Decoration Days and Mother’s Day—beginning research

meredith — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:23:50 +0000

In the next few weeks, people all around the Yell County, Arkansas area will be decorating family graves. For our family Saturday the 9th is Decoration Day at Brearley, Cottontown, and Chickelah Cemeteries. The following week is Decoration Day at Harkey’s Valley cemetery. Sandwiched in between all these Decoration Days is Mother’s Day, a time when many mothers wear corsages to honor their own mothers—a red one if your mother is still living, a white one if your mother has passed away.My family always kept these traditions alive, and I have always tried to be a somewhat active participant in the tradition bearing. But this year especially I find myself very interested in these traditions and what they mean to the community as a whole and to each individual who takes part. I am curious what others know about these holidays and how they are celebrated.

SO—

I am beginning some research on the folkways of Mother’s Day and Decoration Day here in Yell County. I am going to possibly put together a radio piece about traditions in this area. I hope the research will continue past the radio project as a part of my general research here in Yell County. In general terms, I am curious who celebrates these holidays, how they celebrate them, and why.

Do you or anyone in your family celebrate Decoration Day? You may not do it yourself but perhaps know that your grandmas do. Or maybe you have some far off memory of Decoration Days past. Basically it’s when members of the community go and decorate all the family graves within cemetery. Each cemetery has a different Decoration Day and many families attend different Decoration Days throughout the month of May. Back when I was a kid many people used to spend the whole afternoon at the cemetery visiting with one another after decorating the graves. A few cemeteries still do that.

Meshed in with this tradition of decorating the graves is the wearing of corsages on Mother’s Day.Do you or anyone you know take part in the tradition of wearing corsages on Mother’s Day?

If you participate in any of these folkways or know someone in your family who does (regardless of where you live, but especially if you live in the Yell County area), I would really, really love to hear more about it.

Email me at meredithmartin underscore moats at yahoo.

June is Torture Awareness Month

meredith — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:42:49 +0000

This month religious and human rights groups across the nation are drawing attention to the immoral nature of torture and sending a message to the president that the American people do not support torture.

While listening to a recent radio segment on Air America’s State of Belief (one of my new favorite radio shows), I heard about the National Religious Campaign to End Torture. This month churches around the nation are hanging banners that announce their belief that torture is not a political issue but a moral issue.

For more information or to order a banner for your organization, visit their site:
National Religious Campaign to End Torture.

The intersection of faith and social justice is particularly interesting on both a very personal gut level and on a folkloric one as well.
I am curious–from a folklore and belief perspective, what would Don Yoder and Primiano make of this campaign and this larger intersection between belief and action toward political change?

The Boiled Down Juice » folk belief

Decoration Days and Mother’s Day—beginning research

June is Torture Awareness Month