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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
Your search for CUSTOM returned 579 results.
Ethnic: Native American
To Fill the Sacred Pipe:
Offer a pinch of tobacco in the four directions starting with any direction that you wish but always moving in a clockwise direction. After each pinch of tobacco is offered it is out into the bowl of the Pipe The starting point varies from man to man according to his individual vision or insight. The usual strating points are the west, north or east. I habe never run across anyone starting in the south. The following is an example of one starting with the west. Offering northward contains a prayer for the strength since this is where te cold winds and the flying snow comes from. Offering tobacco eastward contains a prayer for the light and understanding and southward a plea for new life since it is the source of warm winds and green grass. One does not pray aloud but rather silently. The tobacco is offerd skyward since this reminds us that we are walking in the Prescence of God towards Mother Earth to fill us with graditude for all the gifts we receive through creation. Symbolically one gathers the entire universe into his prayers. For one Indian the west was the place of the setting sun, the north the buffalo, the east the morning star, and the south the white swan.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: CANADA ; Tekakwitha Conference ; WINNIPEG ; MANITOBA
Keyword(s): AMERICAN INDIAN ; Compass Point ; CUSTOM ; ETHNIC ; Native American ; Pipe ; PRAYER ; RELIGION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Prayer |
Ethnic: Native American
Prayer at the Time of a Wake:
Almighty God, we pray to you at this time so that we might understand your loving Providence in our lives. We know that the world is a sweat lodge, a place of purification, that our span of life is a time of trial. When our purification has been accomplished, we must step through the door of death into the light of eternal happiness. No one regrets leaving the hot darkness of the sweat lidge to the cool light og the world we live in. So lord, remove all spirit and rebellion from our hearts at a time when the soul of ______ had finished his (her) purification and gone into eternal life. Give us the strength to live by this vision, so that it can heal the wounds of grief and restore your peace in our hearts. Give us a greater understanding of the wonderful work of your redemption on the sacred Road of LIfe. Let us all be mindful that we share in Christ rising to a new life of complete happiness for all eternity. Let us pray that all traces of sin be removed from his (her) soul sop that the anfels of God may bring him (her) into paradise. We ask you these graces through the Blessed virgin Mary, St. Joseph and Jesus Christ who is and ever shall be the Living and Eternal Pipe. Amen.
Data entry tech comment:
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Where learned: CANADA ; Tekakwitha Conference ; WINNIPEG ; MANITOBA
Keyword(s): AMERICAN INDIAN ; CUSTOM ; DEATH ; ETHNIC ; Funeral ; Native American ; PRAYER ; RELIGION ; Soul ; WAKE
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Prayer |
Ethnic: Native American
Before the prayers, say "remember man that the Pipe of your earthly life" will some day be broken. Then take bowl and stem apart and lay on coffin.
After the prayers in the ritual, then take two parts of the Pipe into your hands and say: "Through the Resurrection of Christ, the life of _____and all of us will be brought together into eternal happiness." Then in the four directions, point the Pipe to the sky and say "I am the Living and Eternal Pipe, the Ressurrection and the Life; he who believes in Me, even if he die [sic] shall live: and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die." Repeat this in each of the four direction. At the end point the Pipe to the sky and touch the Earth with the bowl.
Submitter comment:
The informant advises that the Pipe be already filled with tobacco. This is the most powerful prayer I have experienced with the Pipe and produces a deep impression on many people.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: CANADA ; Tekakwitha Conference ; WINNIPEG ; MANITOBA
Keyword(s): AMERICAN INDIAN ; BELIEF ; CUSTOM ; DEATH ; ETHNIC ; Funeral ; Native American ; PRAYER ; RELIGION ; RITUAL
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Prayer |
Ethnic: Native American
To Smoke the Pipe:
If the Pipe is smoked it is done at the conclusion of the prayers. The idea is the same as the new liturgical emphasis in the social aspect of Holy Communion. It is done for fostering the sense of community and to express the unity there is between all the people present as well as with all mankind and all creation. The Pipe is lit by the leader, smoked and passed clockwise. Women can kiss th Pipe in stead of smoking it. After one kisses or smokes the Pipe, he says "For the sake of our relatives." Relatives primarily include men but animals as well. As far as Holy Communion is concerned this is probably the closest the Plains Indian symbol there is. The point can be made that the Plains INdians were striving for the same religious values as Catholics do when they receive Holy Communion with a sense of community in mind. When the Pipe has been passed around, it is handed back to the leader who smokes it again, empties the ashes and the ceremony is completed. Although the smoking of the Pipe would be done in restricted circumstances, there are times when it could be most powerful.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: CANADA ; Tekakwitha Conference ; WINNIPEG ; MANITOBA
Keyword(s): AMERICAN INDIAN ; BELIEF ; CUSTOM ; ETHNIC ; Native American ; Pipe ; PRAYER ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Prayer |
Ethnic: Moravian
Burial Custom: Moravian:
Every Easter, headstones are brought to uniform whitenes and flowers bedeck virtually every grave of deceased Moravian members at Old Salem, North Carolina. At sunrise, approximately half a dozen bands march into the graveyard to celebrate the risen lord.
Submitter comment:
Read in National Geographic Magazine, Dec. 1970
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: Myself ; Magazine
Keyword(s): BURIAL ; CUSTOM ; Easter ; ETHNIC ; Funeral ; Moravian
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Death Funeral Burial |
Ethnic: Native American
Lakota Burial Custom:
The Lakota Indians place the deceased bodies of their tribe not in the ground but upon poles until the corpses are either disintegrated or eaten.
Submitter comment:
The informant supposes that the practice places the body close to the Great Spirit, prevents other tribes from taking over Lakota Territory, and expresses the belief that the Lakotas - if they wandered away - would eventually return to this special area.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): AMERICAN INDIAN ; BURIAL ; CUSTOM ; DEATH ; ETHNIC ; Funeral ; Lakota ; Native American
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Death Funeral Burial |
Ethnic: Korean
Korean Death Custom:
In Korea, a male will straighten the tongue of the person who just died while female members of the family would have to leave the room.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): BURIAL ; CUSTOM ; DEATH ; ETHNIC ; Funeral ; Korean
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Death Funeral Burial |
Ethnic: Moravian
Moravian Burial Custom:
Moravian cemetary headstones are kept flat to show humility; their uniform size reflects the democracy of death. Burial is not by families but by choirs - grouping by age, sex, and marital status.
Submitter comment:
Read in National Geographic Magazine, Dec. 1970
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: Myself
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; BURIAL ; CUSTOM ; DEATH ; ETHNIC ; Funeral ; Moravian
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Death Funeral Burial |
Ethnic: Native American
Indian Burial Custom:
Informant noted a ritualistic use of pipe smoking in Indian Burial practices which - he bleived - is a co-mixture of Indian and Catholic beliefs.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): AMERICAN INDIAN ; BURIAL ; CATHOLICISM ; CUSTOMS ; DEATH ; ETHNIC ; Funeral ; Native American ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Death Funeral Burial |
Ethnic: Native American
Indian Death Belief:
Among the Lakota Indians, the Informant believes that the death customs among these particular Indians shows a consciousness of ancestry but not ancestor worship.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): AMERICAN INDIAN ; ANCESTRY ; BURIAL ; CUSTOM ; DEATH ; ETHNIC ; Funeral ; Native American
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Death Funeral Burial |
Ethnic: Korean
Korean Burial Custom:
In Korea, burial sites are usually found on the sides of mountains with boundaries marked by two pillars. Once a year, (exact time not revealed by informant) food for deceased is borught and placed upon a platform.
Submitter comment:
Informant believes that these particular examples reflect a Buddhist belief in afterlife and ancestor worship.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; BURIAL ; CUSTOM ; ETHNIC ; FOOD ; Funeral ; Korean ; RITUAL
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Death Funeral Burial |
Ethnic: Korean
Korean Death Custom:
In Korea, there is a three year mourning period for a parent since each child spent three years in the bosom before birth.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): Ancestors ; Beliefs ; BURIAL ; CUSTOMS ; DEATH ; ETHNIC ; Funeral ; Korean
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Death Funeral Burial |
Custom
Graduation Custom:
When the seniors graduated they turned their rings so that the writing faced out toward other people and was upside down to the person wearing it.
Submitter comment:
This was a common custom at Our Lady of Mercy High School in Farmington, MI. The informant performed this ceremony in 1968 when she graduated. I also did this when I graduated in 1968.
Data entry tech comment:
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Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): Commencement ; CUSTOM ; Graduation ; JEWELRY ; RING ; SCHOOL
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- School |
Custom
Slate:
When the informant was of grade-school age, it was mandatory to come to school with a slate and a sponge wet enough to last for the whole day.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [M243] crossed out. Replaced with current classification
Where learned: HOME ; PENNSYLVANIA ; PITTSBURGH
Keyword(s): CUSTOM ; EDUCATION ; Learning ; Objects ; SCHOOL ; TOOLS
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- School |
Custom/Belief
You should make a wish when you enter a church for the first time.
Submitter comment:
Informant revealed this custom when the new parish church was built several years ago.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; HARPER WOODS
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; CHURCH ; CUSTOM ; RELIGION ; WISH
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Church |
Custom/Belief
Churches:
When driving or walking past a church, bow your head and say "My Lord have Mercy."
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: HOME
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; CHURCH ; CUSTOM ; PRAYER ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Church |
Custom/Belief
Belief - Baby/Motherhood:
After delivering a baby, a woman will eat the afterbirth of an animal, so that her afterbirth delivers well.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [F542] crossed out and replaced with current classification.
Where learned: HOME
Keyword(s): Afterbirth ; BELIEF ; BIRTH ; Child Bearing ; CHILDBIRTH ; Consumption ; CUSTOM ; FOOD ; Placenta ; PREGNANCY ; SUPERSTITION
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Birth |
Custom/Belief
Baptism:
In Belgium, children were baptized when they were 3 days old. When the ceremonies were completed, signified by bell ringing at the church, other children would gather outside the church, at which time, the parents of the one baptized would throw chocolate covered almonds or other candy to the awaiting children.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [F543, P686, S720, N247, F533] crossed out. Replaced with current classifications
Where learned: PENNSYLVANIA ; PITTSBURGH
Keyword(s): BAPTISM ; Belgium ; CANDY ; CHILDREN ; CUSTOM ; ETHNIC ; FOOD ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Baptism Naming rite |
Ethnic:Polish
Naming:
It is a custom in Poland, that a child is not given the name of a living grandparent, for fear that either the grandparent or the child will die within seven years.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: CANADA ; WINNIPEG ; MANITOBA
Keyword(s): CHILDREN ; Cultural ; CUSTOM ; ETHNIC ; FAMILY ; Naming ; POLAND
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Baptism Naming rite |
Custom/Belief
Irregular Festival:
It is a custom in my family to have a big family gathering, celebration, reunion, and party whenever someone in the fammily has made the Sacrament of Confirmation or 1st Communion. The recipient recieves gifts and/or money from every other member of the fmaily. It roughlyparallels the Bar Matzvah of the Jewish Religion.
Data entry tech comment:
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Where learned: NEW YORK ; Myself ; LeRoy
Keyword(s): Celebration ; CUSTOM ; Maturity ; PARTY ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS ; Rite-of-Passage
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Maturity |