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Preserving Vietnamese Culture and Language in Southern Louisiana: Altars as Symbols of Identity By Emma Tomingas-Hatch Maintaining Community as Newcomers: The Importance of Language and Religion
Jade: A Cultural Symbol For the Vietnamese in southern Louisiana the main way to maintain their culture is simply to live it. Their communal life keeps their language and culture alive. Other simpler ways of maintaining Vietnamese culture include examples such as women wearing a simple jade bracelet on the left wrist for good luck. The women believe that the jade keeps negative thoughts/wishes/spirits/luck away from the wearer. Over time the jade can deepen in color and, to some, a darker green symbolizes inner strength and good luck.
Some believe that if the bracelet breaks it is very bad luck. Many women who do not wear one every day confess to owning one but wanting to keep it out of harm's way. Julie Nguyen, who has lived in Louisiana for 17 years and owns Dynasty Nails in Baton Rouge, has a jade bracelet that she leaves at home for two reasons. The first and most important reason is because her bracelet is a family heirloom. Her father gave it to her mother on their wedding day. The second is because she believes that if the bracelet breaks it is very bad luck. She will wear it for very special occasions, but mostly she chooses to keep it safe at home. Some Vietnamese men have a similar tradition of wearing a jade ring or necklace with a jade pendant, but these items are not nearly as common as the women's jade bracelet. Next - Altars: Public and Private, Catholic and BuddhistEmma Tomingas-Hatch, an independent researcher in Lafayette, Louisiana, received her Masters degree in Folklore from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. This article was prepared as part of the New Populations Project in 2009. For more essays on the Vietnamese in Louisiana, see Offerings to Kings and Buddha: Vietnamese Ritual Activities at Chua Bo De: The Vietnamese Buddhist Community in New Orleans Area and Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, in the New Orleans Vietnamese Community. |
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