Tag Archives: tradition

Whittier Christmas Tree Lighting

Context:

JM: “So every year in Whittier, the city gathers by Rick’s and they light up the huge Christmas tree for the holidays. It lasts until January.”

Q: Do you always attend the tree lighting?

JM: “Not me personally but my dad is super into the culture of Whittier and always takes us to go see the tree lighting. I don’t mind though since we get Rick’s right afterwards.”

Q: Do you know why was the tradition started?

JM: “Oh I don’t actually know about that…My dad thinks that since Whittier is a smaller city, they do these kind of traditions in order to uphold a like tight-knit community. I guess I’m glad the city also gets involved it’s kind of sweet.”

Analysis:

The Whittier Christmas Tree Lighting is an annual tradition in the city of Whittier, CA where a tree lighting is held at the family-owned Rick’s Dinner.

Throwing coins in car

Context: the informant, AC, describes a tradition where you throw coins inside of a new car.

“When you first get a new car, you’re suppose to take a bunch of coins and like throw it in the backseat so that it gives you good luck when you’re like driving so you don’t, its usually like parents or friends.”

Q: How did you first hear about?

“It was when I first got my car and my dad just came running out of the house and he had a bunch of coins and he just threw them in the back…I had never heard of it before. I was like ‘dad, what is happening?’ and he was like ‘Oh I don’t know its just good luck so you don’t crash.’ It like came from back then you had to put coins into tolls and so in this way people give you coins so you don’t run out of money when you have to pay a toll.”

Analysis: Throwing coins in a car seems to be a tradition done by many after someone purchases their own car. People close to the person, such as family or friends, begin to throw coins in the back of a car in order for the person to be protected from any car crashes. The ritual originated from when people had to pay tolls with coins. In this way, throwing money in the back of the car not only ensures your safety and protection, but makes sure that you have enough money with you whenever you need to pay a toll.

Rosca de Reyes/Wreath of the Kings

Context: The Rosca de Reyes/Wreath of the Kings is a sweet bread commonly made/consumed during January 6th, the Day of the Three Kings

“Every year on January 6th, many who are Catholic celebrate the Day of the Three Kings following Christmas. Because of this, we have a yearly tradition where we eat la Rosca de Reyes (Wreath of the Kings), in which it is a sweet bread that’s super good. You usually eat it with either hot chocolate or champurrado. However, the tradition also comes with a fun game. Inside of the bread are a few little white babies that represent Jesus when he was born. If your slice of bread happens to have a little baby Jesus, you usually have to make tamales the month afterwards. I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone though, I think some people make different foods.”

Analysis: La Rosca de Reyes seems to be a common tradition in many Mexican-Catholic Communities where many continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus after Christmas. The Biblical story of the Three Kings explains how the Three Wise Men traveled to see the birth of Jesus in order to deliver him gifts. Because of this, many celebrate this day with different foods, one of the foods being The Wreath of the Kings.

Novena/Novenario

Context:

“So a tradition in Mexican Catholic families is when someone passes away there’s something called a novena or novenario. And this occurs right after someone is laid to rest. Family and friends gathers at a home [a relative’s] and will pray. They’ll use the rosary and say prayers. I don’t really remember which prayers are used or if it’s specific only to Mexican catholic families.”

Q: Did you or anyone in your family ever participate in this tradition?

“I think I only ever participated in it once. It was when one of my [aunts] died and we went to her home and stayed the entire night. I don’t really remember what happened though since it was a long time ago.”

Q: Have you ever partook in the tradition in recent time?

“No, not in recent time…I actually don’t know if people still do this tradition actually. I know my mom’s side of the family was super religious and would do this.”

Analysis: As the informant, NG, describes, a Novena/Novenario is a common tradition in Mexican-Catholic communities in which after the death of a family remember, the rest of the friends and family will travel to the person’s home (or a relative’s) and begin to pray for the deceased. Based off the information NG describes, a Novena/Novenario is done in order to pay respects to the recently deceased and to hope that they are well in another life.

Plonkies

Text: “In High School, I was in drama club. Every time before a show, about 15 minutes before a show, everyone would gather around to hear our director’s speech to send us off. When it got down to 5 minutes, our stage managers – that being our Production Stage Manager and two Assistant Stage Managers would stand up on chairs in the center of the crowd. Their speech is different from the directors’; it was more centered towards hype and getting all the positive energy into your systems. They would start with a drum roll…and as that beat rolled through the crowd, they would spin their arms in circles and YELL, “It’sssssss going! Itsssssss going! ITSSSSSSS PLONKIES!” Everyone would say the Plonkies part with them, and then all hype, we would run off to places, whether we were in the crew or cast. I’m not sure how it originated, but it has been a long-running tradition since I joined my freshman year. Plonkies is pretty much a funny way to say places. It would be said at the beginning of each of the three shows we had over the weekend; the last one was always said cause it meant the last show, but it was fun nonetheless.”

Context: A high school theater tradition that is celebrated by both members of the cast and crew and performed by students. OK was a tech student and saw and participated in this tradition for all four years in high school, for each of the eight shows over that time. There would be two shows every year. It is always performed by the Stage Managers.

Analysis: The mix of the drum roll, the yelling, and everyone joining in creates this shared burst of energy that hypes people up and calms nerves at the same time. There has always been a wide variety of traditions within theaters, most relating to ghosts, but it is interesting to see a different kind, one that includes both the crew and the cast together. Overall, it’s a good example of how inside jokes and traditions can build a sense of community and make stressful moments feel exciting instead of overwhelming. Knowing it has been a tradition passed down for generations of theater students makes the sense of community even stronger; it’s a bond of the present and past students.