Ceremony: indispensable culture

"Work hard, keep the ceremonies, live peaceably, and unite your hearts." -- Hopi

With traditional flourish this month, we bid hearty welcome to May's observations of rituals that express rites of passage or highlight key moments. We participate in ceremony -- a fundamental of culture and a vehicle that gives structure to profoundly important events.

Many May ceremonies involve communal civic processions, but even the brief and informal ones are rites of shared theater that pass along traditions to be remembered.

In revealing for us the broad cultural connection to our histories and collective identity, ceremony brings meaning in the modern world. This month's BorderLore honors several that reside at the heart of culture and perpetuate it:

Powerful symbols are part of the Nursing culture. We learn more about the ceremonies that bring together significant aspects of International Nurses Day and the Nursing culture here.

Even commonplace rituals, as found in our kitchens, connect us with our core. Mano y Metate founder Amy Vald�s Schwemm recalls her family's informal kitchen rituals here... Dr. Reuben Naranjo explains the "Cemait" or tortilla in the context of Tohono O'odham culture here.

The Liturgy or the Roman Catholic Mass formalizes a ceremony for the embracing of faith, and in particular the Mariachi Mass (Misa Panamericana) blends culture with spiritual belief in a joyous, lyrical dimension of ceremony. Learn more here.

The Maypole dance is both a festive occasion and a demonstration of cultural links to nature, religion and community. Learn more about Beltane - one unique, annual Maypole ceremony held at Himmel Park, here.

The pi�ata is a festive cultural centerpiece that extends back centuries, to China's New Year and to Italy's Lenten pignatta traditions. We learn more about the ceremonial colors, shapes and sweet treats of this folk art and meet a TMY master pi�ata creator here.

News: Call for 2014 TMY Food Vendors and Global Foodways Fellowship announced here. Tidbits culled from across the active national folklife community are here.

Symbolic rituals stimulate our emotions and honor feelings about life's important events. Rich in history, the symbolism gives testimony to our beliefs. At their very best, ceremonies are the wellspring for new beginnings...and for affirming what is timeless.

� 2014, Tucson Meet Yourself. All rights reserved. BorderLore is the monthly e-news magazine of Tucson Meet Yourself, bringing thoughtful documentation about regional folklore, folklife and all manners of artful ways (in language, food, dress, music, decoration, storytelling, history) that residents of these often-conflicted border lands produce and share.

Editor: Dr. Maribel Alvarez
Managing Editor: Monica Surfaro-Spigelman

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May 2014 Stories:

Ritual and Artful Expression

In Brief, May 2014