Tag Archives: singing

The Caroling Party

Age: 22

Context: My friend told me about a sweet tradition her and mother started that eventually evolved into an event shared in the community around the holidays.

Text:

“My mom and I throw it every year. And, um, we bring together, like, neighbors, friends, and we started off like, it was only maybe 30 people. And now it’s upwards of, like, 75 people that come every year. Everyone looks so forward to it. And we go up and down the street, and we collect, like, the neighbors, we sing to them, and then they join us for the next house.

And then we all come back and have drinks and desserts, and we sing songs and play music. I think it’s just really nice. It’s like my mom’s colleagues and her old piano teacher. And all of my childhood friends. And then they bring, like, their favorite people. I think that like, it’s just nice. These people from all walks of lilfe, in all areas of our lives, just come together for this one massive, this party, and everyone contributes to dessert. We always have 2 full tables now that we set up for the dessert.”

Analysis:

Caroling has been around for decades and has evolved over generations in various forms. Instead of going door-to-door and leaving, they collect people over time. Most of these songs tell stories of Jesus and other significant aspects of Christmas; however, I find it interesting that even if these people don’t align religiously with Christian beliefs, the songs and collaborative singing make it a staple for them to participate.

These songs do not carry the same political intensity as Depression-era labor movement songs or the ones we discussed, carrying warnings or stories of those lost. However, as folk music sometimes does, it brings people together to sing in unison. This celebration also ties into our in-class discussion of foods and how recipes are passed down or shared within families. In this case, food is part of a specific celebration, and it’s fun to learn how it’s grown over time with each new group of people who have joined them.

Making Whoopi

Text: My mom said they used to hold large family reunions, 30-40 people, every year at the family house. Each year her papa, uncle, and others would rewrite the lyrics to the song “Making Whoopi” to speak to each of the family members that had an age with a zero on the end. They would rewrite the verses then have the chorus. There were always multiple people so they’d rewrite multiple verses. Then they, in a small group, would sing it at the family reunion and the whole group would gather around to listen. 

Context: My mothers extended family lives in Idaho, which she moved away from when she was young but went back to visit every summer. According to my mom, everyone in her immediate extended family, grandparents to aunt and uncles, sang. They would stand around the piano and sing song after song so this tradition makes sense with who they were. My parents also mentioned that these family reunions don’t happen much anymore, since we can keep track of everyone through social media. 

Analysis: This is folk music, specifically parody, that is meant to build community among the family and honor people through performance. By picking only people with an age that ends in zero they get to honor people, make them feel seen, without having the song get repetitive and loose the fun it is trying to create. I believe the big part that makes this song meaningful is the work and care that goes into writing it, it’s not the same thing every reunion thus giving it more meaning but repetitive enough with the same tune that it feels traditional. They also performed this song as a group, meaning no one person is singled out for too long making a performance meant to build community and bond rather than one to show off one’s own talent.

Sausage

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Morris Plains, NJ, USA
Language: English

It is a men-only post-show tradition that was invented at the local high school theater and celebrated between grade meshing as well as the seniors’ final shows. 

“I didn’t join theater till my sophomore year which had [J] and [C] as the ring leaders of the seniors. They introduced me and the freshman to sausage. It was crazy at first, but a ton of fun. There’s the song sausage, but its cool because there are a lot of singers who have their own verses that all end with ‘but I still get sausage’. All the seniors make their own verses and we[all the male members of theater] all jump around and have fun in there. For closing night, both guys and girls come in and all the seniors get a voice. We would also put a freshman in a safe and bang a beat on it as like an initiation. It was a fun thing to look forward to.”

The ritual reminds me of a fraternity initiation(with less danger). They all sing and jump around in an exclusively male space, singing a song that is an allusion to sex. It can also be very inclusive because theaters are a LGBTQ dominated space, and they allow trans men to be included in Sausage. It’s also a fun tradition to pass down to other generations and a good, safe way to celebrate after a show. It creates community between the younger years and celebrates the graduating Senior class.

Simbang Gabi – Filipino Holiday Festival

Nationality: Filipino
Age: 51
Occupation: IT Help Desk
Residence: Naperville, IL
Language: English

Text:

Simbang Gabi translates to “Night Mass” in Tagalog.

Context:

The performer grew up Filipino in a community of mainly Catholics, then immgrated to the Midwest in 2003 where they joined a “Simbang Gabi” program at their local Catholic church with other Filipino immigrants.

“Simbang Gabi a Filipino tradition that is actually nine days. Basically we go to mass for 9 days in a row before Christmas. It happens at Dawn.” […} “We choose to continue it so the other kids who grew up here would experience our culture and it at te same time our community, it would be a Filipino event that people would congregate to. ” […] “Our Simbang Gabi program would showcase the way we dance, the way we have food, the way we have Filipino games… My sole purpose to do it is for the kids, to continue the tradition, to continue the culture.”

In the Philippines, celebration happens since “the moment we are conscious” and is celebrated by all Catholics (80-90% of Filipinos are catholic). They were told that if they finished all 9 days of Simbang Gabi and they make a wish, it will come true. “It’s like you’re praying or petitioning for something.”

Analysis:

The performer’s version of Simbang Gabi is intriuging because it’s an example of how a Filipino tradition is Americanized and yet celebrates the culture in an “authentic” way despite not being an exact replica of the tradition. Simbang Gabi in the United States is a wonderful example of cross-cultural diaspora as Filipino immigrants “perform identity” and preserve the culture after physically moving and assimilating with American culture.

Simbang Gabi in the Philippines is reflective of Filipino traditions of faith, family, and folklore as it mixes the Catholic influences of Spanish colonizers with communal values of meeting in church daily as well as creating a lasting tradition that defies borders.

Superstition- Singing Before Breakfast

Nationality: Russian
Age: 78
Occupation: Retired
Residence: Dallas, TX
Performance Date: April 20, 2020
Primary Language: English

Context: My Grandfather -represented as G in the text- grew up in New Jersey in the 1940s. While I was in high school he lived with me and my family and introduced me to some traditions he grew up with. Some mornings on my way to make breakfast I would pass by him sitting in his chair singing a song. If I were to join in on the singing, he would immediately warn me that I shouldn’t sing before I eat breakfast. This was something he learned from his mother, the “lord, and master of the house,” as he described her. He adopted this superstition and says that neither he nor his brothers will sing before they eat. Below is a conversation I had over the phone.

Text:

Me: “Can you tell me about your superstition about singing before breakfast?”

G: “Oh! Gosh! You never want to do that! You never, never, never want to sing before you eat breakfast! You will have bad luck for the rest of the year!”

Me: “The entire year?”

G: “Oh yes the whole g***amn year”

Me: “Sounds like a big deal.”

G: “It is a huge deal”

Interpretation: The first time he told me about this superstition I thought perhaps it came from starting the day (breakfast) before doing anything. Perhaps one shouldn’t celebrate the joy of the day before it has begun. The more I thought about this, however, I came to a more cynical yet realistic conclusion. As a mother of three boys, my great grandmother probably valued peace and quiet in the morning. So if the boys were singing and screaming before they even had breakfast, it would be a reasonable solution to warn them of a year’s worth of bad luck if they continued.