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Posted by: Stephanie Hall
This time of year many people celebrate Festivus, an alternative holiday that is based on a single episode of the television show Seinfeld, “The Strike,” which aired on December 18, 1997. It is most commonly celebrated on December 23 or another date in December, but it can be celebrated at other times of the year. …
Posted in: Holidays
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
Thanksgiving days were declared by United States Presidents at various times in American history, beginning with George Washington making November 26, 1789, a day of thanksgiving, but Thanksgiving was not established as a regular yearly Federal holiday until 1870. So there are not a great many songs specifically for American Thanksgiving, and these were composed …
Posted in: Folksong, Thanksgiving
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
At this time of year we gather to give thanks, for many things that have been important to us during the year, but a common theme is thanks for our food. The holiday falls in the time of the harvest. Different cultural groups around the world also celebrate the harvest with a variety of customs …
Posted in: Foodways, Thanksgiving
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
At this time of year the reference staff of the American Folklife Center staff are often asked about the origins of Christmas carols. Here are a few examples of songs with interesting histories. Some of the oldest Christmas songs came from folk plays that were popular in the Middle Ages. The Juan B. Rael Collection …
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
Between 1976 and 1978 Karen S. Ellis recorded the playground songs of elementary school students on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. She was teaching at the Ricardo Richards School and many of the children she recorded were her students. This work culminated in a book and recording, Domino, a resource for children and teachers, published …
Posted in: Caribbean Americans, christmas, Folksong, Hispanic American History
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
A celebration of fathers and fatherhood took a long time to be established as a nation-wide observance. Mother’s Day was being locally observed as it was being promoted in the 19th and early 20th century, and became a regular holiday in May in 1914 by presidential proclamation. Father’s Day was locally celebrated around the country …
Posted in: African Americans, Cuban Americans, Father's Day, Folksong, Hispanic American History, Irish Americans, Narratives, Native American History, Storytelling
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
If you have decorated an egg, then you have participated in one of the oldest decorative arts. Archaeologists have long known of decorated ostrich shell pieces and empty eggs in Africa of great antiquity, found in tombs or archaeological digs, but they did not know how old this custom really was. In 2010 an important …
Posted in: Easter, Eggs, Holidays, Material Culture, Ukrainian Americans
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
Bats show up everywhere at Halloween. Often they are playing a bit part, in the background of decorations and advertising as a kind of mascot for the holiday. But they do show up in their major role in horror movies and television programs, as the dreaded vampire transforms into a bat and flies away. The …
Posted in: Folksong, Halloween, Legends, Native American History
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
For many today, Labor Day is a day off: a day to go to the beach or have a barbecue, for example. Relaxing activities are certainly part of the tradition. But it should not be forgotten that Labor Day was born out of struggle for better treatment and recognition of the workers who built the …
Posted in: Folksong, Holidays, Labor Day, Narratives