Las Ceremonias y Celebraciones
©Illustrator: Carmen Lomas Garza
CEREMONIES AND CELEBRATIONS...
--Mark values, beliefs, and traditions.
--Claim our responsibilities, rights, identities, space.
--Originate in religious-based practices. Others are interwoven in family ties.
--Represent opportunities to be together, to draw strength from each other, to fight despair and sadness, to forge hope.
We frequently recognize life's important personal passages with celebrations and ceremony, i.e. La Quinceañera--A young woman's (15 years old) rite of passage into womanhood. Tied to traditions in the Catholic church meshed with rites of Pre-Columbian culture. Family ties are integrated with religion. Extended family's role is valuaed and appreciated.
INTERACTIVE COMPONENT (choose one)
1. Read p. 89-90 "Quinceañera". Watch the video "Quinceañera"in class. Have you attended a quinceanera? If not, find someone who has. Who attends such a celebration? How is music used? What is worn? How is language and culture illustrated? How are families and children involved? http://clnet.ucr.edu/research/folklore/quinceaneras/
Bring some artifacts used in a quinceanera to share. Read the interview with a Catholic priest. How does his view differ from a traditional Mexican quinceañera? http://clnet.ucr.edu/research/folklore/quinceaneras/fathruiz.htm How could you use this cultural knowledge in your school activities or classroom? Or would you?
2. Go to a popular park in a Latino neighborhood on a Sunday. Observe a Latino family celebration. What are occasion are they celebrating? Who is involved? What cultural activities, food, decoration, recreation are they experiencing? What kind of music do you hear?If you feel like it, ask one or two people about their celebration. Think about a writing activity you would give your students regarding their family celebrations.3. Attend the "Arte y Estilo" (the Lowriding Tradition) exhibit at the Pedersen Automotive Museum (6060 Wilshire Blvd at Fairfax. (www.pedersen.org) . Have fun viewing cars, trucks, and bikes! Notice the body work, mural painting, metal work, glass etching and surface design. Describe your favorite vehicle. How does this experience add to your cultural knowledge of Latinos? How could you connect it to the classroom?. Take along friends and family and have fun! Attach your ticket stub to your reflection.
1. Bring a Latino children's book with a celebration or ceremony theme. What role do children and adolescents play in these experiences? How can you connect these experiences to your classroom literacy activities? What kind of celebrations would you have in class?
Quinceñera http://clnet.ucr.edu/research/folklore/quinceaneras/
LAS CELEBRACIONES Y CEREMONIAS