Season of Rituals : Holidays: Immigrants and their descendants have been eager both to assimilate into mainstream culture and to hold on to their traditions.
From “Silent Night” to the wild night of New Year’s Eve, the rites and rituals of the holiday season entered American culture a long time ago.
The steady stream of immigrants to California in the past century has also brought a wealth of ethnic diversity and traditions. That is especially evident in the San Fernando Valley, where, in the 1980s, 42% of the area’s roughly 1.5 million residents belonged to minority groups.
These groups cherish their holiday traditions. Even as they assimilate, they hold on to the past. From generation to generation, few alterations are made in each family’s pattern of celebration.
Here are some snapshots of families and their ethnic holiday traditions:
Korean
Sang Korman arrived in the United States in 1972 and was joined by his family four years later. Together, they have neatly assimilated into the mainstream of American society; Korman even has run for Congress. Among his other interests, the prosperous Korman, 54, of Calabasas runs a company that makes custom golf putters.
But traditions remain strong, especially during the holidays.
In many cultures, New Year’s Day is a time to honor the past and look to the future. On this day, many local Korean-born families follow a tradition they learned in their homeland, and the Korman family is no different.
Early in the morning on Jan. 1, Korman, his wife and three sons--ages 19, 22 and 24--gather in the living room.
After pouring wine and preparing a festive meal of fish, meat and cake, the children bow down twice to their parents. The food is a symbol of the family’s offering to its ancestors.
“My father wasn’t a drinker,” Korman said, so in his honor, “I usually prepare a Coke or 7-Up.”
Then, Korman writes the names of past generations of family members, and the dates of their deaths, in Chinese characters, and places the list in the middle of the dining table.
On plain white paper, Korman writes the names of his father and grandfather. Korman’s wife doesn’t observe this practice with her ancestors because she has a brother, and the responsibility is normally left to the male members of the family.
Some families may go as far back as five or six generations, Korman said. The whole family then bows down, facing north. It is over in just a few seconds.
“This is what I did as a young boy in Korea,” Korman said. “If I missed it, I’d feel bad.”
Korman’s son, Yeun, 24, who lives in Irvine, feels the same attachment to the long-cherished tradition.
“It’s our chance to show respect,” Yeun Korman said.
After the ceremony, the family spends the rest of the day feasting.
Armenian
Armenians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 6--the day they believe to be the birthday of Jesus Christ.
Before the year 336, Christ’s birth was marked on Jan. 6. But during the 4th Century, most Christian sects followed Rome in adopting Dec. 25 as Christmas. Armenians, however, considered the December celebration paganism and kept the holiday on Jan. 6.
For the Hamparsumian family of Reseda, the later date doesn’t diminish the holiday’s importance.
“It really feels like our Christmas,” said Martin Hamparsumian, 24.
His family--parents Avdif and Susy, brother Carlos, and sisters Marcala and Cathy--gathers with two other families--about 18 people in all--to celebrate the day. They begin by attending Mass at St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church in Van Nuys. Afterward, they enjoy a festive meal of manth-- chicken wrapped in dough--and dolma-- rice in a leaf. For dessert, they eat pajlava-- dough with honey and nuts inside. Opening gifts follows, and the family then sings and dances to traditional Armenian tunes for the rest of the evening.
“By the time Christmas comes,” Martin Hamparsumian said, “the kids can’t wait to get their presents.”
Scottish
The Scots don’t waste any time ushering in the New Year in traditional Scottish style.
Tradition holds that the first person who officially crosses the threshold of a Scottish family’s home after midnight on New Year’s Day is called “the first foot.” He or she is obligated to bring in a gift to celebrate the new year.
Customarily, the gift was a lump of coal to provide the house with sufficient heat for the harsh winter ahead.
In California, another kind of heat is generated.
“Now, people usually bring you a bottle of wine or whiskey,” said Rodger Shoolbraid, 62, of Van Nuys, who arrived alone from Scotland in 1972.
According to a long-held superstition, for good luck, the first visitor of the new year should have dark hair or a dark complexion, Shoolbraid said. A black-haired person would be the best, he said.
His family usually holds a party on New Year’s Eve and then selects someone to go outside and re-enter as the “first foot.” He said his family tries to pick someone with dark hair or a dark complexion, but that is not always possible.
For weeks afterward, it is customary for hosts to offer a drink to each visitor.
The drink is served as a toast, wishing the person a happy new year. To refuse to have a drink, Shoolbraid said, is considered impolite.
English
Many English people observe Boxing Day on Dec. 26, when people give gifts to those who work for them, such as the mailman, newspaper boy or cleaning woman. Years ago, the gifts, which are usually small, came in boxes.
Families also invite friends to festive meals in which the popular delicacy, Christmas pudding with brandy sauce, is served.
“It’s much more fun than Christmas,” said Josephine Ibbott of Westlake Village. “You can really let yourself go.”
Ibbott said her family normally visits a local theater or club to catch a pantomine show. In England, she said, pantomine shows are held in most towns. Based on old-fashioned nursery rhymes, the principal male and female roles in the production are reversed. Ibbott said she attended a show last year at the Mayflower Club in Van Nuys.
Jayne Walter of Studio City, also from England, works at the Mayflower. On Christmas Day, Walter’s family has traditionally made crackers out of crepe paper. With fancy designs, the crackers contain toys or other gifts. When people pull them open, they make a cracking noise.
“Usually, the gifts are nail clippers or key rings,” Walter said. “It’s a fun time.”
Similarly, Ibbott makes pudding containing little charms. Each charm signifies something, such as the bell-shaped one that means the recipient will be getting married, or the wishbone, which promises good luck.
Mexican
Many Mexican immigrants continue to celebrate the tradition of Las Posadas that they learn at home.
Posada means inn, and Las Posadas are the nightly processions that re-create Mary and Joseph’s journey through Bethlehem as they searched for a place to spend the night on Christmas Eve.
The processions usually begin on Dec. 16 and take place every night until Christmas Eve. Families gather at home and circle the neighborhood in search of the home where Jesus can be born. As the custom goes, each night, the owners of the first and second homes refuse entry to the procession. Finally, the third one allows the party inside. This symbolizes the initial difficulty Joseph and Mary had in finding a place to deliver Jesus.
In San Fernando, the Cruz family--mother, father, four daughters and two sons--celebrates Las Posadas by joining with about 30 friends.
“It’s great that our culture is still living on,” said Jaime Cruz, 20, “even though all my sisters were born here.”
On Christmas Eve, Cruz said, when the gathering is allowed into a home, everybody celebrates with a festive Mexican dinner.
“We all have a great time,” Cruz said.
A World of Customs Carried to L.A.
‘This is what I did as a young boy in Korea. If I missed it, I’d feel bad.’--Sang Korman
Boxing Day is ‘much more fun than Christmas. You can really let yourself go.’--Josephine Ibbott
‘It’s great that our culture is still living on, even though all my sisters were born here.’--Jaime Cruz
