Blessing

Title: Blessing

General Information about the item:

  • Genre and sub genre: Customary folklore: custom
  • Language: Hawaiian/English
  • Country: USA

Informant data:

  • Zoe Leonard ’19 from Honolulu, O’ahu. Born in Hawaii and grew up their until coming to Dartmouth.

Contextual data:

  • Social context: A blessing is a rite of passage and social ceremony.
  • Cultural context: Blessing a place uses magic to expel bad spirits or energy and cleanse the area to have good energy. The ancient tradition has been carried down for generations.

Item:

  • When a new business, school, or establishment opens in the islands it is almost always along with a blessing ceremony where a kahu, or Hawaiian priests, blesses the place.

Collector: Aaryndeep Rai

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *