Family Ties: Family Traditions

babysugar — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 10:09:02 -0800

In my family, we've had a holiday tradition of making tamales for as long as I can remember. My grandmother has aged and no longer holds the position of Reyna Tamalera (translation: Queen Tamale Maker), but my mother has stepped in. And the younger generations of our family are getting in on the action, too. My sister, cousins and I and now our children are now learning the tricks of the tamale making trade. Here's a video of my niece spreading the masa on the ojas.

Being around loved ones, celebrating life and each other is what the holidays are all about for me. I hope one day I will be the Queen Tamalera – surrounded by my children, grandchildren, and great–grandchildren.

Did You Follow Any Customs or Rituals?

babysugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:00:55 -0700

Different cultures celebrate births in various ways. In China, it is common practice for elders to cook chicken and rub the tongue of the bird over the child's lips in hopes of a good talker on her first birthday. Some Indian newborns are dropped off a tower 15 meters high onto a white sheet in hopes of a healthy and strong future. Down under in New Zealand and Australia, parents often take the placenta and bury it by a tree's roots to nourish and fertilize future blossoms.

Parents Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves are planning on following the Aboriginal tradition and planting Levi's placenta in an orchard. According the actor, Matthew told CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta that the custom is to bury the placenta of every member of a clan under a giant tree. The tree will become a "huge behemoth of just health and strength."

We baptized our daughter in our backyard and took her to our annual tamale making party, but that seems underwhelming when compared to some of the intricate traditions I have discovered. Did you institute any traditions or customs with your offspring?
Source

LilSugar

Family Ties: Family Traditions

Did You Follow Any Customs or Rituals?