Comments on: Baby Jumping Festival & Rites of Passage

Baby Jumping Festival & Rites of Passage

madamjujujive — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 05:38:38 -0800

Jumping over babies - on June 22 in Burgos, Spain, parents will dress newborn babies in finery and lay them in the street so that a man dressed as the devil can leap over them. It's an age-old ritual. Many cultures have colorful ceremonial rites of passage marked by festivals - have you come upon any in your travels?

By: MiguelCardoso

MiguelCardoso — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 06:00:49 -0800

Great topic for a post, juju! I'll be following this thread closely. I'm sorry I have no memories worth speaking of, except the exquisite rite de passage that exists in Berlin, whereby Michael Jackson dangles his newborn from the window of the city's best hotel. How very strange this Burgos tradition is! You'd never find Portuguese mommies laying down their babies like that. Why can't the Spaniards function culturally without the presence of danger and the spectre of blood being spilled? ;)

By: Postroad

Postroad — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 06:13:04 -0800

In my area we have a someaht similar tradition. We line up naked girls, 18-20 years of age. Young men must jump over their naked bodies. If by chance you do not make it over them but instead land on one, you must marry her. Over the years it has become fashionable for the best looking girls to plant themselves in the middle so the ugly ones are more likely to get "hit on." This encourages the men to make big leaps.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 06:18:49 -0800

Intellectually thinking: The horrific story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson immediately sprung to mind; largely unquestioned traditions and customs that continue on because of locally held beliefs or fear of the circumstances of change. Emotionally thinking: Oh my god! Somebody help the cute little babies! Mr. Devil Man, please don't squash the cute little babies! Why can't you just jump over photographs of the cute little babies? I hope that you practiced this a few times before you went out and actually jumped over the cute little babies! Detachedly thinking: I want his outfit. Postroad: So did you land in the middle, towards the end, or did you make it all the way across? Expect lots of emails asking for directions to your town ;)

By: Sijeka

Sijeka — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 06:20:15 -0800

Great picture.

By: MrBaliHai

MrBaliHai — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 07:11:36 -0800

In Wisconsin, college students celebrate the transition to adulthood by throwing a "Wapatuli" party in which mass quantities of different varieties of hard liquor are poured willy-nilly into a garbage can, then consumed until alcohol poisoning and death occur. Consequently, only the largest and most robust survive into adulthood. In neighboring Minnesota, weaker specimens are weeded out by the Ordeal of Lutefisk. Uff da! P.S. mjjj, remind me to post something about the Catalonian Christmas tradition, of "beating the shit log" sometime.

By: krazykity16

krazykity16 — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 07:27:51 -0800

Italian's do this crazy greasy pole contest. They dress up in ridiculous outfits, then launch themselves over a greased up telephone pole in search of fame, glory, and the flag at the end. It's in honor (mpg, and they're chanting in sicilian if you're wondering) of St. Peter, the patron saint of fisherman. I've been told that usually the pole is vertical, but here it's over the water and horizontal. And this wasn't discovered by me in any of my travels, rather I live right down the street from it.

By: PenDevil

PenDevil — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 08:16:56 -0800

Looking at that first picture it's good to see ELvis finally found his true calling.

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 08:28:00 -0800

why krazykitty16, thanks for the great links - that's within driving distance for me, yet I never heard about it...I've been to some of the Italian festivals in the North End of Boston, those are great, but this looks a bit more unusual. Never been to an event like Postroad described, but I think I have been at similar events to Mr. BaliHai's Wapatuli. Pleased to say I survived. Interesting associations, iconomy! And please always share your detached thoughts - haha. Miguel, no Portuguese fests? What about the curious and ever-popular annual scaring of the tourists?

By: spazzm

spazzm — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 09:14:16 -0800

Uff da! Huffameg!

By: Pretty_Generic

Pretty_Generic — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 09:40:28 -0800

Spain has some of the weirdest and worst in the West. Not surprising for a country which has for years allowed bullfighting contrary to EU law.

By: Postroad

Postroad — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 09:46:59 -0800

Before there was an EU, there was bull fighting in Spain. After the EU has gone, there will be bullfighting in Spain. I think bull fighting ought to be an olympic sport.

By: Pretty_Generic

Pretty_Generic — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 09:52:05 -0800

I think Dance Dance Revolution ought to be an Olympic sport.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 11:40:34 -0800

Bring back bull leaping!

By: grahamwell

grahamwell — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 13:53:57 -0800

The Turks do circumcision with great style. It's a massive party for the whole village with a procession and lots of laughter and fun. It's made bittersweet by the sight of the little boy preparing for the ordeal in the most amazing dress.

By: plep

plep — Sun, 22 Jun 2003 00:23:55 -0800

Circumcision and Rites of Sexual lnitiation (scroll down a little), especially as practised by Australian Aborigines and East Africans.

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Sun, 22 Jun 2003 00:41:52 -0800

I'm not sure if it's a rite of passage per se, but I once attended the Watermelon Thump Festival in Luling, Texas (home of the World's Largest Watermelon, not to mention the Best. Barbecue. Ever.), where I saw the crowning of the Watermelon Thump Queen.

By: plep

plep — Sun, 22 Jun 2003 02:16:05 -0800

Nelson Mandela - after the circumcision ritual. 'That first night, at midnight, an attendant, or khaukatha, crept around the hut, gently waking each of us. We were then instructed to leave the hut and go tramping through the night to bury our foreskins. The traditional reason for this practice was so that our foreskins would be hidden before wizards could use them for evil purposes, but, symbolically, we were also burying our youth. I did not want to leave the warm hut and wander through the bush in the darkness, but I walked into the trees and, after a few minutes, untied my foreskin and buried it in the earth. I felt as though I had now discarded the last remnant of my childhood ... '

By: sic

sic — Sun, 22 Jun 2003 13:58:54 -0800

Why can't the Spaniards function culturally without the presence of danger and the spectre of blood being spilled? ;) Oi toiro! Toiro! Nunca olvides, mi querido Miguel, !somos medio hermanos! ¡ole!

By: krazykity16

krazykity16 — Sun, 22 Jun 2003 19:30:51 -0800

juju - if you're really interested in seeing this... erm... event, the links I gave are from a couple of years ago; the festival doesn't start until the 26th this year. oh and Vidiot - I don't think I'd like anything more than to be referred to as the Watermelon Thump Queen.

By: eddydamascene

eddydamascene — Sun, 22 Jun 2003 19:49:04 -0800

El Colacho terrorises the children!