to celebrate and immerse in a culture. The folklore fascinated the informant and served as an entertainment ritual at a young age.

Festival of São António

Age: 20

Date of Performance: 4/24/2025

Language: English

Nationality: Portuguese

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: English

Residence: United States

  1. Text

The informant is a college student. She referenced a festival honoring the Saint of Lisbon in Portugal, where she grew up. Her family used to celebrate the festival with little parties and elaborate decorations to honor their Portuguese nationality.

2. Context

“You celebrate with little parties and you decorate with a specific flower called manjericão. And you dress traditionally and do a Portuguese dance with flower arches.”

“I’ve been doing it since I gained consciousness. I liked it when we did it at school. They would make us learn the dance with a boy and you got to do it with him for all the parents.”

“I would be like ‘ooooo who’s my partner going to be this year.’ But in the street you have to be part of like a neighborhood group to be in the real parade.”

“But the little parties are for everyone and each neighborhood sets one up. Just like beer and food trucks and live music.”

“Some people call the whole thing ‘santos populares’ because sometimes there is more than one saint.”

3. Analysis

This is a festival that honors the informant’s nationality and provides an opportunity to celebrate with friends and family and engage in patriotism through folklore. It engages tradition and a variety of folkloric practices to honor Portuguese saints and build city pride. It is folklore in that it is artistic communication in the broader community and none of the festival practices have authored ownership.