Tag Archives: tradition

A Tibetan Tradition

Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Salt Lake City, Utah
Language: English

Story: “I went to a Tibetan school growing up in India, I was always class monitor, I was basically the teacher’s pet…but something that I grow up with, going to school in India, was corporal punishment. And as tough as that sounds, it was the culture I grew up with. But there’s this saying in Tibet, where teachers and parents will say “Tibetan kids’ ears are on their ass.” Essentially, this just means that physical punishment is the only way kids will listen and learn… their ears are on their ass. And honestly, this worked for me.”

Analysis: Cultures throughout the world have many different ways of teaching children, and what might seem different in the United States, can be totally normal in different countries. This is a great example of how different cultures foster different kinds of teachings for children, and as this person explained, it kind of worked for them. They later explained how when they first moved to the United States, they experienced a heavy culture shock. Corporal punishment is an ideology that has been passed down for generations, and it’s very interesting to see diverse perspectives on the ideology.

The Champions Chalice

Nationality: Malaysian

Occupation: Full time student

Residence: Baltimore, MD

Item: A silver vase called The Champion’s Chalice

Context: The informant played on a rugby team and told me about a tradition involving a silver vase nicknamed “The Champion’s Chalice” that a previous member of the team had stolen. After a win, the rugby team would gather and everyone would drink beer out of the vase to celebrate the victory. After every match the team would gather and drink, but the Chalice was only used following a victory.

Analysis: Both the vase itself and the use of it give insight into the brotherhood that forms within a rugby team. The origin of the vase was it being stolen; when it was first stolen, nobody on the team snitched about who stole it, showing a commitment to supporting teammates off the field. The ritual of drinking out of the vase following a win acts as a form of initiation into the team, and as an extension the brotherhood. For a new member of the team, they must prove their strength by contributing to a winning team, and once they have proven themselves they can share a drink alongside their teammates. For existing members of the team, the Chalice acted as a physical prop to commemorate a victory, and distinguish wins from losses.

A Long Lost Friend

Nationality: American

Age: 81

Occupation: Retired

Residence: Mill Valley, CA

Performance Date: December 1st, 2024

Primary Language: English

Language: English

MAIN DESCRIPTION: 

“All right, a few years ago, normal morning I just woke up. I was gonna get up and go to to the bathroom. when I felt like I couldn’t get out of the bed. 
I felt like something was like sitting on me right I mean, I could still breathe and all, but I just felt like I couldn’t get up and I was thinking, is this a heart attack or something? And then finally I did get up and I went to the bathroom. I came back, got in bed and there, I felt it again. 
It was just like somebody sitting on me and and when I started with maybe I picked up my phone and looked at the date and it was July 2 and I suddenly remembered that that was the birthday of my best friend Leonore, who had died of breast cancer years before, and I think it was the first time I ever forgot her birthday and I think she was pissed that I forgot it. So after that, I mean after that everything went away and it was just that weird experience of having this presence there who didn’t hurt me, but was making herself known.”

INFORMANT’S OPINION:

JS: What do you think this appearance means spiritually?

MB: “I felt it related to our friendship, which started in sixth grade and we were she was my closest friend through high school and then once I started going with my husband uh and she she she developed an interest in Spanish culture. And she ended up um taking a job in Mexico and marrying a Mexican person there, had children with him and then later divorced him and she got tired of him and Mexico. 
And she came back and met a really wonderful guy who she married and they lived right in the East Bay until she developed breast cancer. She was she died at 49. It was terrible, so anyway, I felt it was just her maybe disappointment and a little annoyance that I had that remembered her birthday. 
But I didn’t feel it was evil. I mean, she wasn’t trying to kill me. Yeah like, “hey, it’s my birthday.””

PERSONAL INTERPRETATION:

Who can say for sure what our human connections to the afterlife or spiritual realm might be? There have been so many examples of people having near death experiences and describing similar sensations of light and hovering. It’s not hard to believe that Lenore paid a visit to MB, if not to just say hello, maybe to nudge MB to not forget her existence or her presence, even if only in spiritual form when she “sat on” her chest on her birthday. 

Ski Torch Parade – Sun Valley, Idaho

Every year on New Year’s Eve in Sun Valley, Idaho, hundreds of skiers participate in the “Torch Parade” that occurs at night on the main slope of the mountain. This is done every single year, and participants always use bright red torches as they follow the path down the slope. The informant describes the event as looking like brake lights in traffic going all the way up the slope. The informant who described the tradition is from Idaho and witnesses the parade every year on new years eve; they said everyone from the town and those visiting see this act as “blessing the slope for a good year to come and a safe/fun ski season,” but also says it is just a celebration for the city to commemorate the passing and beginning of another year. The informant themself says they have not done the parade as they ski enough during the year, but that it is very common for avid skiers, and especially visitors to participate in the torch run. The main emphasis from the informant was large, bright red torches being used at night down the main slope on new years eve.

Context – The torch parade is a common practice for ski slopes, but has been seen in all different variations among different ski towns/locations. Each town may have their own reason, explanation, or even design of the torch parade, but every year Sun Valley, Idaho does this specific time and looks for the parade. Another friend of the informant had heard of a torch parade occurring earlier in the ski season at another location, but seemingly attracting the same amount of people. Sun Valley is also a popular location for winter/new year celebrations which adds to the amount of participants and viewers of the parade.

Analysis – The torch parade can be simplified as a communal celebration linked to tradition. While it may have started smaller or even with definite reasons for participating (such as good luck for the new year or lighting the path), nowadays it is very common that there are vast reasons for participants. Either way, this tradition has grown root and reason within Sun Valley, and even in other places when they do the torch parade. This ritual can serve as a way of coming together in the belief of celebrating December 31st (as opposed to Chinese new year), as well as a fun way to “bless the slopes” while skiing at night which is not always done.

Family Baptismal Gown – Family Ritual

The family of the informant has used the same baptismal gown for many generations. At least one child in each section of the family wore the gown while being baptized, and many times in the same church. This gown was said to be made from fine linen cloth brought straight from Ireland. The informant wore the gown and their sibling also did, but their cousin on their mother’s side (the side of gown tradition) wore their mother’s. However, the informant said there is now much question in the family as over one hundred people have worn it, but it is currently missing. The informant said that this gown held importance to much of the family to carry on wearing the traditional gown, but now there is discussion of making another one since the first is gone.

Context – Many families will often have a garment or cultural object that holds meaning among the family or a common group. For the informant in this story, the baptism gown is that object and became a symbol of family heritage and carried meaning from generation to generation. This crosses over into the realm of folklore due to the mass of the shared ritual and the commonality that each family may have similar garments or rituals.

Analysis – For those who have a cultural object carrying meaning among a family, there is much symbolic meaning and weight carried by the object. The object no longer is seen as a simple piece of cloth to be worn, but rather a symbol of generational wealth, prosperity, and heritage. In families such as the informant, there is a question created as to where clothing/objects begin carrying weight, and where does the meaning begin collecting deep folklore and meaning among a shared group — it is unclear and decided family by family case whether the object can be replaced or changed at all (such as in this informants family).