Jewish Tradition

One Jewish tradition that is practiced in Fiddler On The Roof is arranged marriages. In Fiddler On The Roof, Tevye tries his best to find husbands for his five daughters. He has help from the matchmaker, Yente, who’s job is to find matches between the young people in the community. Yente matches Tevye’s oldest daughter, Tzeitel, with the butcher. However Tzeitel is in love with Motel, the tailor. Motel and Tzeitel ignore tradition and get married anyway. Two of Tevye’s other daughters, Hodel and Chava, also ignore this tradition as they get married to men who are not from their village. Tevye’s daughters are representative of the times because that tradition has slowly faded away over time. Today, it is only practiced in strict, orthodox Jewish communities. I think that it is a good thing that it’s no longer practiced. I believe that young people should have a say in who they marry. I know that I wouldn’t want to marry someone I don’t even know, so why should anyone else have to? Arranged marriages might have worked out in the past but they don’t have a place in today’s society.

Jewish Traditions

In the play, Fiddler on the Roof, there were many Jewish traditions that stuck out to me. One out of many traditions in the play was the Jewish wedding and how Jewish tradition is to marry into the same religion. Some of the traditions in a Jewish wedding are: the white canopy that the couple is married under, the two glasses of wine that are shared amongst the couple, the veil that is in front of and over her face and the breaking of a wine glass at the end of the wedding. The first object is the white canopy which is to resemble a home where the new couple is to build their relationship and grow together. The second object is the two glasses of wine that are shared between the couple to show joy. Third, the veil remaining that is in front of and over her face is to show the modesty of women. Final the breaking of the wine glass is to show their commitment to each other and being together forever. This same tradition is still relevant with us today in Jewish weddings.

Bulgarian Traditions.

Although I am born and raised in American, I celebrate a lot of classic Bulgarian traditions since my family is from there. 
-"Baba Marta" is a tradition in which it is customary that friends and family gift one another little red and white pins, often made of string, on March 1st and you are supposed to wear them on your clothes for at least that day. Baba Marta is a celebration of the end of a long, cold winter, and the start of a beautiful spring season; wearing the pins is also a sign of luck for the coming season. 
-On March 8th it's the celebration of "Women's Day" and it's simply the day to appreciate women. In my family, my mom and I are usually just given flowers and have a nice dinner with the family. A lot of traditions in Bulgaria are meant to honor someone, such as Women's Day, Father's Day, Name Days, etc. 
-All throughout the year, there are certain days dedicated to more common names in Bulgaria, like Evan or Petar. On name days, the person is often thrown a party and given gifts or money simply in honor of their name. 

-During the Christmas season, there are plenty of traditions. Depending on religious affiliations, some people fast for 40 days before Christmas, but my family does not do that. However, all Bulgarians have a vegan Christmas Eve dinner in which there has to be 9 separate meals presented on the table. On Christmas day everyone can eat meat again, so we usually have pork chops or home-made sausages. (A quick side note, my family has 1-2 "sausage making days" a year in which we buy a lot of meat, and make a lot of home-made sausages in our kitchen.)

-Compared to American meals, Bulgarian meals last a long time. When we get together with other family members or good friends, meals often last hours and there are multiple courses and plenty of conversation. Also, drinking is a more appreciated thing in Bulgaria; if a shot is poured, it's not taken at once like we do here, it's common to savor the alcohol and take one's time drinking it. 
-On New Years there is a tradition called Sourovakvane. In this, kids take sticks and decorate them with just about anything in order to make them appear more festive. Then, at the New Year's party, the adults line up and the children go from adult to adult and tap them on the back with their stick while saying a short rhyme ("Sourova, sourova, vesala godeena, da ce jeef, da ce zdraf, da jevefsh do ameena") which is meant to grant the adults luck in their new year, and in return, the adults give the children money. 


These traditions all seem strange compared to things celebrated in America, but I've grown up with all of these common practices. 

Tradition

I think tradition mentioned in Fiddler on the Roof was a very good theme for the play. One tradition in particular I found interesting was the duty of each family member. The Papa was the head of the household and worked to provide for his family. The Mama had to take care of the house and the children so that the Papa could reflect on his holy books. Then the sons attended school, learned a trade, and had a wife picked for them. Meanwhile, the daughters did not go to school, but were instead taught household duties by their mothers and then expected to marry whomever the Papa wanted them to. There was a designated position in the household for each different type of family member, and if a family member stepped outside of that position, such as a daughter marrying who she chose, it was considered breaking tradition. Tevye’s daughters step outside of their tradition by marrying who they want, and while this was frowned upon by their society, I think they had the right to love who they wanted.

Traditions

Traditions are really important to our history. I think that without traditions our world would be totally different than it is today. One tradition that I love is St. Nicholas Day. This tradition was started to remind children that Santa Claus is in fact St. Nicholas. St Nicholas was a bishop in the city Myra which is now Turkey. St. Nicholas was a kind generous man who always was willing to help those who were in need. He is the patron saint of children because of all the love he showed to kids. A St. Nicholas celebration is when presents are put in children’s shoes. Children can leave their shoe outside their door or by the fireplace just like a stocking. It is said that if the child was good he or she will receive candy and coins, but if the child was bad the only gift will be coal or dirt. The day when this occurs is December 6^th. Many families of Christian religion celebrate this tradition. Now a days many German families celebrate this tradition. Parents think this gives children something special before Christmas actually comes. It gives them something to look forward to every year when they technically get an early Christmas gift.

Personally I love this tradition. Every since I can remember my family and I have participated in St. Nicholas Day. I never kept track of the date December 6^th, but I do remember my mom always saying don’t forget to put a shoe outside your door before you go to sleep. My siblings and I always put a shoe outside our bedroom door. Sometimes we would even put out two shoes to try to get more from St. Nicholas, but St. Nicholas(my parents) caught on. Once we put the shoe outside the door I would sit in my bed and wait till I heard St. Nicholas. It never worked because I always fell asleep before St. Nicholas came to put candy in my shoe. I really like this tradition because I have grown up with it and not doing it would be weird. So even though I am 18 I still put a shoe outside my room and my mom fills it with candy or small presents & I honestly cant wait to go home for Christmas so I can put my shoe outside my bedroom door. When I have a family of my own I want to start this tradition and have my children keep it going. It is very important to keep traditions going so that people have little bit of history. Even though St. Nicholas doesn’t really put candy and presents in our shoes our parents do, it is still cool to think that it has been happening for so many years.

Fiddler on the Roof Tradition

Throughout Fiddler on the Roof, the tradition of arranged marriage is extremely prevalent. This idea is not simply rooted in Jewish history, as it is in the play, but has roots far earlier. For the most part, records show that arranged marriages seem to have begun somewhere in Asia. The reasoning behind this stands that parents should make important decisions, such as that of marriage, for their children. In most societies where this occurs, arranged marriages seem to last longer (which is obvious in most areas, due to the fact that if a society is using arranged marriages, divorce would probably end up with both members of the ended marriage being kicked out of said society) and in most cases, these marriages seem to provide happiness. Now most people in our culture would argue against this, saying that love is the only way to happiness, yet in arranged marriages, people wouldn't have a choice, so in the end, most probably choose to be happy. Once more, we see a tradition that is rooted in religious and societal cultures that root back far beyond the play we saw.

Homecoming: More Than Just a Tradition Set in Stone

With the spirit of the previous week here at Mizzou, I feel it is necessary to write my blog post on a very unique tradition. A tradition that brought over 71,000 people, along with their hoodies, raincoats, blankets, face paint, probably a couple of coolers, yada yada yada, to one phenomenal place. Yes, ladies and gentlemen I am talking about our own University of Missouri’s Homecoming that happens every year at Faurot Field. It is said, and I do believe, that the University of Missouri was the creator of the event called “homecoming” – 99 years ago! Now I’d say that’s quite a tradition. Whenever that time of the year rolls around you can just feel the intensity and joyfulness of this very important tradition. People start gathering and planning ideas of decoration, entertainment, and ways for students to get involved. Why is it important? It is not only important to the students that enjoy the game, or for the athletes that prepare themselves everyday for their finest performance, or for the media throughout the United States; it is important to the majority of the University of Missouri alumni and their families; reinforcing their compassion in Mizzou, letting them know that there is still spirit within the university and that it’s supported by thousands upon thousands of fans – Mizzou’s still got it.
Along with the game come many more, what I like to call, “sub-traditions”. One is the presentation of the student body’s choice for Homecoming Royalty. Many candidates are chosen, male and female. From those choices two, one from each sex, are chosen as King and Queen. The Homecoming Royalty from the previous season is also there to present the crowns to the new royalty. Another sub-tradition within homecoming is simply the gathering of friends and family to watch one of the most anticipated football games of the season, first starting out with some tailgating before the game. Once in the game your true colors are shown. By the end of the night you’ll have six simple letters carved into your brain cells: M-I-Z - Z-O-U! And of course I can’t forget the awesome food and after parties but I think you all know where that’s headed. After the win, hypothetically speaking, the Gold Post (field goal) is taken down and divided up so people can get a souvenir of that gracious night.
As a student this tradition is very important to me because of the enlightening feeling that brings to campus. Seeing the fans storm through the gates into the stands made me feel like I was a part of something huge. It gives everyone something to look forward to, besides the trash-man. I feel that it is also a tradition that reminds the football team that they are still an important aspect of this university; seeing their fans sporting their true colors of black and gold shows them that we’re here to see them “do work.”

Fiddler on the roof- tradition of the match-maker

One Tradition that was interesting to me was the fact that the Jewish people were against marrying outside of their religion and if someone did find happiness with someone outside their faith they were considered dead to all their relatives. I can understand that for most people marrying someone with the same spiritual beliefs is essential, but I don’t understand why you can shun someone for loving someone different then themselves. Plus by putting someone in that situation where they are shunned by their family and friends causes them to not be able to bring their children up in a Jewish environment. I thought it was fascinating how they had a match-maker that went around and decided who should be married and the fact that it was a female when it was the “Papa” that made all the decisions. Today Jewish people still have match-makers, but it’s not something one has to do, one can find their own spouse instead of spending money on a match-maker.

Homecoming

Homecoming: one of the greatest occurrences, much less traditions, to ever take place. There are an uncountable amount of reasons why homecoming is my favorite tradition, but the top three reasons are the school spirit, the cohesiveness, and the pride. First, the school spirit during homecoming is unfathomable. The only two colors familiar to sight are yellow and black, banners and decorations cover the campus, and "MIZ-ZOU" is spelt more in one day than any word is spelt in a year. What happens if Mizzou decides to beat the number 1 ranked team in the nation? The Mizzou fans join together to rush the field in mass chaos. Along with showing school spirit, this compromise to turn the field yellow shows a bond between 70,005 red in the face Mizzou fans. Within that group of fans are alums, students, parents, faculty, and many other groups eligible of being human, or a tiger. The feeling of knowing that former Mizzou students and present Mizzou students can share an experience like beating the number one team, rushing the field, and then going on to carry the goal posts downtown is the ultimate definition of tradition. Having a tradition like homecoming gifts these versatile groups with having something in common. Each group equally enjoys the traditions of the 2 hour parade, the decorated Greek Town, the service opportunities, the tailgating, and the multiple Mizzou cheers. From personal experience, homecoming can take a lot of hard work and time commitment. Being in a sorority helped me priorly realize how big of a tradition homecoming really is. If it weren't such a big tradition then sororities wouldn't require spending money on pounds of tissue paper to pomp huge boards. Also, the res halls and campus organizations wouldn't go through the hard work of creating floats and painting the district to show their school spirit and unity. The thought of going through all of this previous labor instills a great sense of pride in the students, which is deadly contagious for any visitor. Another homecoming component that greatly contributes to the Mizzou pride is if the game ends in a victory. The streets after the game were infested with fans screaming and cheering as well as cars honking. Any Oklahoma trespasser should have kept their distance, for the pride was easily attainable. In conclusion, Mizzou's homecoming is one big tradition with many little traditions within it. Warning: it may cause chills, over-excitement, and a lack of sleep.

Tradition / Fiddler On Da RooooooFFzz

Tradition / Fiddler

Something I thought was very strange was how the people from “Fiddler On The Roof” separated their genders based on rules of the Jewish faith and tradition. Males were not allowed to dance with females, they were not allowed to date, and they weren’t even allowed to hold hands. In addition to staying away from the opposite gender, they also had to have arranged marriages. I think that having an arranged marriage is very unfair, I know it’s the tradition for many cultures, but I think that because of it, people are missing out on a lot of experiences. There’s no dating, or getting to know the person is safe and that you truly have feelings for them before you may, or may not, get married to them. Which is why I’m very thankful that in our culture we don’t have to have arranged marriage. We may follow the tradition of asking the father’s permission, but that’s a lot nicer / easier than being completely unaware to who you’re going to marry until the day you walk down the isle.

Erin's Jewish Tradition

The Jewish tradition I most noticed in the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" was arranged marriage. The matchmaker was there to arrange the marriage between the oldest daughter and the butcher. But, she did not marry the butcher, she chose who she married....which was very against this tradition. For a while, marriage was just a way to take care of issues: settle arguments between families, settle debts, come into money, even end a war. So the parents would arrange the marriage with a person of their choice to take care of this issue. Many were involved in economics, not love.

I would hate a arranged marriage. I think a person should marry who they want and that's that. It's such a big thing, I don't think parents should tell you who to love and start a family with. Arranged marriages just make me feel uncomfortable. I was so happy when the 3 daughters all decided to run off and marry who they wanted...even if it pissed off their family.

Erin

Arranged marriges

A big tradition mentioned quite often in Fiddler was the tradition of arranged marriages. It originated in ancient western cultures and is a part of many religious customs. In Fiddler on the Roof arranged marriages were proven to be common with Jewish customs. The thought of arranged marriages is traditional but meant for the past. Along with the marriage comes other traditional values like the woman staying at home while the man works all day. In today’s society people, or women, have so much opportunity to step outside the house and make careers for themselves. Many women enjoy the best of both worlds and can be a mother/wife at home but also juggle a career. With responsibility also comes with independence, for both genders. American’s embrace their liberties and independence so one’s ability to choose whom they date exercises their independence. Unless one is nothing but obedient, old fashioned, and traditional, I don’t think arranged marriages will ever be an option. The forced move of the children moving to America and the family being torn apart signifies their family traditions being lost and diminished.

tradition

The musical, Fiddler on the Roof, presented many traditions that are common in the Jewish faith. One of these traditions is the custom of asking the father of the family for permission to marry. The father's often choose their daughters future husbands to ensure they are a proper match. Throughout the musical, Tevye, the main character's, daughters continually defy his "right" to choose their husbands, by picking men that their father wouldn't necessarily have chosen for them. Many of these engagements are arranged with the help of a matchmaker, who informs the mothers of who is eligible for their daughter to marry. Tevye’s oldest daughter decides to defy her father and not marry the man he has chosen for her. She marries an old friend. Tevye’s second daughter marries a man who is not Jewish, which is against her father’s wishes. He decides to shun his daughter and tells the rest of the family not to contact her. This becomes incredibly hard for the family to do when they are uprooted from their home and are forced to move to America.

Tradition!

Finally, your topic for your third blogpost: We've focused a lot on tradition lately, so here's your chance to explore one. Take one tradition mentioned in Fiddler on the Roof and write about it's origin and the current practice. Talk about how it makes you feel, if you think it's antiquated, or the ways in which it is still relevant to us today. If you attended Fiddler, you have to do a tradition from the show and you only have to do 150-200 words. (If you have a problem generating an idea, we can talk together)


If you did not attend Fiddler, you may choose a tradition of your own interest, but not any of the ones we talked about in class. You will be expected to do the regular 400-500 words.
Please do not forget that you have to respond to a classmate's blog as well (75-100 words). All posts and responses are due by two Wednesdays from now October 27th at 11:59pm.

diversity event! Toys, toys, toys!

The question that sticks in my mind from the diversity event is the one about the toys. It asked something about how little boys should only play with trucks and cars and other boy like stuff and girls should only play with things like dolls or girly things. I thought this was a very interesting and funny question, but I didn’t agree with it. This question was not very clear, but aren’t action figures not like dolls? Some would argue that dolls are for dressing up and playing house, but when I was a child my dolls would go on life threatening adventures. Not to mention the fact that I played with trucks and cars just as much as any boy I knew at the time, given the fact that my toy cars where fancy and looked way girly it doesn’t hide the fact that I was playing with toys that where supposedly made for boys. When it comes to toys it is very hard to classify if it is a boy toy or a girl toy, but I do think that the way a toy looks has a lot to do with it.