#popular traditions and cultures

[dazfashionz]

Mexico 🇲🇽

Traditions

If there’s one thing, Mexican is known, for, it’s the celebrations such as Dia de los Muertos, and Quinceaneras. Values such as family and friendship are deeply embedded in this country is culture.

Piñatas

A popular Mexican tradition is the piñata. It is commonly used as a fun game at birthday parties, but its origins are very symbolic.

The Piñatas Bright colours were designed as a symbol of temptation, the stick representing the will to overcome sin.

The blindfold, symbolises faith, while the candies and the other goodies are added, symbols of the riches of heaven, tumbling down on the heads of those who defeated the evil.

Nicknames

In Mexico people often give each other nicknames, all of which match the playful and endearing nature of the culture.Some of these include chaparrito, meaning “short one”or mi cielo, “my sky”.

In more rural area of Mexico, nicknames are so big that you’re likely to have better luck, asking for a person by nickname then by the persons real name.

Mexican hat dance

The Mexican have dance is Mexico’s national dance, began as a courtship dance and dates back to the 18th and 19th century.

The outfits of the dancers are beautifully decorated and represent traditional garb worn by Mexican men and women.

The dance itself is intended to be lively, which is why the music is typically played by mariachi bands or bands that use only string instruments.

Los muertos

Day of the dead, Día de Muertos is one of the most important celebrations in Mexico. they saw death as an integral,ever-present part of life, and believed mourning the dead would be disrespectful.

They use different decorations that all have a meaningful significance to the day of the dead.these are, colourful skulls, marigolds petals, confetti and many more to make a pop of colour.

They use face paint during dances to respect the dead.Make up is done creatively like skulls.

History

Day of the dead originate, several thousands of years ago, with the Aztec, Toltec and other Nahua people, who considered mourning the dead was disrespectful. Death was a natural phase in life’s long continuum. The dead were still members of the community, they were kept alive in memory and spirit during the Los Muertos ceremony. Meaning (temporarily back to Earth).

Day of the dead flowers- Marigolds

These flowers are used mainly for the los muertos ceremony to decorate and show respect for the dead.

The use of flowers during Dia de Muertos carries deep culture and spiritual significance. Similar to flowers, our time on earth is limited, and therefore on the day of the dead l,flowers symbolise the ephemeral nature of life, connecting to living with the souls of the departed.

Their bright orange petals and fragrant scent are believed to guide the souls of the departed back to the world of the living.

Marigolds, with their vibrant colours is a symbolic of the sun, are commonly used to create a path from the front door to the ofrenda for the spirits.

There are many different marigolds with different shades of colours and shapes suck as these.

Traditional clothing

Traditional Mexican clothing has a rich and vast history. While many historical styles are going out of fashion, you can still see the tradition Mexican dress around certain holidays and on special occasions.

Women’s traditional style

The culture of Mexico is vast, much like the clothing which does not lack for originality and colour. With a beautiful blend of Spanish and native elements. These designs are bold, colourful and unique.

Huipil

This is a colourful piece of clothing for a women to wear as it consists a blouse called huipil which is a simple square of fabric with a hole in the centre. It is embroidered around the neck and folded in half and has stitches at the sides. The embroidery tends to be very elaborate and meaningful. this design represents the cosmos,gods and their helpers.

Blouse

This is a modern version of the huipil,the blouse is a decorative shirt with short sleeves. Traditionally made with white , hand-woven cloth. The neckline is edged in braid or embroidery with colourful designs.

Mexican mens clothing

Traditional outfit for men are less elaborate than a women’s outfit. Most men traditionally wore shirts, pants and boots of one colour. However, there were few distinct traditional elements that men wore.

Sombrero

These are traditional hats Mexican men wore for events and carnivals such as Los Muertos ceremony.Mainly that are musicians and play in bands would wear this. These are made out of straw to keep the sun from their faces.

Sarape

A cross between a poncho and a blanket, the sarape was used to keep warm in the winter. Typically made out of wool or fleece, everyday wear comes in muted tones of greys and browns for shepherds. However for festivals, they use bright colours with multicoloured patterns such as red, yellow, purple blue and so many more.

Mexican folklore Dresses

Bold and beautiful is the aim of this dress when it comes to Puebla or Mexican folklore dress, which is made for folk dancing. This is far more colourful than a traditional wear clothing. The blouse could be a different bright colour such as pink or red with contrasting colour details. The skirt is long,flared and had different patterns on this filled with embroidery and ruffles.

Charro Suit

These are worn by conquerors of Horsemen, the history of the Charro suit is as vast as the suit itself. This suit consists of a jacket,shirt, tie, pants and belt. The fabric of the suit might be made of wool or cotton and can come in vibrant blues , purples, yellows or muted black and browns. The jacket and trousers typically are decorated with elaborate embroidery and embellishments. The buckle of the belt is also elaborately designed.

Vallarta’s Blog. (2022). Top 5 Mexican Traditions You Have to Experience! [online] Available at: https://www.hotelmousai.com/blog/destination/top-5-mexican-traditions-you-have-to-experience/.

Wikipedia. (2022). Mexican marigold. [online] Available at: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_marigold [Accessed 25 Mar. 2024].

en.m.wikipedia.org. (n.d.). Day of the Dead - Wikipedia. [online] Available at: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead

Victoria and Albert Museum. (2018). V&A · Traditional Mexican dress. [online] Available at: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/traditional-mexican-dress.



#Mexican research #Mexico #traditions in Mexico #popular traditions and cultures #their lifestyle and clothing

[plomegranate]

i love palestinian and arab culture so much.

my grandma wearing thobes around the house and making us tamriyeh. my cousins wedding when we all wore thobes and keffiyehs and took photos downtown and we danced with someone playing the guitar on the street and this lady stopping us to tell us we all looked so beautiful. walking the graduation stage in a thobe. the girl who liked to guess arab peoples ethnicities telling me "you're wearing tatreez... do you want me to write 'palestinian' on your forehead?" the keffiyeh my brother keeps on the drivers seat of his car.

my dad sending me off to my last semester of college with 2 pomegranates and a jar of palestinian olive oil. my cousins wife coming up with new ways to make zaatar and cheese pastries. me and my grandma sitting on the floor and making waraq 3neb- my job was to separate the leaves so she could roll them easier. my mom sending me and my brother to school with eid cookies for my teachers and tasking us with delivering some to the neighbors. my aunt glaring at me and piling more food on my plate and then asking if i was still hungry (i wasnt). my mom always telling me to invite my friends and cousins over for dinner and asking me what they like to eat. my family getting my dad knafeh instead of cake for his birthday. the man who told me i made the "best fetteh in the western hemisphere".

the man in the shawarma shop who gave me my fries for free and baklava i didnt order because we spoke about being palestinian while he took my order. the person on tumblr who i bonded with because we are from the same palestinian city. the girl i met on campus who exclaimed "youre palestinian? me too!" because i was wearing my keffiyeh. the girl in my class that showed me the artwork about palestine her dad made and donated for fundraising. the couple in the grocery store who noticed my palestinian shirt and talked with me for 20 minutes and ended up being a family friend. the silly palestinian kids i tutored sighing in disappointment when i told them i was born in america because they were hoping that id have been born "somewhere cooler". my friends family who bought me dinner despite me being there by chance and having met me for the first time the day before.

the boys starting uncoordinated dabke lines in my high school's hallways. the songs about the longing and love for our land. the festivals and parties and gatherings where everything smells like shisha and oud. memories of waiting in the car for an hour as my parents talked at the doorway of their friends homes. my cousins and i showing up at each others homes with cake or fruit or games as if it was the first time we ever visited even though we always say "you dont have to".

kids stubbornly helping to clean and make tea after a meal while being told to go sit down because they are guests. the necklaces in the shape of our home countries. people hugging and laughing and acting as if theyve known each other for years because they come from the same city or know people with the same last name. the day i finally got to bully my friends into letting me pay the bill because i had a job and they were still students. my moms friend who calls us every time she's at the grocery store to see if we need something

palestinian people are so resilient and hardworking and charitable. they love their culture and their community and are so quick to share and welcome anyone in. everyday i am so thankful and proud to be part of such a warm and lovely culture

#my love letter to palestine and its culture #free palestine #for those who dont know: #thobe: traditional embroidered dress. theres a lot of meaning behind the designs and different styles are indicative of the region #tatreez: the embroidery style #waraq 3neb: stuffed grapeleaves #dabke: traditional dance. look up videos theyre quite fun #shisha: the stuff smoked in hookah #oud: popular perfume/cologne scent #tamriyeh: fried dough dessert #keffiyeh: traditional scarf #zaatar: spice mix of mostly thyme #fetteh: dish made with bread yogurt chickpeas and nuts #knafeh: dessert made of cheese and shredded filo dough #there is so much more i can add. i really could go on forever #mine #plomegrantalk

[un-pearable]

so like… who in ninjago is actively producing chainmail in the era of high tech sentient robots and social media. who is out here painstakingly preparing 100% authentic armor and weaponry and chainmail for this motley crew of vaguely teenaged disasters and friends. there is a thriving industry for leather armor! skylor rolls up to hunted with a whole sleeve of scale armor! kai’s hunted design implies they either wear chainmail under their gi or they just had it lying around in the bounty! living for the baffling implications of traditional armor and weapons techniques persisting until the “modern” day. do you think wu gave skylor the number for his “guy” after s4, bc she rolls up to skybound and s7 ready and rockin it. do you think wu pays the unknown mystery person producing their costumes each season fair commission rates. the resistance has a unique armor style - do you think it’s far more modern military-esque bc lloyd doesn’t know wu’s guy?

#text✨ #ninjago #adore the baffling mix of time periods in ninjago it’s great #for all we know kai’s just one of many blacksmiths having fun mixing traditional weaponry with modern tech. genuinely i really like the idea #that they avoided the whole everything is mass produced shit and people can just go. buy chainmail and armor and stuff and it’s as normal as #it would have been centuries ago for us. ninjago culture is just ‘hell yeah armor’ and it’s an aesthetic. #imagine if the ninja becoming popular made it a trend to wear it casually again. and then bam. hunted rolls around and well shit it can’t #*hurt* to wear it for real. and now it’s a genuine safety tip #sry i’ve just been obsessed with their outfits and armor lately

[lovelyrainbowkitsune]

Idk is it weird to actually sort of miss 2013 Tumblr? It was ‘cringe’ and had some awful moments/experiences sure… but a lot of that early to mid 2010s genuine goofiness is what partially got me through high school when I was at my worst. The internet was considered a place to escape reality for a little while. Roleplaying. Ask games and blogs. Calling each other by our usernames. The follow for follow technique. Hipster vs fandom being the only main discourse topic. Getting into interests and memes that were essentially nonrelevant irl. I don’t think I would like to fully go back. Nonetheless, it still comforts me knowing that the earlier community gave me a space to exist.

#i think one of the traditions in tact is finding news in an unconventional way #and seeing memes before they become popular on other social media sites #old tumblr #2013 tumblr #fandom culture #rainbow ramblings

[mrnoital]

As we enjoy this Holiday chili, let's not forget the reason for the season...(devolves into anti-capitalist rant)

#green arrow #festivus #call this my airing of grievances #now for the feats of strength #as i was saying... #Fascists wanted to control the behaviour of others so they co-opted the popular winter festivities with imposed their own rules #This tradition has been continued with the higher classes encouraging the idea that this Holiday season only has monetary value #Furthered by the division they push trying to anger you that other cultures celebrate this time of year as well #and that's the importance on supporting your local union

[singular-yike]

Hi there! I remember in one of your previous analyses that you'd love an opportunity to talk about shikigami (I think). As someone who is also quite curious about it, would you mind divulging on the subject?

Oh of course, thanks for reminding me!

Shikigami: From History to Len'en

Shikigami, like barriers (which I also did a Len'en-focused analysis on), is one of those things I feel like many who are into Japanese media, especially traditional fantasies, have a general idea about, yet don't really have a grasp on their real-life conception and history.

So, just like in the barriers post, let's take a look at what shikigami are all about, in real-life history and in the Len'en series!

Origins of Onmyōdō

To understand the origins of shikigami, we first have to have a cursory understanding of the complex art of Onmyōdō (陰陽道 lit. "the way of Yin and Yang").

Roots in Chinese Philosophy

Onmyōdō, as we understand it, has its roots in the Chinese philosophical Theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases (陰陽五行思想).

Yin and Yang (陰陽) can be described as the fundamentally opposite but interconnected forces that constitute as well as cause change in everything in the universe.

The Five Phases (五行) is a conceptual framework which is used to classify and explain a wide array of phenomena, including the movement of celestial bodies, the interaction between internal organs to, the rise and fall of political regimes and the properties of medicine, amongst other things. The five phases are, in order, fire, water, wood, metal, earth.

The Theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases then combines the two, and was associated with and used for a variety of (what were at the time considered) natural sciences, such as astronomy, calendar making, time keeping and divination.

Development in Japan

When transmitted to Japan alongside Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, it was accepted by the Japanese people as having actual power, and its associated practices like divination and manipulating fortune were accepted as well.

As these beliefs and practices fused with the native Japanese beliefs (what one may classify as Shinto) and Japanese Buddhism (remember that Buddhism also had its own major developments in Japan), a system of beliefs and practices that were uniquely Japanese was born.

This was Onmyōdō, and it was a state-controlled craft. Onmyōji (陰陽師 lit. "master of yin and yang") were the practitioners of this craft who belonged to the Bureau of Onmyō (陰陽寮), and they offered their services to the royal family and the noble elites.

The Historical Shikigami

Examining the Word "Shikigami"

Now that we can finally take a look at the historical shikigami. They are known by a number of names: shikigami/shikijin (式神・識神), shiki-no-kami (式の神・識の神), shi-ki (式鬼) or shiki-kishin (式鬼神).

No matter the rendering, there is a common element throughout most of them: 式 read shiki or just as shi. It means "to make use of", and refers to the onmyōji's control over these beings.

The specific beings that these names list are kami (神 gods/spirits), oni (鬼) and kishin (鬼神). The last term refers to a myriad of concepts, from wild and rampaging kami to divine spirits to any supernatural thing that causes mysterious phenomena.

Below: Famous onmyōji Abe no Seimei (in black) accompanied by two of his shikigami (below Seimei).

So, from the name, we can tell that shikigami refers to the gods, spirits, supernatural beings and even just supernatural forces under the onmyōji's control. Additionally, it is said that the process through which an onmyōji summons these spirits is also called shikigami..

Types of Shikigami

Shikigami are in fact invisible to everyone except their master, but can take on forms that are visible to the average person. In general, shikigami can be classified in to two ways:

One is according to the form they appear in, such as human-shaped (人型), bird/beast-shaped (鳥獣型), youkai-shaped (妖怪型), etc.

More interesting, perhaps, is classifying them based on how they were created:

First are "mental-action shikigami", (思業式神 shigou-shikigami) they are manifested through the onmyōji's thought, and are said to directly reflect their master's ability.

Next are "personified shikigami" (擬人式神 gijin-shikigami), they are produced by imbuing a doll, often made of paper, straw or plants, with spiritual power. Those which obtain a will of their own are considered higher-rank, while those that do not are considered lower-ranked.

Below: A straw doll used to summon a shikigami into.

Final final type are called, literally, "gods of evil deeds and revealed retribution" (悪行罰示神 akubyoubasshi-kami). It's rather unwieldy and not exactly clear what it means.

So instead, I'll call these "shikigami through karmic retribution". They are typically beings who committed evil deeds in the past who are defeated and subjugated by onmyōji, becoming their shikigami.

The final type, perhaps obviously, are considered particularly dangerous, as an unskilled master can be overpowered by the shikigami, allowing it to cause harm to its master and others.

Functions of a Shikigami

Basically, there's nothing a shikigami cannot do, as they are (provided that the onmyōji is powerful enough) completely bound to the will of their master.

Here I'll just briefly list a few of what shikigami were said to be used for throughout history and myths:

Defeating harmful and devil spirits

Possessing someone to cause them harm

Placed at key locations as protector deities

Pass on messages and deliver objects

Reconnaissance

Housework, house-watching and personal care

Yeah, basically anything you can think of.

Onmyōdō in the Present Day

Persistance and Development

Onmyōdō and onmyōji, along with the Bureau of Onmyō, persisted throughout Japanese history, slowly gaining popularity amongst the general populace as well. It has its ups and down, even losing its official status once, but it never faded away.

One particularly famous Onmyōji that should not go unmentioned is Abe no Seimei (安倍晴明), said to be a genius in the art. Many of his exploits are left behind as legends, and he himself is a popular topic of many modern fiction stories.

Below: Mitori's Pentagram "Bellflower Seal Crush", based on a seal of the same name invented by Seimei to ward off demons.

Fall and Modern Status

It was not until the after Meiji Revolution, in 1870, that the new government passed a bill to ban Onmyōdō as a superstition, under the support of pure Shintoists and the exclusionists, who rejected Onmyōdō based on its Chinese roots.

After this, the Onmyōdō of old basically disappeared from Japanese society. Later, when the ban was lifted, Onmyōdō was already reduced to a point where it would never return to the level of prestige and power it once held during the Heian period.

Nowadays, there are two schools of Onmyōdō left, the "Tensha Tsuchimikado Shinto" (天社土御門神道) and the Izanagi School (いざなぎ流).

Tensha Tsuchimikado Shinto

This school was established by a family that traces it lineage back to Abe no Seimei, the Tsuchimikado Family.

Thanks to its fusion of Onmyōdō and Shinto, it was able to survive the ban on Onmyōdō by leaning on its Shinto side. Though it would lose official support regardless and turn to private practice.

The Izanagi School

A unique folk religion developed independently in the archaic Tosa Province (modern day Kōchi Prefecture). It has elements of Onmyōdō belief and practice, but aren't recognised by Tensha Tsuchimikado Shinto.

Popular Culture

The colourful stories of onmyōji from various legends, especially of them binding youkai to their control and excercising other mystical powers, captured the popular imagination and lead to a myriad of fictional depictions of them.

It is here that the most common depiction of shikigami emerges, as youaki bound by onmyōji, or spirits summoned into paper dolls by them. And it is here that we loop back to Len'en.

Shikigami of Len'en

The most info on shikigami in the Len'en series can be found in Garaiya Ogata's BPoHC profile:

A shikigami receives spiritual power from its master, and can act using the accumulated spiritual power from them. How much spiritual power they can save up and what they can do with said accumulated power varies from shikigami to shikigami. [...] However, the master's spiritual power is naturally limited. [...] However, since a slight amount of their master's power is constantly consumed to keep their shiki up and running. Multiplying too much will overburden their master, ultimately deactivating the shiki.

It would seem that shikigami run on a fairly unique set of rules in Len'en, that of an exchange and balance of spiritual power between master and subject.

The master needs to use their power to somehow activate and maintain a shiki contract with the subject, which creates a link between the two and allows the subject to draw on their masters power. In the case that the master runs out of power, the contract immediately deactivates.

The amount of spiritual power a shikigami stores seems to be somewhat proportional to how powerful they are, as seen in Kuriju Kesa being technically weaker than Kaisen Azuma, but still seen as more useful thanks to the former being better at storing spiritual power from Garaiya.

We don't really know much else about shikigami in the series, though there are a few things that we can speculate upon.

Bound Evildoer Shikigami

First we can examine the most prominent master-shikigami pairs, that between Garaiya and Kaisen & Garaiya and Kurjiu.

Below: Garaiya with Kaisen and Kujiru in animal form.

It's possible that these two are what I called "shikigami through karmic retribution", as they were apparently "pretty mischievous" in the past, prior to meeting Garaiya.

This is particularly likely with Kaisen, as one of their inspirations, the Chinese mythological creature known as Jinchan (金蟾 Lit. "gold/golden toad"), actually has pretty much this play out, just framed under Daoism instead of Onmyōdō.

In the folktale Liu Hai Tricks Jinchan (劉海戲金蟾), it is said Liu tamed a malevolent and greedy three-legged toad after fishing it out of the east sea. It became Jinchan and was henceforth the immortal's companion, following Liu wherever he went.

So yeah, basically "evil youkai does bad deeds" → "good person comes around and tames it" → "evil creature now serves the good person somehow".

With Kujiru, it's not as direct, since their basis, Kesa-gozen (袈裟御前), was the victim in her story, rather than the villain or a villain redeemed. Still, if JynX wanted to somehow collapse both the villain and the victim into one, they certainly can, so I can't really say that this disproves Kujiru as a "shikigami through karmic retribution".

Bonus Note: Jinbei

There's really not enough information on Jinbei to say much about them as a shikigami, but it's interesting to note that they don't (or at least don't only) draw power from their master.

Rather, they draw power from and supply power to the Mugenri Barrier, the current Senri priests (Yabusame and Tsubakura) as well as a yet undisclosed source.

On a personal note, Jinbei gives me the vibe of a spirit that was summoned into an object. Similar to the personified shikigami, though not summoned into a doll, but into the very jinbei that they're always wearing.

Conclusion

There's still much that we don't know about shikigami in Len'en, so other possibilities still exist with both Kaisen, Kujiru and Jinbei.

For example, Kaisen and Kujiru can also be spirits summoned into the youkai, akin to how the Touhou series conceptualises its shikigami. Or Jinbei could be a youkai who's subjugation contract is renewed with every new Senri priest.

Basically what I'm saying is that canonically all we have is the Garaiya profile and the two related 2021 interview answers that I've linked.

In any case though, I hope you at least got something out of the first part about the historical shikigami, and how they are classified and used even to this very day.

As usual, I hope you enjoyed~! :)

#len'en #len'en project #len'en lore #garaiya ogata #kujiru kesa #kaisen azuma #jinbei #jinbei len'en #shikigami #I tried to find english translations for these terms #but like I said #well known in popular culture but not in its historical understanding #so it was difficult to find much about this in english #I'm leaving the “jinbei” tag there #maybe this'll be interesting for the traditional Japanese fashion crowd #who knows?

[a-a-a-anon]

if i had a nickel for every time a male british comedian i like said that on a childhood birthday a patriarch in their family said they were too old to hug and kiss them bc it's girly/gay i would have two nickels???? which isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice....

(ade edmondson:)

(jon richardson:)

I went to kiss my granddad once-I would have only been about 7 or 8, but I'd had clearly what my grandad viewed as a landmark birthday. I went to say goodbye, and I kissed my Nana Gwen and went to kiss my Grandad Ron, and Grandad Ron said, "You're a man now. You don't kiss other men anymore." (- meet the richardsons 2.08)

#i think (popular) british comedys relationship with masculinity is sooo interesting bc there will be like you know #kind of old schoolish jokes said on panel shows about like oh that person isnt manly or something #but at the same time many british male comedians seem comfortable with material involving doing things that arent very traditionally #masculine like physical intimacy with men or dressing up traditionally feminine etc #(which isnt them trying to do a Statement or anything just like them doing it) #thats kind of like a staple of british comedy i feel like #more so than american comedy #i feel like its #an interesting interplay between (obviously trying to be subversive like all comedy but also) echos from the alt comedy scene #(which was expressly trying to NOT depend on sexism for humor (like the traditional comedy of working mens clubs)) #and the inescapable sexism of general culture still affecting comedy and also men's lives today (repressed as hell) #and like the jokes about masculinity are obviously a reaction (unconscious or not) TO being so repressed #britcom #nina.rambles #adrian edmondson #jon richardson #tw abuse #does this make sense? no<3 #ALSOOOO that interview with ade is everything to me. hes the cutest man in the world actually. he cried when his grandson #said “good job everyone!” as he got 2nd place in a race (out of happiness). and then cried while talking about it. and he grew up in such a #repressed era #WE LOVE TO SEE GROWTH!!

[mjalford98]

A collection of photos from the St Patrick's Day parade in Bristol on Sunday 17th of March. For a celebration of traditional Irish culture, it was quite modern and flamboyant, and not without its references to more progressive political agendas (though I've heard of worse), it was wonderful to see how many people come together to enjoy and appreciate a culture that, inasmuch as it has spread across the globe, remains of distinct localised origin.

This is why I am a photographer, to explore in visuals culture in all its various forms, the good, the bad, and the ugly, exploring what makes communities tick, what brings people together, and what pulls them apart. It is local culture that brings communities together, forging links between people and the places the live in, no matter their origin or background, and if we want local and national cultures to continue playing that role, then we must do everything to preserve their identity and uniqueness through all the cultural convolutions of an increasingly globalised world.

#St Patrick's Day #Bristol #parade #shamrock #bishop #Traditionalist #culture #politics #community #photography #city life #localism #Irish culture #Irish traditional music #celebration #heritage #local culture #popular culture #folk culture #folk music #Irish folk music #national culture #cultural identity #culture photography #Christianity #Christian heritage

[sanstropfremir]

Please share all your Jopping thoughts! I am now exceedingly curious.

L;AKSDJF;LASDKJFL;SDAKJF ANON I LOVE YOUUUUU

i dont remember if i kept this in my maximalist kpop post or not but i had wrote a whole section about how the concept of superm as a group is maximalism and everything that they did is probably the purest form of kpop performance spectacle that we've seen in the last several years. kpop has always been about taking random americanisms and extrapolating them into a weird and altogether new conglomorate of cultural hybrid bizarreness and superm ramps that up to 100 (pun intended). the disparate visual western touchstones (cars/motorsports, cowboys, big tech + machines, superheros, military, collegiate gear) all crammed together with choreo that goes extremely hard for no reason, stupid and cringe (complimentary) english lyrics, completely over the top studio set pieces, and all done by a group that's literally assembled from defining groups of the last three generations, from the company that pioneered the industry? how can it be anything except the pinnacle of modern kpop? people can make the arguments all they want that sm was attempting to pander to the west in the vein of bts, but what those people miss is that superm was never totally westernized in the way that bts has been in their recent endeavours. superm maintains a sense of koreanness throughout not only their music (promoting i can't stand the rain on the ellen show along with jopping, none of their title songs being fully in english) but also visually with tiger inside, which has become their most popular song second to jopping. sm was very careful not to sacrifice the threads of what makes kpop korean with superm, and that's what makes everything about what they were doing work.

#kpop questions #superm w #superm #the big mistake that hybe and bts has made is that they think that kpop is popular because it's like western pop #and so they have tailored their groups to match that assumption #but this is not what makes kpop popular with the people who are longtime fans or who engage with a lot of different groups #it is the differences the synthesis the cultural hybridity that makes it popular #it is a unique type of pop music and to strip it of those factors is to strip it of character #like superm is extremely transparently a manufactured group and that's what makes them work #like obvs the song with the lyric 'cuz when we jumping and popping with jopping' is not come heartfelt ''authentic'' labour of love #and that's the point!! they are all about the most spectacle all the time to entertain you!! #no pretending to be fake deep we are all here for the glory of the game (watching a group of kpop's best dancing their little hearts out) #real fakery >>>>>>>>>>>>> authenticity every day bc fakery is DESIGNED TO BE THE BEST IT CAN AT THAT SPECIFIC THING #if you were to modernize/'4th gen-ify' a bg track from 2011-15 jopping is exactly what it would be like. it is the natural evolution #i realize this is less about jopping and more just about superm in general. but i think jopping is the perfect intro #and their really impressive work is with superone and their 2020 cbs #absolutely inspired of sm to go from insane americanisms (100) to traditional koreanisms (tiger inside) #and then right back to DIFFERENT insane americanisms (one) in the span of a little over a MONTH #anyways yes i WILL take deep artistic meaning from superm and you cant stop me!! #also: the superone promo photos for one/the collegiate styling + the accompanying merch are some of THE best kpop merch of all time #literally those photos are incredible and that athleisure collegiate combo is soooooo inspired #also they have a stellar discography. its so fucking good #text #answers

[bright-eyed]

The Road Not Taken 

BY ROBERT FROST

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

#i remember reading someone say once that this is one of the most popular poems in the english language despite being the most misunderstood #if you ask someone on the street what they remember it means they usually say it’s about taking the road less traveled and being independen #not taking the traditional way and forging your own path. at least that’s what culture has taken from the poem #but it’s actually about how no matter which path you take you always think back with regret that you didn’t take another #and that you think you can see what each path will lead to but you can’t and at the end of the day they’re not that different #when the older version of the narrator says ‘i took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference’ that’s how they’re #contextualizing and giving meaning to their decision and their life but one can never know the ‘difference’ that was made because #we can’t live more than one life in order to find out if there really is a difference #we make ourselves promises that we’ll live every version of life and take all the paths we cross but we get older and we realize we can’t #not only that we can’t but we didn’t and we never will have done #when we say that choice made all the difference we’re not talking about how we won because we were independent or started a new trail for #others to follow we’re just saying that that choice made our life what it is and that can never be undone and we can never know what could #have happened #i think that take on it is more depressing for people so they stick with the other one #it’s more inspiring to think of it as a poem about making your own way rather than as a poem about how we are forced to make every decision #that will determine our fates without knowing what might happen and with our eyes closed and ears plugged and no matter what we do #we will probably live to regret something about it #anyway enough rambling #did you know robert frost was a march aries #w #robert frost #kennapost

[camelspit]

why does libby have an amish section now

#Ok ok ok so this isnt all #I went through it a bit #And 90% of the covers are a woman in a field wearing a kapp and a blue dress #But they also all look boring #I went to goodreads for some of them #And they all had around 4 stars #Didnt take long to figure out thats because #Only middle aged amish women were reading them #But theres one popular author in the amish field named amy something #Shes southern likes hp and enjoys traditional gender roles #And shes written over 70 amish books #And i think her writing career started around 2016 #But get this gang #Shes not fucking amish #She just enjoys it or something #Which like ok but what #I also found an article she wrote about how people were wrong and #Orange is the new black wasnt actually appropriating amish culture #Havent watched the show so idk but #This is weird right. Like. This is unnatural. #Also found one goodreads review that gave amy one star #Because the book had like 3 curse words in it #And she doesnt like that 'trash' in her books #Planning to do more research later #Might even read one of the books #I found one that looked like it wouldnt be too mind numbing to get through #And saved it just in case #Deep dive into amish romance books #Would that entertain you all

[panvani]

On some level I appreciate encouraging people to read "translated novels," but the action itself is pretty hollow unless you have some concrete intellectual/artistic/whatever purpose or goal in mind while reading translated novels. The predominance of English language novels at the detriment of all others within the Anglosphere, when other languages/cultures tend to import translated English language novels at a high rate, is, indeed, problematic, but this is more because of general American media hegemony and its relationship to American exceptionalism than an esoteric quality inherent to the virtue of the Translated Novel. An English language novel by, for example, a (living) African or West Asian author represents a greater gesture towards international literacy than a translated classic from Western Europe, and neither of these represent real political or social understanding, just your willingness to engage with literary figures and traditions that are not already within the immediate American cultural sphere.

#logxx #+ I think anyone who regularly reads classics probably already reads translated European classics #Because the US didn't really establish its degree of cultural hegemony over even Europe until after WWII #So the US literary tradition pre-WWII is still heavily informed by European (esp English French and Central Euro) literature #If someone Doesn't already read classics there's no real point in recommending they read literary fiction But Translated... #Cuz they're just not going to care about it or like it... #With that in mind I think it's much more useful to recommend for example books by world region while distinguishing btwn #Classics and popular fiction #And I think it's more helpful to think about Where a novel was created and By Whom than In What Language... #And then finally there is the thing of how media engagement is not a meaningful political gesture #So if you're doing this sort of thing it should be for personal interest/fulfillment rather than like... #... because you think it'll make you a better person....

[a-god-in-ruins-rises]

Names for a boy ?

yeah i have a shortlist of names i would consider. i won't list them all because a lot of them are embarrassing. lmao. but....

i'm a big fan of classic, timeless names. especially names that are meaningful (though it's not always necessary). i also tend to favor names that have a more formal form and a more casual form.

some examples would be "frederick" or "theodore" or "alexander" or "richard" or "berthold" or "bernard" or "evander". so the child, as they grow, will probably be known to most as "fred" or "theo" or "alex" or "evan" or whatever. but when they're older and they become poets and conquerors and so on, they'll be able to use the more dignified forms of their names.

i'm also a fan of names that are sorta short and sweet but still unique and have a timeless quality to them. like "orion" or "orson" or "hector" or "havelock" or "barrett" or "soren" or "virgil" or "ambrose" or "florian" or "titus".

also i'm unironically into virtue names. maybe not as a first name, but as a middle name or something? but i think a boy named "valor" or "ardent" or even just "virtue" would be pretty cool. but i also like the more puritan imperative naming conventions. maybe my son will be known as "livewell" or "fear-none" or "arise" or "exalt". would be cool.

#i mean most names in most cultures throughout history were virtue names #don't quote me on that #idk if it's actually technically most #but i know a lot of popular names are just virtue names from other cultures #so why not revive the tradition

[yappacadaver]

i log on, i see the dumbest takes posted by gaijin, i leave

#naruto becoming popular in the west is such a double edged sword xD #like yes it's awesome i get to see nart streetwear in my city #but westerners posting analysis or crit or jokes that are so dumb i cringe i cringgggeeeee #pls remember that nart is a modern japanese manga that is heavily steeped in japanese culture both old and modern #we got references to noh kabuki feudal lordship 90's fashion (in japan) festivals religion/spirituality traditional fashion and more #not sayng im an expert on any of these just that 90% of the western fandom positions themselves as experts of the franchise and like #are you really a naruto expert with only the best opinions on your blorbos if you don't even understand their cultural background a little? #consider it....... perhaps

[silvermoon424]

For the purposes of this poll please just stick to birth names! I'd like to do another poll for names people chose themselves later in life.

#names #my polls #polls #poll #tumblr polls #naming #I'm named after my great grandmother btw #my middle name is another great grandma #1k #5k #10k

[prabodhjamwal]

Theatre Of Roots: Creating A National Identity By Promoting The Regional Elements

  “The National School of Drama (NSD) played a significant role in inflecting the nature of a movement that began in search of a new idiom.” Bhawani Bashir Yasir* The theatre of roots can only be termed the theatre which has earned its relevance and subjectivity that could earn its popular legitimacy from the people and the regions where it belongs. And that ensures its distinct identity, and…

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#B V Karanth #Bansi Koul #Bhand Pather #Bharat Rang Mahautsav #European Theatre #Habib Tanvir #Indian Theatre #Jabbar Patel #K N Pannikar #Kashmir #Martial Arts #National School of Drama #National Theatre Idiom #Playwrights #Popular Entertainment #Rang Manch #Rattan Thiyam #Scholars #Social-cultural sensivities #Theatre Activists #Theatre of Roots #Theatre Practitioners #Traditional Dances