It is interesting that in Carmen's case she could relate to part of the gestures of the ritual. The tradition is very structured in that way. We want to or need to remember and design rites and rituals to establish a connection in personal, political and religious arenas. I think of how we have embraced our Elf on the Shelf as a Christmas tradition. A visiting professor of African-American religions to FIU ( I apologize for not remembering his name for I am not a scholar;) explained that in his field the African Diaspora were the ones that kept intact aspects from their religious traditions. It was their connection to their homeland. The interesting part that differs a little from Carmen's case is that in Africa the traditions kept evolving. African scholars looking to understand ancestral rites or rituals have found some clues outside of the continent.
Of course many of our acts could have a religious background, even eating a tamal is a religious act. To that girl I can imagine most ridiculize thing to do is to eat Three kings cake, it's not even catholic, it is a Roman costume, and it wasn't a little boy, it was a little bean hidden. Besides, as a mexican, she may be celebrating a little bit of Day of the deaths and I guess she has nothing of prehispanic or similar religious roots. She shouldn't be eating any death bread.
It is interesting that in Carmen's case she could relate to part of the gestures of the ritual. The tradition is very structured in that way. We want to or need to remember and design rites and rituals to establish a connection in personal, political and religious arenas. I think of how we have embraced our Elf on the Shelf as a Christmas tradition. A visiting professor of African-American religions to FIU ( I apologize for not remembering his name for I am not a scholar;) explained that in his field the African Diaspora were the ones that kept intact aspects from their religious traditions. It was their connection to their homeland. The interesting part that differs a little from Carmen's case is that in Africa the traditions kept evolving. African scholars looking to understand ancestral rites or rituals have found some clues outside of the continent.
Of course many of our acts could have a religious background, even eating a tamal is a religious act. To that girl I can imagine most ridiculize thing to do is to eat Three kings cake, it's not even catholic, it is a Roman costume, and it wasn't a little boy, it was a little bean hidden. Besides, as a mexican, she may be celebrating a little bit of Day of the deaths and I guess she has nothing of prehispanic or similar religious roots. She shouldn't be eating any death bread.
Big hugs