Title: Birthday Ball Celebration

Informant info: Craig Serpa, marine. He was stationed in San Diego.

Type of lore: Customary, Ritual, Celebration

Language: English

Country of Origin: USA

Social / Cultural Context: Craig Serpa was interviewed at Dartmouth College. Craig was asked about any folklore or stories related to his training. He described what he thought of as folklore and then told me about the Marine Birthday Ball Celebration. Every year the Marine Core holds a ball in order to celebrate the birthday of the marine core. At every birthday, there is a cake cutting ceremony where the oldest marine and the youngest marine are honored by getting the first pieces of cake, which represents passing on tradition from the old to the new. The also play the commandants message.

Associated file:

Transcript:

Interviewer: Well now I have fun things to talk about. Did you hear any ghost stories, during training or while you were stationed. So its all about folklore—so any ghost stories related, or really any stories at all—legends, myths, related to your base camp or training experience.

C: So when I think of folklore, I think of passed down oral traditions. Mainly. The marine core actually, we have, a specific marine core order that deals with the marine core birthday. Nov 10, 1775—have a birthday ball celebration every year, and its, they, part of the actual military order is we have a cake cutting ceremony and then the oldest marine and the youngest marine are honored in the cake cutting ceremony where they present themselves the first piece of cake and its supposed to resemble the passing on of the traditions from the oldest to the youngest marine and there’s always—you play the commandants message—birthday message is played every year. And they do the reading of the 14^th commandant marine core—general Lejeune? Reread his birthday message as part of the military order now every single year. So that’s a past tradition, oral tradition.

Ghost stories? I would say no.

Informant’s comments: Craig told me that a celebration happens around the world no matter where you are. He said that for most marines, most of their fondest memories happened at this ball.

Collector’s comments: Craig was very excited to tell me about this tradition. He said that this was his favorite event of the year.