Category Archives: 18F Initiation Rituals

Sweet Sixteen Candle

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Title: Sweet Sixteen Candle

General Information:

  • Folklore Form/Genre: North American Initiation Rituals
  • Informant: Jennie Rhodes
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States of America
  • Place Collected: First Floor Berry
  • Date: 11/10/18

Informant Data:

  • Jennie Rhodes, 19, was born on March 3rd, 1999 in San Francisco, California. She’s lived in Santa Barbara, California all of her life. Although Jennie did not have a traditional sweet sixteen where many people were invited, she had a smaller gathering with her close family and friends. She is currently a sophomore at Dartmouth College.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: Jennie attended Dos Pueblos High School, a large public high school with approximately 3,000 students. Her family is upper middle class, and she comes from a Caucasian background.
  • Cultural Context: It was very uncommon for girls in Santa Barbara, California to have large sweet sixteen parties. Most of her friends also celebrated their sixteenth birthday with a smaller gathering rather than a large party.

Item: When Jennie was born, her mom was given a candle that had sixteen notches on it – each notch representing a year of her life until she was sixteen. Every year on her birthday, she would burn the candle down one notch. On her sixteenth birthday, she burned the candle completely until only the base was left.

Audio: 

Transcript:

E: So Jennie, could you describe the tradition please?

J: So when I was born, my mom was given a candle that had a notch for every year of my birthday until I was sixteen, and then, sixteen was the base and it said “Happy Sweet Sixteen.” So every year you, on your birthday, you were supposed to burn one layer, one number of that birthday.

E: So there were sixteen notches total, I’m assuming?

J: There were fifteen and then the base said “Happy Sweet Sixteen”

E: Alright. And so how did this ceremony/tradition symbolize your transition into adulthood?

J: I think that when I turned sixteen and it was all burned and there was nothing left, it was kind of symbolizing how, like, my childhood was over and this tradition that I’ve had since I was one years old is over and now I’m closer to an adult and can make my own traditions and stuff like that.

E: Alright, thank you Jennie.

J: Okay, yeah!

Informant’s Comments:

  • This was a really special moment for her since she had been doing it since birth. When she finally finished burning the candle, it was representative of the completion of her childhood and of the start of her adulthood.

Collector’s Comments:

  • When Jennie was telling me about this story, I could only imagine how amazing it must’ve felt when she finally got to burn the last bit of the candle. I also imagined how bittersweet the moment must’ve been since the sixteen-year long ceremony had finally come to an end.

Collector’s Information:

Edward Lu, 18

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH

Russian 13, Fall 2018

Professor Mikhail Gronas

Professor Valentina Apresyan

Tags/Keywords:

  • Candle
  • Sweet Sixteen
  • Adulthood
  • Womanhood

Sweet Sixteen Speeches (1)

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Title: Sweet Sixteen Speeches

General Information about Item:

  • Folklore Form/Genre: North American Initiation Rituals
  • Informant: Chetana Kalidindi
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States of America
  • Place Collected: First Floor Berry
  • Date: 11/2/18

Informant Data:

  • Chetana Kalidindi, 19, was born on August 4th, 1999 in Mountain View, California. She lived there for all of her childhood with her parents and her sister Divya. Although Chetana did not have her own sweet sixteen, she attended her sister Divya’s sweet sixteen and many of her friends’ sweet sixteens. She is currently a sophomore at Dartmouth College.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: Both Chetana and her sister Divya grew up in Mountain View, California and they both attended The Harker School, a small private school. They come from a south Asian/Indian background and their family is upper middle class.
  • Cultural Context: Sweet sixteens are a very common celebration to have in Mountain View, California, and most girls celebrate their transition to adulthood by throwing one.

Item:

  • At Divya’s sweet sixteen there were many special traditions that happened including a dance where the birthday girl was lifted up by her friends, cutting the cake, and the presentation of speeches about the Divya by her family members and her close friends. The speeches were the most important event of the night. For the speeches, friend and family members went up one by one and each spoke about how they have watched her grow up and about her journey to womanhood. They also speak about why she’s special to them and about their hopes and goals for her future.

Audio:

Transcript:

E: Could you please describe the tradition?

C: Yeah, so I think the main, like, the biggest part of the night was dancing, and then we had a photographer, so, taking pictures with all of her friends, and they all lifted her up, and I think that was a big part of it, and then right after that we all cut the cake and my parents had speeches.

E: And could you please explain why these ceremonies were important as far as her transition into adulthood.

C: I think, yeah, I think the speeches were the biggest, like, symbol because my parents talked a lot about that and just her growing up, and I know that a lot of other sweet sixteens that I’ve been to are kind of the same situation, but specifically for that we had a lot of speeches. Actually, I gave a speech, and we basically just talked about how she’s grown and I think my dad actually did mention that this was like a symbolic event and she’s now a young woman, so.

E: Alright, thank you.

Informant’s Comments:

  • The speeches are symbolic as they are meant to reminisce on the birthday girl’s childhood and to hope for a bright future. Everyone who gave a speech was someone that was very close to the birthday girl and was someone who had watched her as she had grown up.

Collector’s Comments:

  • When I was younger I went to a family friend’s sweet sixteen and she had a very similar ceremony where her family and friends gave speeches about her. It really was a special moment for everyone involved.

Collector’s Information:

Edward Lu, 18

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH

Russian 13, Fall 2018

Professor Mikhail Gronas

Professor Valentina Apresyan

Tags/Keywords:

  • Sweet Sixteen
  • Speeches
  • Adulthood
  • Womanhood

Initiation Rituals of Music Groups at Dartmouth College – The Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble

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Title: Initiation Rituals of Music Groups at Dartmouth College – The Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble

General Information about Item:
Genre: Initiation Ritual
Language: English
Country of Origin: USA
Informant: Mike Wu, Male, 19 years old
Place Collected: Dartmouth College, Hop
Date Collected: 10-20-2018

Informant Data:
Mike Wu was born in Tallahassee, FL and raised in Bardonia, New York. He is a sophomore at Dartmouth College and has been playing the saxophone for 11 years. On campus, he was a member of the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble. Mike joined the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble his freshmen year because he wanted to keep playing the saxophone in college in a group setting.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: I collected this folklore from Mike Wu, a sophomore at Dartmouth College. He is a close friend of mine, and the only person I know who performed in DCWE. I asked him about initiation rituals in DCWE. Mike told me how he learned about the DCWE initiation ritual after experiencing it for the first time freshmen. The initiation rituals involve the conductor, upperclassmen of DCWE, and the newly accepted members. The initiation ritual helps the new members feel incorporated into the group faster.
Cultural Context: The Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble (DCWE) is an auditioned musical group of 45 members, performing a variety of music from different wind ensemble repertoire to all who welcome it. The initiation rituals of the DCWE is important because members of specific sections of the DCWE get to meet each other for the first time and build a support network for the rest of the year. New members will know who to rely on or receive advice when practicing for performances because the upperclassmen that they meet during initiation rituals play similar instruments.

Item:
Mike had to attend a standard audition where he plays a piece and the conductor judged his skills. When Mike got in, his conductor emailed him a few days later. Most freshmen did not know what “wake-up” were and were not expecting it a week after auditions. Since Mike got into the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble, upperclassmen in the Wind Ensemble made him a poster to hang on his dorm’s door and woke him up. They separated Mike and the new members from the rest of the students at Dartmouth by gathering all the new members early in the morning before others wake up and forcing them to leave their dorms. After gathering all the members, they went to get Lou’s and got to know each other. This is the transition phase of the initiation ritual. The new members remained in their PJs. After getting Lou’s, new members went back to their dorm and resumed a normal day. Mike has officially been incorporated into the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble.

Associated file:

Informant’s Comments:
According to Mike, the Initiation Ritual’s wakeup is a “wholesome experience”, where new members in the wind ensemble got to know each other and their upperclassmen.

Collector’s Comments:
Since I was living in the room next door to Mike, I was also woken up by the sounds of the members banging on Mike’s door and waking him up. It was actually pretty loud since the members were yelling Mike to get up. Although I was annoyed at first, I think the music group’s initiation ritual is a unique Dartmouth experience that is unforgettable. It brings a lot of energy to the music groups and is valuable in bringing all the members together and creating a strong team.

Comparison:

Comparison within the subgroup: Because the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble is a more professional group than the acapella group and is guided by a conductor, new members of the DCWE are notified of their acceptance a week before wake-up. Since most of the new members of all the groups within the subgroups are mostly freshmen, they are surprised by the wakeups. All of the musical groups’ initiation rituals compose of wakeups and getting a meal together with their group. The purpose of the initiation ritual is to integrate the new members into the group more easily and for the group members to bond with each other.
Comparison with the rest of the subgroups: The subgroups differ dramatically across the board. Some of the subgroups focus on various ethnic groups while others focus on groups within Dartmouth. The initiation rituals of the groups within Dartmouth usually have the purpose of welcoming new members into their community and are symbolic. Ethnic-based group rituals have the purpose of testing the new members. Additionally, ethnic groups’ initiation rituals tend to be related to religious practices. Initiation rituals of Dartmouth groups are not religious in character. What all groups have in common though is the fact that the process of initiation creates closeness with the rest of the group and makes one feel completely immersed into the group.

Vanessa Chhoa; 20 years old
Hanover, NH 03755
Dartmouth College
Russian 13: Slavic Folklore
Fall 2018

Men’s Rugby Initiation Ritual #2

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Initiation Ritual

 

Tyler Bowen
Dartmouth College
October 17th, 2018

Informant Data:

Tyler Bowen is a member of the class of 2021 here at Dartmouth and is a member of the Men’s Rugby Team. He is from Elkhorn, Nebraska. He initially began playing rugby as a kid and wanted to play at the collegiate level ever since.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: This initiation ritual is performed by new members of the Dartmouth Rugby team. It is facilitated by the upperclassmen members of the team and occurs at the practice every Friday.

Cultural Context: Rugby jerseys are specific to their club and are worn during practices and games. Old jersey’s are often considered vintage and are passed down by their wearers to younger generations.

Item:

At the beginning of the season the freshmen get to go through the equipment room and pick out an old jersey that has been passed down by previous players. The jersey does not have to be from Dartmouth and can be from any Rugby club around the world. Once they pick their jersey, every Friday practice after they wear that jersey for practice. After the season they sign their name on the inside of the jersey adding to the many different signatures of players who have worn the jersey before them.

 

Video Interview: rugby 2-1rkvoi9

 

Analysis:

In this ritual, the freshmen are separated from the rest of the team to wear the different old jerseys. Over the course of the season, as they wear them each Friday, they transition to becoming a strong part of the team. Finally, they are incorporated with the rest of the team at practices and sign their names in the jerseys following in the footsteps of previous players.

 

Comparison:

Unlike other rituals we observed, this one does not revolve around a physical task or learning team history. It is purely about making the freshmen feel welcomed into a group to follow the footsteps of players who were on the team many years ago.

 

 

Elliot Adams; 22 years old
Hanover, NH
Dartmouth College
Russian 13 Fall

Initiation Rituals of Music Groups at Dartmouth College – Dodecaphonic

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Title: Initiation Rituals of Music Groups at Dartmouth College – Dodecaphonic

General Information about Item:
Genre: Initiation Ritual
Language: English
Country of Origin: UK
Informant: Maxine Perroni-Scharf, female, 19 years old
Place Collected: Dartmouth College, Byrne II
Date Collected: 10-19-2018

Informant Data:
Maxine Perroni-Scharf was born and raised in the UK. She is a sophomore at Dartmouth College and has been singing in choirs at school since she was 8 years old. On campus, she is a member of the Dodecaphonic. Maxine joined the Dodecaphonic her freshmen year because the Dodecaphonic impressed her the most with their performance at the auditions.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: I collected this folklore from Maxine Perroni-Scharf, a sophomore at Dartmouth College. She is a close friend of mine, and the only person I know who is in Dodecaphonic. I asked her about initiation rituals in Dodecaphonic. Maxine told me how she learned about the Dodecaphonic’s initiation ritual after experiencing it for the first time freshmen. During her second year, she was the upperclassman that performed the initiation rituals to the new members. The initiation rituals involve the upperclassmen of Dodecaphonic and the newly accepted members.

Cultural Context: The Dartmouth Dodecaphonic (Dodecs) is the College’s oldest and premier co-ed acapella group, singing a variety of music ranging from 80’s, rock, contemporary pop, Dartmouth traditional, and many others. The initiation rituals of the Dodecaphonic is important because all members get to meet each other for the first time and build a strong, tight-knit group, who will eventually travel and perform together across the United State.

Item:
Maxine auditioned to all girl acapella groups on Dartmouth campus. She also had to audition for one solo, where she had to sing a couple of solo songs. It was a day-long process and she didn’t find out of the results until a few days later. During the initiation ritual, older members went to Maxine’s room early in the morning around 4-6 am. They knocked on her door and sang in her room. They separated the new members from the familiar daily routine. After the Dartmouth Dodecaphonic gathered the other new members and sleepy Maxine, they transitioned to Dartmouth Hall, where they sang the Twilight Dartmouth song together. Then, the new members returned to their rooms. After Maxine went to her first rehearsal, all members of the Dodecaphonic drive out to Denny’s super late to get a meal together. The Dodecaphonic also held a party for the new members and told them that everyone would dress as “Space Cats” but, then the upperclassmen did not dress as Space Cats. During the party, older members of the Dodecaphonic passed down quest-items to younger Dodecaphonic and give them Dodecaphonic T-shirt. During the party, they also had an initiation contest, where they spent time together and competed against who can drink jam with a straw first. The last part of the Dodecaphonic’s initiation ritual is when the new members perform at their “baby show”. The show was the first time Maxine and the rest of the members sing together. All new members wore flare to show the public that they are new members of the acapella group. This baby show showed their incorporation into the group.

Associated file:

Informant’s Comments: According to Maxine, she thinks Dodecaphonic’s initiation ritual helped new members transition into the acapella group really fast. She said that new members don’t feel like new members anymore after initiation. Everyone in Dodecaphonic was really friendly and welcoming.

Collector’s Comments:
I think the Dodecaphonic’s initiation rituals sound like fun. Because there are more initiation rituals after wake-up, I think the Dodecaphonic’s initiation rituals form a more closed-knit group compared to other musical groups on campus.

Comparison:

Comparison within the subgroup: Since most of the new members of all the groups within the subgroups were mostly freshmen, they were surprised by the wakeup. All of the musical groups’ initiation rituals compose of wakeup and getting a meal together with their group. However, compared to other acapella groups, the Dodecaphonic also have other initiation rituals (e.g. party, sing at Dartmouth Hall) they do to welcome the new members. The purpose of the initiation ritual is to integrate the new members into the group more easily and for the group members to bond with each other.

Comparison with the rest of the subgroups: The subgroups differ dramatically across the board. Some of the subgroups focus on various ethnic groups while others focus on groups within Dartmouth. The initiation rituals of the groups within Dartmouth usually have the purpose of welcoming new members into their community and are symbolic. Ethnic-based group rituals have the purpose of testing the new members. Additionally, ethnic groups’ initiation rituals tend to be related to religious practices. Initiation rituals of Dartmouth groups are not religious in character. What all groups have in common though is the fact that the process of initiation creates closeness with the rest of the group and makes one feel completely immersed into the group.

Vanessa Chhoa; 20 years old
Hanover, NH 03755
Dartmouth College
Russian 13: Slavic Folklore
Fall 2018

Initiation Rituals of Music Groups at Dartmouth College – The Dartmouth Sings

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Title: Initiation Rituals of Music Groups at Dartmouth College – The Dartmouth Sings

General Information about Item:

Genre: Initiation Ritual
Language: English
Country of Origin: USA
Informant: Summer Cody, female, 20 years old
Place Collected: Dartmouth College, Occom Common
Date Collected: 11-01-2018

Informant Data:

Summer Cody was born and raised in New York City, New York. She is a junior at Dartmouth College and has been singing all her life. On campus, she is a member of the Dartmouth Sings. Summer joined the Dartmouth Sings her freshmen year because she was interested in a co-ed acapella group and felt like the Dartmouth Sing had a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: I collected this folklore from Summer Cody, a junior at Dartmouth College. She is a close friend of mine, and the only person I know who is in the Dartmouth Sings. I asked her about initiation rituals in Dartmouth Sings. Summer told me how she learned about the Dartmouth Sing’s initiation ritual after experiencing it for the first time freshmen. During her second and third year, she was the upperclassman that performed the initiation rituals to the new members. The initiation rituals involve the upperclassmen of the Dartmouth Sings and the newly accepted members.

Cultural Context: The Dartmouth Sings is the College’s premier co-ed acapella group, singing an eclectic repertoire ranging from contemporary pop, folk, R&B, musical theatre, and Dartmouth traditional. The initiation rituals of the Dartmouth Sings is important because all members get to meet each other for the first time and learn about its history.

Item:

The audition process consists of two parts; the standard audition and the callback. If people don’t get into the group they went to callbacks for, there is a post-callback audition called a “Pref audition” that they can go to. Generally, the Sings test for pitch matching and musical scales, as well as listen to solo songs during the auditions. Then they hear those who auditioned sing with members of the group in the callback. They decide who gets in strictly on musical ability; if people can blend their voice with others well, match pitch, and/or has an excellent solo voice. No other considerations are taken into account (e.g. looks and personality are not considered). Summer participated in “wake-up” where older members of the Dartmouth Sings knocked on new members door after determining who gets in. The new members were woken up by loud poundings on their door. This process separated the new members from other Dartmouth students. Summer and the other older members went inside the new members’ dorms to pickup their new members and drove them to the golf course. At the golf course, they told their new members the history and origin story of the Dartmouth sings. Later, Summer and the other members of the Dartmouth Sings took them out to dinner, all the while making jokes and singing songs with them. Summer thinks their initiation rituals is pretty fun because up until that point, none of the new members really know who else got into the group, so it was their first time meeting everyone.

Associated file: She did not want to be recorded.

Informant’s Comments: According to Summer, she personally really likes the Dartmouth Sings’ initiation ritual. She thinks their initiation ritual is fun, exciting, and welcoming. Because the initiation ritual also speaks to the founding of the Dartmouth Sings, she thinks the initiation ritual is a significant part of being a member of the Dartmouth Sings.

Collector’s Comments: The Dartmouth Sing has a fun and uplifting initiation ritual. From Summer’s description of the members sitting at the golf course and listening to the history of the Dartmouth Sings while the sun is rising is beautiful and memorable.

Comparison:

Comparison within the subgroup: Since most of the new members of all the groups within the subgroups were mostly freshmen, they had never heard of wakeup and were surprised to experience it during initiation. All of the musical groups’ initiation rituals compose of wakeups and getting a meal together with their group. However, compared to other acapella groups, the Dartmouth Sings went over the history of the Dartmouth Sings; therefore, it incorporates a more serious aspect to initiation. The purpose of the initiation ritual is to integrate the new members into the group more easily and for the group members to bond with each other.

Comparison with the rest of the subgroups:  The subgroups differ dramatically across the board. Some of the subgroups focus on various ethnic groups while others focus on groups within Dartmouth. The initiation rituals of the groups within Dartmouth usually have the purpose of welcoming new members into their community and are symbolic. Ethnic-based group rituals have the purpose of testing the new members. Additionally, ethnic groups’ initiation rituals tend to be related to religious practices. Initiation rituals of Dartmouth groups are not religious in character. What all groups have in common though is the fact that the process of initiation creates closeness with the rest of the group and makes one feel completely immersed into the group.

Vanessa Chhoa; 20 years old
Hanover NH, 03755
Dartmouth College
Russian 13: Slavic Folklore
Fall 2018

Men’s Rugby Initiation Ritual #1

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Initiation Ritual

Gordon Robinson
Dartmouth College
October 17th, 2018

Informant Data:

Gordon Robinson is a member of the class of 2021 here at Dartmouth and is a member of the Men’s Rugby Team. He is from London, England. He came to Dartmouth following his older brother who is a member of the class of 2019.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: This initiation ritual is performed by new members of the Dartmouth Rugby team. It is facilitated by the upperclassmen members of the team and occurs at the practice every Friday before a game.

Cultural Context: Rugby involves a lot of running, so being fast and in good shape is essential. Racing is a good way to encourage other members to run faster and work on their speed. It is also important for building morale.

Item:

At the end of practice, the freshmen compete in foot races against each other. The upperclassmen call out who is racing in each race. They will call groups of people designated by something they have in common such as all freshmen from a certain city/state or all freshmen who live in a certain dorm building/housing cluster. They upperclassmen then get into groups around whoever they believe will win and cheer them on.

Video Interview: rugby1-1qu0lcm

Analysis:

In this ritual, freshmen are separated from the team to race against each other. They then race each Friday with upperclassmen cheering them on. They are incorporated into the team through these races by bonding with upperclassmen and having fun.

Comparison:

This ritual involves intense physical activity similar to the men’s swim team ritual of swimming every event. In both rituals, freshmen are separated to complete these physical tasks and are cheered on and encouraged by the other members of the team.

Elliot Adams; 22 years old
Hanover, NH
Dartmouth College
Russian 13 Fall

North America Initiation Rituals: The Importance of Family at a Quinceañera

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Title: North America Initiation Rituals: The Importance of Family at a Quinceañera

 General Information about Item:

  • Initiation Rituals
  • Culture: Latinx and Catholic
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Mexico/America
  • Informant: Athina Schmidt
  • Place Collected: Kappa Delta Sorority
  • Date Collected: 11-2-18

Informant Data:

  • Athina Schmidt, age 29, is a female Dartmouth student who is graduating with the class of 2019. She was born in Hilton Head, South Carolina. She is currently living in Brooklyn, New York. Her ethnic background is half Dominican and half German. She went to a public high school in the city. At Dartmouth, Athina is in Kappa Delta sorority, a member of the club Squash team, and a member of the Gospel Choir. She is planning to major in Psychology with a minor in Digital Art.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The U.S. Latinx culture has deep roots in respecting their cultural customs, traditions, and religion from the past. The main religion practiced by this cultural community is the Catholicism. In the U.S. a way many their Latinx families continue to pass down their cultural and religious customs is through the Quinceañera. The Quinceañera is an important way for a girl of Mexican American decent to stay connected to their ethnic history. After completing theQuinceañera a girl becomes incorporated into the cultural community in a meaningful way.
  • Social Context: The Quinceañera is practiced by most self-identifying Latinx members no matter their economic and geographic situations. TheQuinceañera can vary in how elaborate the ceremony and party is, depending on the particular socioeconomic state of the individual family and community. This coming of age ceremony is not only important to the girl and her family, but also the cultural and Catholic community she is a part of.

Item:

  • One of the most important aspects of the Quinceañera is the family of the girl. The event is just as much for the girl as it is for her family. The whole extended family is invited to the Quinceañera. For my informant, that meant having over 150 people at her Quinceañera. The past generations are honored and symbolized through the candle lighting ceremony at the church. The family gives speeches at the Quinceañera about the birthday girl. An iconic aspect of the Quinceañera is the father and daughter dance. The family is just as active in the initiation traditions as the girl. The family is initiating the girl and welcomes her into womanhood throughout the ceremony. As a result, the family is involved in all three stages of the initiation rite.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

 

Transcript:

  • “For the Quinceañera it was done in Brooklyn with my entire family. So my aunt and uncles were there and all my cousins. And all my girl cousin had matching dresses and of course we went to the first part of the service was at our Catholic church. And we did like a special mass and you know the lighting of the candles for like our dead relatives and all that stuff… And after that, then there was like a big party at a dining hall. That’s when the family, like all of the families, got together. And it had to be like 150 people. It was so crazy, I didn’t realize there was so many people in my family… They all had speeches… We did the dance with your dad, the first dance. That was really cute.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • She thought that she had a small family before her Quinceañera. She was amazed by the amount of people at the Quinceañera.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I never realized just how family centered this the Quinceañera

Analysis:                

  • All initiation rituals consist of three main stages: separation, transition, and incorporation. For the North American Sweet Sixteen and Quinceañera, the separation stage consists of the girl getting prepared and planning for the ceremony. This includes, for many girls, their first time wearing tall high heels, getting the makeup professionally done, and wearing elaborate gowns. The transition stage is marked by the various ceremonial traditions. The ceremonial traditions include the opening of gifts, the dance between the father and daughter, reading of speeches, and blowing out candles. The incorporation stage of the Sweet Sixteen and Quinceañera is the party after all the ceremonial traditions are completed. The girl celebrates becoming a women with her friends, family, and community.

Comparison:

  • Comparison within the subgroup: Both the Quinceañera and Sweet Sixteen are very family centered events. There are many overlapping family traditions that are a part of both initiation rites. For example, at both many family members give speeches about the birthday girl. One of the most iconic parts of both traditions is the father and daughter dance. Both have the meaning that the first man in a girl’s life should be the father.
  • Comparison to the rest of subgroups: Many of the culturally based initiation folklore include tasks and physical activities as an aspect of the initiation rite. A comparable initiation rite to the North AmericanQuinceañera and Sweet Sixteenfrom another subgroup was the Jewish Bat Both the Quinceañera and Bat Mitzvahsare rooted in religious beliefs and customs. Since, both these religious based initiation rites are common in America, customs from both are commonly borrowed in Sweet Sixteen celebrations. In all three coming of age ceremonies the family is an interregnal part of what makes the tradition special. In the context of the rest of the our group, this piece of folklore is another example of a tradition that is a transition point in a person’s life.

Collector’s Name: Darien Jones,Dartmouth College, Russian 13, Professor Valentina Apresyan, Professor Mikhail Gronas, Fall 2018

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary folklore
  • Initiation
  • Quinceañera
  • Catholicism
  • Family
  • Candles
  • First Dance
  • Speeches

North America Initiation Rituals: Gifts and Dresses at the Quinceañera a Symbol of Marriageability

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Title: North America Initiation Rituals: Gifts and Dresses at the Quinceañera a Symbol of Marriageability

 General Information about Item:

  • Initiation Rituals
  • Culture: Latinx and Catholic
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Mexico/America
  • Informant: Serena De La Cruz
  • Place Collected: Dartmouth College Library, Novak
  • Date Collected: 11-2-18

Informant Data:

  • Serena De La Cruz, age 21, is a female Dartmouth student in the class of 2019. She was born and raised in San Diego, California. Her ethnic background is Hispanic and Mexican American. She went to a public high school in the city. At Dartmouth, Serena is in Kappa Delta sorority, is a Spanish drill instructor and works at the library. She is planning to major in Geography modified with Medical Communities.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The U.S. Latinx culture has deep roots in respecting their cultural customs, traditions, and religion from the past. The main religion practiced by this cultural community is the Catholicism. In the U.S. a way many their Latinx families continue to pass down their cultural and religious customs is through the Quinceañera. The Quinceañera is an important way for a girl of Mexican American decent to stay connected to their ethnic history. After completing theQuinceañera a girl becomes incorporated into the cultural community in a meaningful way.
  • Social Context: The Quinceañera is practiced by most self-identifying Latinx members no matter their economic and geographic situations. TheQuinceañera can vary in how elaborate the ceremony and party is, depending on the particular socioeconomic state of the individual family and community. This coming of age ceremony is not only important to the girl and her family, but also the cultural and Catholic community she is a part of.

Item:

  • Receiving and opening gifts at birthdays is a common custom across many cultures. For theQuinceañera the gifts have an additional meaning associated with them. The Quinceañera originated as a symbolic transition from childhood to a status of womanhood. Thus in the community she is considered marriageable after her fifteenth birthday. The gifts brought to the girl were for her dowry. Additionally, the dress worn was traditionally white to symbolize her new marriageable status. The symbolism behind the gifts and dress are unique to the Latinx culture. Now, the customs are still used, but the meaning of the overall ceremony is not necessarily about the marriageability anymore.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

 

Transcript:

  • “Quinceañeras I think like a lot of coming of age things for women kind of originated like this women is marriageable, she’s a women now. Like the gifts were originally supposed to be for the women’s dowry when she got married. And the dresses were always traditionally white.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • She notes that though gifts and dresses are important aspects of the Quinceañera, the idea that this ceremony is a mark of marriageability is not necessarily the case anymore. The traditions are passed down and still continue but the meaning is now more about a tradition from childhood to adolescence.

Collector’s Comments:

  • It never knew that the gifts and dresses had a historical symbolic meaning behind them. It is interesting that modern the Quinceañera and Sweet Sixteen use these old traditions, but did not continue the symbolism behind it.

Analysis:                

  • All initiation rituals consist of three main stages: separation, transition, and incorporation. For the North American Sweet Sixteen and Quinceañera, the separation stage consists of the girl getting prepared and planning for the ceremony. This includes, for many girls, their first time wearing tall high heels, getting the makeup professionally done, and wearing elaborate gowns. The transition stage is marked by the various ceremonial traditions. The ceremonial traditions include the opening of gifts, the dance between the father and daughter, reading of speeches, and blowing out candles. The incorporation stage of the Sweet Sixteen and Quinceañera is the party after all the ceremonial traditions are completed. The girl celebrates becoming a women with her friends, family, and community.

Comparison:

  • Comparison within the subgroup: Both the Quinceañera and Sweet Sixteen have opening of gifts and wearing elaborate dresses as a custom. Similar to the candles having different meanings, the gifts and dresses have different symbolism between the two initiation rites. For the Quinceañera, there is historical symbolism behind wearing dresses and the gifts of m But for the Sweet Sixteen these customs are just a part of celebrating a girl transitioning from a child to an adolescent.
  • Comparison to the rest of subgroups: Many of the culturally based initiation folklore include tasks and physical activities as an aspect of the initiation rite. A comparable initiation rite to the North AmericanQuinceañera and Sweet Sixteenfrom another subgroup was the Jewish Bat Both the Quinceañera and Bat Mitzvahsare rooted in religious beliefs and customs. Since, both these religious based initiation rites are common in America, customs from both are commonly borrowed in Sweet Sixteen celebrations. For example, all three use opening gifts as a central tradition associated with the ceremony. In the context of the rest of the our group, this piece of folklore is another example of a tradition that is a transition point in a person’s life.

Collector’s Name: Darien Jones,Dartmouth College, Russian 13, Professor Valentina Apresyan, Professor Mikhail Gronas, Fall 2018

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary folklore
  • Initiation
  • Quinceañera
  • Dress
  • Gift

North America Initiation Rituals: Quinceañera a Catholic Coming of Age Rite

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Title: North America Initiation Rituals: Quinceañera a Catholic Coming of Age Rite

General Information about Item:

  • Initiation Rituals
  • Culture: Latinx and Catholic
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Mexico/America
  • Informant: Serena De La Cruz
  • Place Collected: Dartmouth College Library, Novak
  • Date Collected: 11-2-18

Informant Data:

  • Serena De La Cruz, age 21, is a female Dartmouth student in the class of 2019. She was born and raised in San Diego, California. Her ethnic background is Hispanic and Mexican American. She went to a public high school in the city. At Dartmouth, Serena is in Kappa Delta sorority, is a Spanish drill instructor and works at the library. She is planning to major in Geography modified with Medical Communities.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The U.S. Latinx culture has deep roots in respecting their cultural customs, traditions, and religion from the past. The main religion practiced by this cultural community is the Catholicism. In the U.S. a way many their Latinx families continue to pass down their cultural and religious customs is through the Quinceañera. The Quinceañera is an important way for a girl of Mexican American decent to stay connected to their ethnic history. After completing the Quinceañera a girl becomes incorporated into the cultural community in a meaningful way.
  • Social Context: The Quinceañera is practiced by most self-identifying Latinx members no matter their economic and geographic situations. TheQuinceañera can vary in how elaborate the ceremony and party is, depending on the particular socioeconomic state of the individual family and community. This coming of age ceremony is not only important to the girl and her family, but also the cultural and Catholic community she is a part of.

Item:

  • The ultimate root of the Quinceañera is Catholicism. The Quinceañera is ultimately a Catholic rite of passage, despite the party and entertainment aspects of the ceremony. For my informant, though she did not have the traditional church ceremony, she had her deacon come to her Quinceañera. This was a way to respect the Catholic traditions that are involved with the Quinceañera. The deacon made a speech in her honor and blessed her during the ceremony. These are both very important traditional aspects of the Quinceañera. When analyzed as an initiation rite, the different Catholic traditions that are involved in theQuinceañera is part of the transition stage.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

 

Transcript:

  • “I think the hallmarks are the girls fifteenth birthday. She’s a women and I think Catholicismis still really incorporated with it. There’s a church ceremony and the party after where you invite all your friends and family. It’s a very family orientated party… It’s a lot of cultural things mixed with Catholicism things. We had our local deacon he came. And we didn’t have a church ceremony but he basically came and talked to my family and everyone that was there about me and my parents. They did a blessing over me.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • She did not have a church ceremony, but she had been to many Quinceañera’s that had them. She thinks that the church ceremony is still and important aspect of the Quinceañera.

Collector’s Comments:

  • It is interesting to see how the Quinceañera’s traditions are intertwined with both religious and cultural symbolism.

Analysis:                

  • All initiation rituals consist of three main stages: separation, transition, and incorporation. For the North American Sweet Sixteen and Quinceañera, the separation stage consists of the girl getting prepared and planning for the ceremony. This includes, for many girls, their first time wearing tall high heels, getting the makeup professionally done, and wearing elaborate gowns. The transition stage is marked by the various ceremonial traditions. The ceremonial traditions include the opening of gifts, the dance between the father and daughter, reading of speeches, and blowing out candles. The incorporation stage of the Sweet Sixteen and Quinceañera is the party after all the ceremonial traditions are completed. The girl celebrates becoming a women with her friends, family, and community.

Comparison:

  • Comparison within the subgroup: In general all the informants that spoke about their Quinceañera always mentioned something about It makes sense that every informant would mention Catholicism when talking about their Quinceañera because Catholicism is the base of the ceremony. Most girls who have a Quinceañera often have a church ceremony for the first half then a party afterwards.
  • Comparison to the rest of subgroups: Many of the culturally based initiation folklore include tasks and physical activities as an aspect of the initiation rite. A comparable initiation rite to the North AmericanQuinceañera and Sweet Sixteenfrom another subgroup was the Jewish Bat Both the Quinceañera and Bat Mitzvah are rooted in religious beliefs and customs. Both have a church ceremony portion of the ceremony that represents the transition stage of the initiantion rite. The church ceremony of both  the Quinceañera and Bat Mitzvah are followed by a party that represents the incorporation stage of the initiation rite. Since, both these religious based initiation rites are common in America, customs from both are commonly borrowed in Sweet Sixteen celebrations. In the context of the rest of the our group, this piece of folklore is another example of a tradition that is a transition point in a person’s life.

Collector’s Name: Darien Jones, Dartmouth College, Russian 13, Professor Valentina Apresyan, Professor Mikhail Gronas, Fall 2018

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary Folklore
  • Initiation
  • Catholicism
  • Quinceañera