Category Archives: Celebrations

Throwing the Bride’s Bouquet (Bethany Burns)

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Title: Throwing the Bride’s Bouquet

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Lore, wedding tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Bethany Burns
  • Date Collected: 2-21-18

Informant Data:

  • Harriette Hogue was born on March 23, 1940 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her mother was a schoolteacher and her father was an actuary. She lived in Chattanooga for the majority of her life, attended college in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the University of Chattanooga. She met her husband, Billy Hogue, at a sorority party at the University of Chattanooga. Billy lived in Fort Worth, Texas for most of his life and attended the Texas Tech before ending up in Chattanooga working for a bank. They both shared religious values, with Harriette attending the Episcopal Church growing up while Billy attended the Methodist Church growing up. Billy was willing to attend the Episcopal Church with Harriette once they married.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: Brides often have a special bouquet at their weddings, and they typically have a few to several bridesmaids, which are their best friends that they choose to take part in their wedding. After the traditional wedding ceremony, there is typically a reception that follows with food and dancing.
  • Social Context: This specific recipe was mentioned when the interviewee was asked about food recipes. Backpackers often share food recipes with one another.  Often, the recipes shared are interesting and easy to make but use very simple ingredients because of the limited options in food items backpackers usually have on them.

Item:

  • At the wedding reception, the bride has her bridesmaids line up around 10-20 feet behind her. She then turns around and throws her bouquet over her head. The woman to catch the bouquet is granted good luck in her future relationships and love life.

Transcript:

  • “One of my favorite parts of my wedding was throwing my bouquet. I didn’t have a big wedding, so I only had I think four bridesmaids, but they stood behind me and I threw the bouquet and my best friend from college caught it. She was so excited. And then, just a couple years later, I was in her wedding, so I guess it really does provide good luck.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • I find it especially interesting that this tradition is one of the informant’s favorites because it isn’t centered on the new couple. The idea of giving some of your good luck to one of your friends is fun and shows the way in which people celebrate their marriage with their friends and family, not only their significant other.

Collector’s Name: Bethany Burns

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary Lore
  • Bride’s bouquet

Rain as Good Luck (Bethany Burns)

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Title: Rain as Good Luck

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Lore, wedding superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Haven Burns
  • Date Collected: 2-24-18

Informant Data:

  • Haven Burns was born on October 12, 1970, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her mother was a schoolteacher and her father was starting his own business at the time. She lived in Chattanooga for the all of her young life, attended college in Knoxville, Tennessee at the University of Tennessee, and then moved around many times from Georgia, Minnesota, Oregon, Arizona, and finally settled back in Tennessee. She met her now-husband, Kirk Burns, working at Shaw Carpet Industries in Dalton, Georgia. Kirk lived in Kansas for the majority of his life and attended the University of Kansas before ending up in Georgia. They both shared religious values, attending the Episcopal Church in their youth and beyond.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: In American culture, rain on the wedding day is widely considered good luck because it is said to cleanse the marriage and provide the newlyweds with a fresh start to their marriage. Haven’s wedding was in 1996 at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church on Signal Mountain, Tennessee.
  • Social Context: This folklore item was the first the informant mentioned about her wedding, as she believes it is one of the reasons her marriage has been successful thus far. She explained this when asked about any special parts of her wedding.

Item:

  • On a couple’s wedding day, it is considered good luck if it is raining. Although the rain provides more difficulty moving from venue to venue, taking pictures, and keeping the bride’s dress in good shape, the rain is cleansing the couple and allowing for a fresh start to the marriage.

Transcript:

  • “When I woke up and rain was coming down, I initially was upset because I knew our pictures would have to be inside, and I worried that my dress would get ruined going from home to church. But once I talked to my mom, she mentioned that this would provide me good luck in my marriage, and I’ve been married for 22 years so I’ve been really fortunate in my marriage and I think the rain was a good sign.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • One of my favorite things about this superstition is that it makes something that seems bad into a good sign. The rain certainly provides challenges logistically on the wedding day, but it allows the couple to focus on the positives and remain excited about the future to come.

Collector’s Name: Bethany Burns

Photo credit: Haven Burns

Diwali – Pooja

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General Information about Item:

  • Customary Folklore: Rituals, Customs
  • Language: English
  • Country: United States

Informant Data:

  • This informant is an Indian-American freshman at Dartmouth. He attended the Diwali celebration and the Pooja at Rollins Chapel.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: The Pooja is the traditional prayer that occurs during Diwali. At Dartmouth, the pooja for Diwali is done at Rollins Chapel, our center for religious worship. The 21 who we interviewed attended this Pooja and spoke about his experience.
  • Cultural Context: People pray to Lakshmi, the goddess of fertility and prosperity.  They ask for her blessing for good luck for the upcoming year. This is typically done with family members.

Item:

An image of Rollins Chapel during the Puja. In this picture, you can see the diya (lamps) that are traditionally lit for the celebration of Diwali.

Associated file:

Transcript of Associated File:

“The Diwali pooja is a prayer ceremony which happens in the Hindu temple inside Rollins Chapel on campus. It involves chanting mantras and singing devotional songs, as well as lighting diyas for certain Gods, especially the Goddess Lakshmi. At the end of the ceremony, everyone performs an aarti of the idols of the Gods which involves rotating a plate with diyas in a circle a certain number of times and then offering flowers at the feet of the God. Finally, the pundit conducting the pooja gives everyone prasad which is a sweet food.”

(Write-up from informant about ceremony in Rollins Chapel)

Informant’s Comments:

It was the informant’s first year at Dartmouth, so it was his first time celebrating Diwali in America, away from home.

Collector’s Comments:

I interviewed the informant immediately after the celebration, so he could recall the pooja clearly.

Collector’s Name:

Celine Guan

Tags/Keywords:

India, holiday, Diwali, Customary Folklore, customs

Bequest – Commodore Oar

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Title: Commodore Oar

General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material, Customary Folklore
    • Subgenre: folk costume, traditions
  • Language: English
  • Country of origin: USA

Informant Data: Sam Lee ’18 is a 21-year-old male from Turlock, California. He has been rowing since joining light-weight crew in college as a walk-on.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: As with any bequest, this item is traditionally passed down from graduating seniors to underclassmen on the rowing team who are deemed most fit to receive the object. This exchange happens annually in the spring after the competition season has come to a close. The event involves the whole team and requires presence for several hours, as each senior may give away several bequests, each with a description of the significance of the item and why it goes to the recipient underclassmen. During the process, teammates must wait until they either bequeath or are bequeathed an item. It is a spectacle for the team and is often humorous and emotional. Underclassmen express gratitude through words and little physical contact as to expedite the process.

Cultural Context: Bequests are handed down through a line of rowers throughout the years. This line is connected through a common trait (e.g., captainship, knowledge of statistics, heavy weight). The bequest links generations, creating team cohesiveness through history. The bequest indicates a unique importance and role in the team and generally shows that the recipient upholds the values of the team. Rowers wear bequests to exhibit that they are deserving of the honor bestowed upon them.

Item: This bequest is a rowing oar that is passed down from commodore to commodore. It has all the signatures of the commodores, who are responsible for the social dynamic and inner squad dynamic.

Associated Image: Not available to collector

Collector’s Name: Yeonjae Park

Tags/Keywords: bequest, D150, crew

 

Bequest – Captain’s Oar

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Title: Captain’s Oar

General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material, Customary Folklore
    • Subgenre: folk costume, traditions
  • Language: English
  • Country of origin: USA

Informant Data: Sam Lee ’18 is a 21-year-old male from Turlock, California. He has been rowing since joining light-weight crew in college as a walk-on.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: As with any bequest, this item is traditionally passed down from graduating seniors to underclassmen on the rowing team who are deemed most fit to receive the object. This exchange happens annually in the spring after the competition season has come to a close. The event involves the whole team and requires presence for several hours, as each senior may give away several bequests, each with a description of the significance of the item and why it goes to the recipient underclassmen. During the process, teammates must wait until they either bequeath or are bequeathed an item. It is a spectacle for the team and is often humorous and emotional. Underclassmen express gratitude through words and little physical contact as to expedite the process.

Cultural Context: Bequests are handed down through a line of rowers throughout the years. This line is connected through a common trait (e.g., captainship, knowledge of statistics, heavy weight). The bequest links generations, creating team cohesiveness through history. The bequest indicates a unique importance and role in the team and generally shows that the recipient upholds the values of the team. Rowers wear bequests to exhibit that they are deserving of the honor bestowed upon them.

Item: This bequest is a rowing oar that is passed down from captain to captain. It has all the signatures of the captains and adds unity within each new team.

Associated Image: Not available to collector

Collector’s Name: Yeonjae Park

Tags/Keywords: bequest, D150, crew

 

Bequest – Hard-o Uni

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Title: Hard-o  Uni

General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material, Customary Folklore
    • Subgenre: folk-costumes, traditions
  • Language: English
  • Country of origin: USA

Informant Data: Sam Lee ’18 is a 21-year-old male from Turlock, California. He has been rowing since joining light-weight crew in college as a walk-on.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: As with any bequest, this item is traditionally passed down from graduating seniors to underclassmen on the rowing team who are deemed most fit to receive the object. This exchange happens annually in the spring after the competition season has come to a close. The event involves the whole team and requires presence for several hours, as each senior may give away several bequests, each with a description of the significance of the item and why it goes to the recipient underclassmen. During the process, teammates must wait until they either bequeath or are bequeathed an item. It is a spectacle for the team and is often humorous and emotional. Underclassmen express gratitude through words and little physical contact as to expedite the process.

Cultural Context: Bequests are handed down through a line of rowers throughout the years. This line is connected through a common trait (e.g., captainship, knowledge of statistics, heavy weight). The bequest links generations, creating team cohesiveness through history. The bequest indicates a unique importance and role in the team and generally shows that the recipient upholds the values of the team. Rowers wear bequests to exhibit that they are deserving of the honor bestowed upon them.

Item: This bequest is a unitard that used to belong to an old light-weight rowing coach. It is the unitard that goes along with the Stabbing and PR legend where a member of the team got mugged one night and did not realize he was stabbed because his adrenaline was pumping until he got home and his roommate pointed it out. The next day he put on the unitard and went to practice without telling the coach about the incident and the wound opened up again, blooding the unitard. This unitard is passed down each year to someone that is very hardworking and goes to extreme lengths to do his best.

Associated Image: Not available to collector

Collector’s Name: Yeonjae Park

Tags/Keywords: unitard, bequest, D150, material folklore

Ritual – Freshmen Fun Night

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Title: Freshmen Fun Night

General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Customary
    • Subgenre:   Ritual, Ceremony
  • Language: English
  • Country of origin: USA

Informant Data: Wyatt Smith ’19 is a 20-year-old male caucasian light-weight rower from Hong Kong. He is a long-time rower, having rowed competitively before Dartmouth, and was recruited to Dartmouth’s D150 Lightweight Rowing team.

Contextual Data: 

Social Context: Races are incredibly competitive for lightweight rowing, mainly because the team competes directly with other college teams and because all the weekly practices/weight cutting is in preparation for these races. As such, to combat the pressure, rowers observe certain rituals outside of pure racing that build team unity and provide motivation to help them prepare for team cohesion during races. Freshmen Fun Night is an end-of-the-term ritual that takes place to initiate new rowers and incorporate them into the team.

Cultural Context: Freshmen Fun Night is a ritualistic ceremony that occurs every year and in the same way. It focuses on building team unity and reinforcing the commonalities between the rowers by not only initiating new rowers and incorporating them into the team formally, but also by identifying more experienced rowers who act as the ritual’s performers.

Item: This item is a customary piece of folklore that focuses on the passing down of a ritual that is suppose to help build team unity and ultimately bring later success at a race. It is customary because it is a single practiced ritual that happens every year in the same way that involves many different people within the folk group. It is folklore because it is performed by all the members of this folkgroup and celebrates their commonalities.

Associated media:

Transcript (8:00 – 8:48):

WS: “We have an event, uh, in the spring, between the Cornell, end of, right after, the Cornell race… between the Cornell race and the New England Championships where we have – it’s called Freshmen Fun Night…”

BC: “Right.”

WS: “… and it’s sort of a… initi… I’m gonna say initiation but not in the negative term. It’s a way for the freshmen to be initiated into the team – not through any means of harassment or any negative means but really a positive um…”

BC: “Like a ceremony.”

WS: “Yeah, a ceremony if you will, where the freshmen really become lightweight rowers…”

BC: “Right.”

WS: “… and that is very ritualistic and it’s done the same way every year. Um… and it involves talking about past rowers on the team and like past ‘legends’ on the team.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • The sharing and passing down of this ritual is interesting because it focuses on all members of the folk group. All members of D150 crew participate in this ritual and it helps remind them of who they are and why they are similar to each other. This also reinforces the ritual itself because a stronger more unified team is more likely to want to participate in these pan-folk group rituals and to preserve them.

Collector’s Name: Brian Chekal

Bequest – No Weigh Day shirt

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Title: No Weigh Day shirt

General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material, Customary Folklore
    • Subgenre: Ritual
  • Language: English
  • Country of origin: USA

Informant Data: Grant McArtor ’19 is a 21-year-old caucasian male student from Spartenburg, South Carolina in the United States. He was originally born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He has been rowing light-weight crew for five years (since junior year of high school) and has rowed on Dartmouth’s D150 varsity team since his freshman year. He has recently left the team.

Contextual Data: 

Social Context: As with any bequest, this item is traditionally passed down from graduating seniors to underclassmen on the rowing team who are deemed most fit to receive the object. This exchange happens annually in the spring after the competition season has come to a close. The event involves the whole team and requires presence for several hours, as each senior may give away several bequests, each with a description of the significance of the item and why it goes to the recipient underclassmen. During the process, teammates must wait until they either bequeath or are bequeathed an item. It is a spectacle for the team and is often humorous and emotional. Underclassmen express gratitude through words and little physical contact as to expedite the process.

Cultural Context: Bequests are handed down through a line of rowers throughout the years. This line is connected through a common trait (e.g., captainship, knowledge of statistics, heavy weight). The bequest links generations, creating team cohesiveness through history. The bequest indicates a unique importance and role in the team and generally shows that the recipient upholds the values of the team. Rowers wear bequests to exhibit that they are deserving of the honor bestowed upon them.

Item: This bequest is a blue tank top with neon pink letters that say “No Weigh Day.” It is traditionally given to the heaviest freshman rower.

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

  • Image unavailable

Collector’s Comments: The receipt of the bequest resembles a rite of passage. Before the ceremony, the rower is a freshman member. He is then separated from his fellow freshmen as he is called up by the senior. During the transition phase, he receives the bequest and shows gratitude to the senior. He is then incorporated back into the team as a new version (labeled by the bequest) of his old self.

Collector’s Name: Sam Gochman

Tags/Keywords: D150, Dartmouth Light-Weight Rowing, Bequests, shirt, No Weigh Day

Bequest – Captain’s Henley jacket

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Title: Captain’s Henley jacket

General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material, Customary Folklore
    • Subgenre: folk costume, traditions
  • Language: English
  • Country of origin: USA

Informant Data: Grant McArtor ’19 is a 21-year-old caucasian male student from Spartenburg, South Carolina in the United States. He was originally born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He has been rowing light-weight crew for five years (since junior year of high school) and has rowed on Dartmouth’s D150 varsity team since his freshman year.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: As with any bequest, this item is traditionally passed down from graduating seniors to underclassmen on the rowing team who are deemed most fit to receive the object. This exchange happens annually in the spring after the competition season has come to a close. The event involves the whole team and requires presence for several hours, as each senior may give away several bequests, each with a description of the significance of the item and why it goes to the recipient underclassmen. During the process, teammates must wait until they either bequeath or are bequeathed an item. It is a spectacle for the team and is often humorous and emotional. Underclassmen express gratitude through words and little physical contact as to expedite the process. It has been compared to receiving a Christmas present. This bequest is passed down from current captain to future captain.

Cultural Context: Bequests are handed down through a line of rowers throughout the years. This line is connected through a common trait (e.g., captainship, knowledge of statistics, heavy weight). The bequest links generations, creating team cohesiveness through history. The bequest indicates a unique importance and role in the team and generally shows that the recipient upholds the values of the team. Rowers wear bequests to exhibit that they are deserving of the honor bestowed upon them.

Item: This bequest is the Captain’s Henley jacket. It is green with white trim and has a D150 patch on the breast pocket. It is from the Henley Royal Regatta, a rowing event held annually on the River Thames in England. The jacket is a high honor on the team, only given to the rising captain of the next year.

Associated media:

Informant’s Comments: He expressed that bequests are not limited to clothing items, but clothing is a common way to exhibit membership to the team. He said that the Henley jacket is one of the highest honors in terms of bequests.

Collector’s Comments:

  • The informant recently left the team.
  • The receipt of this bequest in particular resembles the marking or transfiguration of the hero in Propp’s list of fairy tale functions.
  • The receipt of the bequest resembles a rite of passage. Before the ceremony, the rower is a freshman member. He is then separated from his fellow freshmen as he is called up by the senior. During the transition phase, he receives the bequest and shows gratitude to the senior. He is then incorporated back into the team as a new version (labeled by the bequest) of his old self.

Collector’s Name: Sam Gochman

Tags/Keywords: D150, Dartmouth Light-Weight Rowing, Bequests, Henley

Link

Second Line

Informant: Libby Flint, age 59, New Orleans resident of 36 years, originally from Upstate New York and Vermont. Collected May 22, 2016 and recorded on iphone.

Verbal Lore: Folk speach, slang- associated Customary, tradition, dance, celebration

English

United States of America

Context:a line of people dancing to traditional New Orleans music while waving handkerchiefs and following a leader with an umbrella. Originally performed  on the way back from a jazz funeral after the deceased has been interred and is meant as a celebration of the deceased’s life and their acceptance into the afterlife. Has developed into a New orleans celebration, seperate from the morbid beginnings and is synonomous with the city and celebrations in general.

Transcript:

“New Orleanians will use any excuse to throw a party, have a parade or have a ‘second line’, during a second line participants will dance  and sing to New Orleans tunes following a line that weaves throughout  the restaurant out onto the street, following a person with a second  line umbrella and waving handkerchiefs. New Orleanians will honor their deceased musicians by throwing them a jazz funeral, that includes a second line.”

Collectors Commentary: The word second line itself, some from a decription of people returning to their homes after a funeral, it is the “second line” that forms as they begin to sing and dance and play music in celebration of the deceased. Now, the religious tones of the tradition have been reduced and second lines are not strictly limited to occuring after funerals, but have instead developed into a celebration and tradition associated with the city and the culture of Jazz and celebration. The slang word is used in speach as a thing synonomous with the culture of the city an is unique as folk speach because it does not exist elsewhere.

Key words: New Orleans, second Line, jazz funeral, handkerchiefs, umbrellas, celebration, dance