Tag Archives: Rituals

Bags of Rice

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

Text:

“My mom would make small bags of rice, made out of red velvet, and sew it into any clothes my sister or I got as kids. The bags are pretty small, like the size of a knuckle. She actually still does it if she buys me something, but a lot of my closet is stuff I buy.

Context:

The informant, who grew up with Vietnamese parents, recalls his mother sewing the little bags for as long as he can remember. He knew that other people of his extended family did the same thing, but hasn’t heard of it with people of other cultures. When he was a young teen he really being frustrated by it because he thought it was dumb, and that if anything it was irritating for his skin, but now smiles a little every time he wears a piece of clothing containing a bag. It reminds him of his mom, and of the methodical love and affection she showed. He recalls the act of the sewing following each day shopping or after every delivery as a fond ritual.

Analysis:

While the ritual of sewing most likely holds cultural or familial significance for the informants mother, it holds different significance for the informant. Rather than representing good luck, it is a signifier of the love of his mother, and a reminder that he is cared for. The ritual, that was consistently done after any shopping trip, is one that the informant now looks forward to, demonstrating the potential of certain rituals to bring people together. It also serves as a consistent display of affection, from a family member, that can be expected and thus brings comfort. I think that this act is really interesting as I had never heard of it before. I know that the color read often symbolizes fortune in certain cultures, but I find larger interest in the methodical and distinct act. Given that this is not something I have heard before, I believe that it may be unique to the informant’s family, and those holds personal and nostalgic value.

Sage to Prevent Spirits from Haunting Property

Text 

Informant: “My mom had many experiences with ghosts. During her twenties, she was constantly moving apartments and had strange experiences in each of them. Doors would open and shut. At night figures appeared and then disappeared. She could hear voices when no one was around, stuff like that. So the next time she moved, she burned sage in the apartment. Now I do that whenever I have to move into a new home. You are supposed to burn sage because you don’t know who’s been on the land. People’s spirits stick around. I think people linger when their spirit is lost and they can’t move on because they’re stuck. People get stuck. Sage will scare out the old spirits.”

Context

The Informant is a 48-year-old Black-American woman. She learned this ghost prevention ritual from her mother and passed it on to me. The Informant interprets this ritual as a way to cleanse new spaces of old spirits. 

Analysis

The Informant and her family are from America, a country that emphasizes individualism, private ownership, and the right to property. This nation’s philosophy stems from John Locke’s individualist ideals in the Second Treatise of Government. In the Treatise, Locke writes that “every man has a property in his own person” and he can take ownership in anything that comes from “the labour of his body, and the work of his hands” (Locke 5:27) In America, the home is where one manages both properties: bodily and physical. The physical property is maintained through household labor (ex: mowing lawn, mopping floors). Homeowners maintain their bodily property through facilities inside the home (ex: stove to cook, bath to bathe). A home is a place where personhood and physical property mingle (ex: homeowners decorate spaces to reflect personal tastes). In short, individuals are strongly tied to property in American culture. Thus when a homeowner dies, it can be difficult for a new person to move in and feel “at home.” Burning sage can be seen as a way to ease the transition between homeowners. The ritual clears out the old spirits to create a clean slate. A blank canvas to welcome new identity, personalization, and labor.

Undie Run at Chapman University (College Traditions)

Text

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

Informant: “At Chapman, we have Undie Run the Wednesday night before finals week. Everyone meets up in the Piazza in like, just underwear or a bathing suit, like no clothes. I think it’s at like 12 o’clock, or 10– I don’t know I didn’t do it last semester—and everyone just runs around campus and the outskirts, and in the circle. It’s just Chapman students and there’s some faculty to supervise.”

Collector: “Why does this tradition take place?”

Informant: “To get drunk and let loose before finals. People drink at a pregame, not during the run.” 

Context

The informant is a female undergraduate student at Chapman University. The Piazza is a circular courtyard at the center of campus where many students gather for special events.

Analysis

This college tradition provides insight into American student culture and what they define as “letting go”– Indulging in alcohol, stripping into undergarments, and doing wild activities with comrades. The practice of the tradition signifies that these expressions are not appropriate for everyday life. This activity takes place at Midnight, a liminal time between day and night, almost like a magic hour where students don’t have to present themselves as polished and collegiate. A rebellious version of themselves can run wild at night but not in the day.

Festival of Lights in Downtown Riverside California

Text

Collector: “Did you participate in any specific rituals or festivals growing up?”

Informant: “I grew up attending the Festival of Lights in Downtown Riverside, California. It’s always around Christmas time. They cover the entire downtown city in Christmas lights. It’s beautiful. There are musicians, usually solo artists, that come out they’ll put a bucket right next to them to collect tips. There’s a guy who brings his dog with him every year while he plays banjo. There’s a lot of different vendors, like there’s one specific hot cocoa stand that’s usually there. I forget the name. Some people sell glow stick toys to kids. The crowd is mostly families and couples.”

Collector: “Is there a main ceremony or is it just seeing lights?”

Informant: “There is like a main ceremony where they turn all the lights on. You know, the first night that’s when it’s the most crowded. Everybody goes downtown and they wait for them to turn on the lights.”

Context

The informant is a twenty-year-old male from Riverside California. 

Analysis

I found the informant’s description of the Festival of Lights interesting, as I also grew up in Riverside but rarely participated in this downtown tradition. The Informant spoke fondly of the festival with warmth and smiled as he remembered small details from his childhood. I took the festival for granted, but his perspective made me see the tradition in a whole new light. The Informant feels very connected to the city of Riverside because he participated in community events annually. I felt disconnected from the community in my childhood, as I wasn’t involved in many hometown traditions. Local festivals have the power to create a sense of belonging in communities and build a strong emotional connection to a geographic location. 

Saebae

“Every new year, I visit my grandparents on both sides for saebae— the ritual bowing to elders. I lay two cushions for my grandmother and grandfather to sit on, before kneeling and bowing (usually alongside my brother) while uttering the words: ‘Have many blessings in the new year’. This is a full, deep bow— not the usual dip of the head and upper body in greeting, but one in which we kneel and briefly bring our heads down to the floor, along with our folded hands. We sit as our elders deliver a few words of advice for the new year, before they usually bring out a small envelope of saebae-don (money) as a gift. Parts of the tradition have already been lost in our household; for instance, saebae is supposed to be done in hanbok (traditional clothing)— yet I have not donned hanbok in close to a decade.”

Context:

This conversation was had with a friend and fellow classmate of mine, over text. This quote was lifted verbatim from part of our conversation.

Interpretation:

This ritual of saebae, or bowing to elders, is part of Korean custom, and also appears similarly in other East Asian cultures (i.e. in Chinese culture). With the revelation that this participant doesn’t do saebae in the most traditional manner (no hanbok), this is a testament to how rituals and practices can adapt to one’s circumstance or situation—perhaps his lack of a hanbok meant he performed the ritual identically, only without that one aspect. AsI know he also grew up in the United States rather than Korea, this environment might also have an impact on the ritual. Furthermore, the offering of advice and gift of money cement the important relationship between elders and youth in Korean society, as elders offer both advice and support to younger family members.