LL-L "Traditions" 2006.04.14 (09) [E]
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18 April 2006 * Volume 01
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From: Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Traditions" 2006.04.16 (05) [D/E/Finnish/German/Swedish]
Beste Ron, Henry, Gabrielle
Subject: LL-L "Traditions"
On the subject of 'Bakenbrande' I reckon Our Ron should start ducking
roundabout now. EVERYONE has a spring bonfire tradition, & we will ALL now
dive in... Let's start with Lag B'omer (16th May - 33rd day of counting the
Omer - this year) for the Jews. Of course theirs being a real lunar calender
it wanders around a leeetle more consistantly than our Easter - on their
calender.
I think the Celts, though, are likely to swamp you; it's their Beltane. & if
it is true as I believe that the Celts are the substratum of all the peoples
of the Northwest Lowlands & Littoral of Europe, then they'll take the credit
for initiating the practise. They had a special thing with walking on stilts
& burning big baskets... By the way, the only support I can spook up for
this averral this instant is the knowledge in Roman times that the Belgicae
were a blended race, Celtic & Germanic.
Yrs,
Mark
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From: Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Levity" 2006.04.16 (03) [E]
beste Elsie & Ronn:
Subject: LL-L "Levity' was 'History"
Elsie said:
>> Oops, could imparting the Kahuna's tendency to be a skellum (A. skelm)
>> not be construed as character assassination?
Ron said:
> Oh, not really, at least not as far as he is concerned. He knows it's
> meant in the best possible way, as in "benevolent prankster." Besides,
> his ego is anything but fragile, and he's not the least bit concerned
> about image.
Mark says:
Besides, the _status_ of skellum or trickster (& not inevitably benevolant
either...) is hallowed in the myths & folk memories of not only Polynesia,
but among the Bushmen & Gaels as well!
A retroactive & blessed Easter & Pesakh to you all.
Yrs,
Mark
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Traditions
Thanks for converting "Levity" to "Tradition," Mark.
I hardly think there are many cultures that do not have prankster figures in
their oral and/or written literary traditions. It does not have to be a
human. Oftentimes it's an animal, such as a coyote among indigenous
Americans, Br'r Rabbit in Euro-American tradition, and the fox (狐 kitsune)
in Japanese and West European traditions.
Of particular note are the pranksters that are very intelligent and
insightful, often also very educated, that play "dumb" in order to make
people think about their own follies and their mindless following of
traditions, rituals and commonly and unquestioningly accepted truth.
Perhaps originally taken from Persian traditions, Turkic traditions from
Eastern Europe to China , also (usually Moslem) traditions in the Balkans,
have the notorious Nasreddin Hoca (= Hodja), known as Afandi in Uzbek and
Äpendi (Efendi) in Uyghur tradition in the far east (and now famous through
cartoons about 阿凡提 Afandi in China proper). The Giufà of Italy, especially
of Sicily, the Turlulè of Trient, the Giucca of Toscany, the Giaffah of
Sardinia and the Giucà of Albania are supposed to be linked, probably
derived from the Djeha of Morocco and Algeria and the Goha of Egypt, and
these appear to be related to the Turkic tradition. It is most probable
that these go back to the Sufist tradition of telling stories that appear
humorous but seriously challenge the status quo of conventional thinking,
usually in order to induce independent questioning and quests for "truth,"
particularly in mystical traditions like Sufism and in traditions, like Zen
Buddhism, that consider sensual perception and thought as illusions and poke
"fun" at brainy wisdom (hence the use of the 公案 gōng'àn, kōan, an
intelligent-sounding question with no real answer or whose answer is very
simple and mundane).
Foremost to mind comes the Lowlands' own Dyl Ulenspegel (Til Uylenspeghel ~
Till Ulenspegel > Tijl Uilenspiegel, Till Eulenspiegel, ect.) who "haunted"
what is now Northern Germany. (Some claim he came from the Brunswick area,
others that he was a Fleming.) His "surname" ("Owl Mirror") sums it up: the
owl symbolises wisdom, and the mirror symbolizes a technique of causing
people to see themselves and recognize and their follies. Of course, this
belongs to the tradition of the medieval (and probably earlier) jester,
including the court jester, who enjoyed what in German is called
_Narrenfreiheit_ ("fools' liberty"), was able to say in spoofing manner what
no one else was permitted to say, what might even result in corporal
punishment. This reigns during carnaval, when everyone is allowed to be a
jester and to "pervert" those things we do unquestioningly during the rest
of the year. In Scots tradition this is done during Hogmaney, when, as
during carnaval, things are traditionally turned left-to-right, upside down
and inside out and in the older traditions people cross-dressed for a day.
During Jewish Purim, similar things used to be done, though these days it
rarely goes beyond children wearing fancy dress.
Sometimes the prankster comes in the form of a supposedly silly child whose
remarks do what Eulenspiegel's and the Hodja's pranks do. Northern Germany
has Klein Erna (Little Erna), a Missingsch-speaking girl. The tradition
seems appears to have begun in Hamburg. Typically, a Klein Erna joke begins
with an adult patronizing Erna as a child, and Erna answers like an adult,
putting the other person to shame. Here a freely retold one:
***
Fragt Klein Erna ihre Tante: "Sach ma, Tande Else. Wieso haabm
du und Ongel einklich noch keine Kinder?"
Antwortet die Tante: "Ach, weißt du, Erna, der Klapperstorch hat
uns leider noch keine gebracht!"
"Och, so", meint Klein Erna "Tja, wenn ihr noch an'n Klabberstorch
glaubt, denn ist mir ja alles klaar…"
***
Little Erna asks her aunt, "Hey, Auntie Liz, how come you and
Uncle haven't got any kids?"
The aunt replies, "Well, you see, Erna. Unfortunately, the stork
has seen fit not to bring us any so far."
"I see," Little Erna remarks, "It's all clear to me now that I know
you guys still believe in the stork."
***
Perhaps some of you can think of similar traditions.
Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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