Category: Ceremony

The ritual I have chosen to this report is wedding. I chose this ritual because it is very important in everyone’s life and it is very different between the wedding in Chinese culture and the wedding in Australian culture (the Christian wedding).

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the nature of the Chinese wedding ceremony and the Christian wedding ceremony. An evaluation of processes, participants, symbols and location of the ritual will be given. An examination of the community spirituality connected to the ritual will be addressed.

Participants

In the Chinese accent wedding, there are many participants, mainly the husband, wife and their parents. The list of all the participant includes: bridegroom, bride, bridegroom’s relatives, bride’s relatives, matchmaker, best man and bridesmaid. While the participants in the Christian marriage are as follows: maid of honor, bridesmaids, groomsmen, ushers, bride’s parents, groom’s parent, grandparents, officiant, flower girl, ring bearer, reader, and best man/ best woman/ groom’s honor attendant.

Place

The modern Chinese wedding ceremony often takes place in a city hall office presided over by a government official. For some rich families, they usually have their own memorial hall from their ancestors. Unlike the Chinese wedding, Christians believe that marriage is a gift from God and it always set in a church. The church gives a special atmosphere for the groom and bride to engage in sexual relations and to build a family life. It is very important that the Christian marriage conduct in a church, in front of God.

Objects

1. The red envelope. Every participant in the wedding will prepare a red envelope for the two lovers. It is cover in the color red which symbolizes good luck and it is also a symbol to ward off evil spirits. Other objects in Chinese wedding are also cover in red.
2. Dragon and phoenix. The symbol of dragon symbolizes male and the phoenix symbolizes female. The dragon and phoenix symbolize the everlasting love.
3. White wedding dress. The Christian bride’s wedding dress is usually white, as this symbolizes purity. The color white is the symbol of the bride’s cleanliness in heart and life, and also a mark of reverence to the God.

Evaluation

In Chinese culture, marriage is not determined by the young couple anymore, but the decision of the marriage is mainly depended on their parents. But in Australian or other western country, the young couple can make their own choice, have more freedom than the couple in China.

Reflection

In short, different countries have their own unique culture for wedding. In the Chinese wedding, everything is cover in red which mean good luck, unlike the Chinese wedding, the Christian wedding is cover in white and it is mainly focus on region, on the connection to the God.

Marriage is a big deal in the Igbo culture. In an Igbo traditional wedding, every member of the extended family is involved and there are a lot of things to be done during the wedding ceremony. Igbo traditional wedding takes a step-by-step procedure as there is no rush.

Iku Aka or Iju Else

Translation in English is coming to knock or inquire. As a man who wants to marry in the Igbo land, you will go with your immediate family to the house of the girl you want to marry. You can go empty handed or bring kola nuts and drinks. The groom’s father is the one who speaks and tell the bride’s family that his son wants to seek for the hand of their daughter in marriage. The bride to be is called out and asks if she recognizes the suitor and is willing to marry him. Her answer determines whether they will proceed with the marriage.

Umunna

Umunna when translated to English means seeking the bride’s extended family’s consent. Investigations are carried out on the groom’s family by the bride’s family after the groom-to-be visits for the first time, the groom’s family also does the same. This meeting is for the groom’s family to reinstate their intention in wanting to marry their daughter. The extended family of the bride has to give their consent to the union and the bride must also give her consent. After both agree, a date is chosen for the traditional wedding and the bride price list will be given to them.

Ime Ego

This is when negotiation of the bride price is done by the groom’s family. The bride price is not always a lot, as Igbos do not see money as an indication of the worth of a bride. But the gifts that will be brought takes a larger part of the bride price list. During Ime Ego, the negotiation takes a long time, as the groom’s family will plead for a reduction and the bride’s family talking about the benefits accompanied with marrying the bride. This will go on till there is an agreement.

Igba Nkwu Nwanyi

Translation in English is ‘bride’s wine carrying’. Igba Nkwu Nwanyi is one of the vital and most interesting part of an Igbo traditional wedding. Igba Nkwu Nwanyi signifies that the marriage has been concluded and both families have accepted and blessed the union. The groom is accompanied by his family and friends, and the bride carries a gourd of palm wine to search for her groom among the crowd accompanied by her maidens. When she finds him, she offers him the palm wine while kneeling down. If the groom drinks the palm wine, it means he is her husband and they are married officially.

Ido Uno

Ido Uno is the final part of the traditional wedding, this is when the bride goes to the home of the groom for the first time since the first meeting. Her family gifts she with different gifts that she will find useful in her new home, and she goes accompanied with a one of her unmarried maiden or sister. After sometime, the maiden goes back to give feedback to the bride’s family.

Conclusion

To summarize, every wedding ceremony has its own beauty, uniqueness, and style, but there is a distinct difference between every other wedding ceremony and the Igbo traditional wedding ceremony.

Destiny Devine

The Oklevueha Native American Church

The original Native American Church was founded in 1880 by Quanah Parker. He was known for advocating the benefits of peyote before he died… The Native American Church presently has approximately 250,000 members from fifty federally recognized tribes.The Oklevueha Native American Church got their name by “[the] Seminole word ‘Oklevueha’ meaning an unstoppable river that flows in and around Oklevueha Band of Seminole Indian’s Reservation in Orange Springs, Florida. This area was first named Harjo Town, which was founded by the famed Seminole Medicine Man and War Chief Osceola.”(“Eagle Quetzal Condor” 1). The The Oklevueha Native American Church’s official sacrament is Peyote and is the only thing used for Peyote ceremonies. It is a non addictive drug and it is almost impossible to overdose while using it which makes it ideal for religious settings. Other independent branches often use plants and other naturally occurring substances to heal and bless the body physically, mentally, and spiritually. Some common ways of using peyote in religious ceremonies is; Fresh, Dried (Grinded into a Powder), Made into a Tea and / or Tea mixed with Powder that will make it into a paste. For their gods, they worship mother earth and father sky.one of their key beliefs is, “Our eternal soul “earth walks’ between the Father’s realm of Fire (Sun) and Air, and the Mother’s domain of Water and Earth. WE are made of these elements. They nourish us body, mind and soul.”

The Oklevueha Native American Church incorporates ceremonies from several Native American tribes and cultures. The Oklevueha Native American Church primary believes in creating a safe space in order to practice many different types of ceremonies throughout one’s lifetime.

The first type of ceremony is the “blessing way” ceremony, adopted by the Hopi tribe, where expectant mothers can celebrate the new life of their unborn child in a relaxed and healing environment. The ceremony takes place by the expectant mother coming together with friends and family to better prepare herself for the mental ups and downs associated with giving birth and early motherhood. During the ceremony, “… the mother-to-be can gain the confidence, power and love she needs to move forward in her new role with peace and understanding”(Talley 1). The ceremony also acts as a form of self purification where all physical and emotional toxins are released from the body to prevent passing unnecessary stress or bad health onto the unborn child (resulting in the child being pure/wholly when born”). The result of the ceremony leaves the mother highly in tune with her natural instincts to serve as an inner guide. This inner guide ensures the mother has a successful rest of her pregnancy leading up to giving birth and eases the transition mentally into the first few months of motherhood. The Oklevueha Native American Church does not require you to be officially Native American to be a part of a “Blessed Way Ceremony.”

Another ceremony that the The Oklevueha Native American Church practices is the Sacred Prayer Pipe “Chanupa” Ceremony, which was adopted by Lakota tribes. The purpose of this ceremony is to strengthen communal ties among tribal members and remind members to recognize and appreciate the power of prayer. George Beterstein, Elder Medicine Man, CEO of Oklevueha Native American Church of California, describes what his experience is like with the Sacred Prayer Pipe;

“I don’t know how it works. I have an altar of the Chanunpa, the Tobacco Sacrament, the Sacred Inipi, the Grandfather Medicine and the Wachumita Medicine. It is all run by Chanunpa. If I start thinking about any of it, worrying, fretting, pondering, considering…whatever the form of distraction I throw in my path to make my life harder and more difficult and more lonely and more isolated…it shows me my empty mind and returns me to the path it has offered me. I have learned from it that reassurance is not Medicine. The Medicine shines a light on the truth and the only thing to do is follow it. If we stumble, lurch, cry, scream, laugh, curse, smile, frown or walk it with enormous self-possession and dignity, it is ours to walk. The Medicine has no comment on or interest in our ideas, opinions and preferences, our thoughts or our feelings (Beterstein 2).”

Like in other ceremonies, the individual partaking in the ceremony references being told or led by an inner guide.

The Oklevueha Native American Church adopted the “Potlatch Ceremony” (meaning to give away) from west coast tribes. The ceremony is traditionally held in the winter months, which primarily focuses on the tribe’s lavish display of cultural traditions and wealth (“​The Potlatch Ceremony”)​. Another ceremony that the Oklevueha Native American Church practices is the

“Holy Anointing by the Layering on of Hands Ceremony” The Oklevueha Native American Church describes the sensation received from this practice as; “​Holy anointing​ is a ceremonial practice designed to restore your sense of being fully alive as a soul in a physical body. This ceremony frees you from feeling ‘stuck’ in an energy grid produced by repetitive tasks and programmed reactions into a new, expanded matrix which accesses the greater web of life force energy”…the ceremony is executed through the use of crystals, stones, oils, physical touch, plant/ flower essence and holy water (Elise 1). The medicine person in charge can personalize a unique set of oils to help specific medical conditions via aromatherapy.

Another ceremony that wishes good fortune is the “Marriage Blanket Ceremony”, here a newly married couple can appear in public and vow their love for physical and spiritual eternity. Several other ceremonies The Oklevueha Native American Church shares in common with the Lakota’s are; The Sacred ghost dance/ Spirit dance ceremony, a great celebration once a millennium to express thanks to the gods. The sun dance ceremony, proves adults are able to lead a hard, dedicated life proving sacrifice. The sweat lodge ceremony encourages members to partake in original tribe traditions to uphold for future generations. During this ceremony, there is a large emphasis on biological mother and father figures. The vision quest ceremony involves being guided by a spirit guide to determine life’s purpose before your physical body dies. The Oklevueha Native American Church has also run into some legal consequences regarding their choice in religious sacraments. For example, in the article “Oklevueha Native American Church of Hawaii” by Tiernan Kaneit states how at the Oklevueha Native American Church of Hawaii (an independent branch location of Oklevueha Native American Church) discovered cannabis was not a drug protected under their religious freedom as protected by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The Act is supposed to “shield a person from any considerable hindrance of any religious exercise,” hence why, Michael Rex “ raging Bear” Mooney (founder and leader of Oklevueha Native American Church of Hawaii Inc.) was under the assumption that cannabis was an allowed sacrament. Mooney claimed that their religion’s primary sacrament was peyote, but due to the traditional beliefs of being one with the earth, continued to allow all naturally occurring drugs and substances as accepted sacraments. The claimed use for peyote during ceremonies is to “enhance spiritual awareness or even to occasion to direct spirit of the divine.” Since peyote is the declared sacrament, the district court ruled that the Church cannot distribute or offer cannabis at ceremonies or rituals due to the state’s legislation yet to legalize it statewide. The district court determined that cutting the use of cannabis and only using Peyote permits (which is declared legal for religious use) since the nonuse of cannabis is not “religiously and substantially burdening” as it outlines in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Also, according to “The Native American Church: Ancient Tradition and Modern Controversy,” ​Siobhán Barry-Bratcher​ states,

“In 1929, the Narcotic Farms Act included peyote on its list of habit-forming drugs despite insistence from the Native American community that the plant was not addictive. The interest in consciousness-altering drugs during the cultural revolution of the late 1960s led to the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. This legislation banned peyote by giving it a Schedule 1 classification. While the Native American Church received an exemption when the Controlled Substances Act went into effect, not all states had laws in place that conformed with federal legislation protecting the ceremonial use of peyote by Native Americans.”

1. https://medium.com/@siobhanbarry?source=post_page—–ca2ed9bf879f———————-
2. Barry-Bratcher, Siobhán. “The Native American Church: Ancient Tradition and Modern Controversy.” ​Medium​, Medium, 8 May 2019, https://medium.com/@siobhanbarry/the-native-american-church-ancient-tradition-and-modern-controversy-ca2ed9bf879f​.
3. Beterstein, George. ​Sacred Prayer Pipe (Casuse and/or Chanupa)) Ceremony|The Oklevueha Native American Church​, https://nativeamericanchurches.org/sacred-prayer-pipe-casuse-andor-chanupa-ceremony/.
4. “Eagle Quetzal Condor.” ​Eagle Quetzal Condor​, 30 May 2019, http://eaglequetzalcondor.com/oklevueha-native-american-church/​.
5. Elise, Tracy. ​Holy Anointing by the Laying of Hands Ceremony|The Oklevueha Native American Church​, https://nativeamericanchurches.org/holy-anointing-ceremony-and-the-laying-on-of-hands-ceremony/​.
6. Labate, Beatriz. “The ‘Legality’ of Ayahuasca Churches Under the Oklevueha Native American Church.” ​Bia Labate​, 22 Mar. 2018, https://www.bialabate.net/news/the-legality-of-ayahuasca-churches-under-the-oklevueha-native-american-church​.
7. Kane, Tiernan. “Oklevueha Native American Church of Hawaii.” ​Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy​ , vol 40, no. 3, June 2017, pp. 793-808. ​EBSCOhost​ , https://medium.com/@siobhanbarry/the-native-american-church-ancient-tradition-and-modern-controversy-ca2ed9bf879f
8. https://medium.com/@siobhanbarry/the-native-american-church-ancient-tradition-and-modern-controversy-ca2ed9bf879f
9. http://eaglequetzalcondor.com/oklevueha-native-american-church/
10. https://nativeamericanchurches.org/holy-anointing-ceremony-and-the-laying-on-of-hands-ceremony/
11. https://nativeamericanchurches.org/holy-anointing-ceremony-and-the-laying-on-of-hands-ceremony/
12. https://www.bialabate.net/news/the-legality-of-ayahuasca-churches-under-the-oklevueha-native-american-church
13. https://www.bialabate.net/news/the-legality-of-ayahuasca-churches-under-the-oklevueha-native-american-churchsearch.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=123525984&lang=en&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
14. Native American Church Spirituality & Beliefs|Oklevueha Native American Church​, https://nativeamericanchurches.org/spirituality/.
15. Oklevuhea Native American Church​, ​https://nativeamericanchurches.org/.
16. Oklevueha Native American Church Religious Survival|Oklevueha Native American Church​, https://nativeamericanchurches.org/survival-of/.
17. ONAC Sacrament – Peyote| The Oklevueha Native American Church​, https://nativeamericanchurches.org/onac-sacrament-peyote/.
18. Sink, Mindy. “Religion Journal; Peyote, Indian Religion And the Issue of Exclusivity.” ​The New York Times​, The New York Times, 14 Aug. 2004, https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/14/us/religion-journal-peyote-indian-religion-and-the-issue-of-exclusivity.html​.
19. Talley, Rachel ‘Eagle Dove’. ​Blessing Way |​, https://nativeamericanchurches.org/blessing-way/​.
20. THE GREEN CORN CEREMONY| The Oklevueha Native American Church​, https://nativeamericanchurches.org/the-green-corn-ceremony/​.
21. https://nativeamericanchurches.org/
22. https://nativeamericanchurches.org/survival-of/
23. https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/14/us/religion-journal-peyote-indian-religion-and-the-issue-of-exclusivity.html
24. https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/14/us/religion-journal-peyote-indian-religion-and-the-issue-of-exclusivity.html
25. https://nativeamericanchurches.org/blessing-way/
26. https://nativeamericanchurches.org/the-green-corn-ceremony/
27. The Potlatch Ceremony (To Give Away)| The Oklevueha Native American Church​, https://nativeamericanchurches.org/the-potlatch-ceremony-to-give-away/​.
28. Wesley, Doug. ​The Sweat Lodge (Amacheekee/Inipi) Ceremony|The Oklevueha Native American Church​,
29. https://nativeamericanchurches.org/the-sweat-lodge-amacheekee-inipi-ceremony/.
30. https://nativeamericanchurches.org/the-potlatch-ceremony-to-give-away/

A fundemental question that is asked is ‘what defines national identity’? Is it the way people speak? The way they move? Or is it what makes the country stand out? The Oxford Dictionary defines nationalsim as ‘Identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.'(Dcitionary, 2018) Taking this into consideration it is important to look into how nationalsim is portrayed throughout various types of performance. This essay will aim to compare and contrast how nationalsim and national identity was presented during the London Olympics in 2012 and the Commonwealth Games in 2014. To help me answer this I will need to delve into the main theatrical features which are the opening cermonies.

The Olympic ceremony was held in London in 2012. It was directed and created by DAnny Boyle. Throughout the three hour long opening ceremony there are many different segments that are shown, that show different eras of British history.The ceremony included ‘rising chimneys,[…] its bouncing children on NHS beds and its airborne Bond girl Queen’ (Jonathan Freedland, 2013) as segments of the overal theatrical performance to help represent Britains national identity.However, what must be asked is how much do these represent what we know as British national identity? To answer this we must take a look at some of the main segments individually.

The NHS was founded in 1948 by Aneurin Bevan. Over the past 70 years, we in Britain are proud of this resourse that was founded on the principal it provides free, unlimited healthhcare to those in need. During discussions online, in the newspapers and even on live TV, the NHS is constantly compared to the likes of the American Healthcare system. It was descibred in the Olympic programme as ‘the institution which more than any other unites our nation’. (N/A, 2012) The NHS had a prominent slot in the opening ceremony, recreating the letters NHS at the very end of their performance, showing how proud we in britain are to have it. So why was it included in the ceremony. In an interview with Danny Bolye, he mentions that the NHS was first as ‘We’ve decided, as a country, that we’re having that. You can change it a bit, you can fuck about with it a bit, but we’re having that. A universal healthcare system is something we’ve decided is fundamental.’ (Danny Boyle, 2013)

Born in Strattfod Upon Avon in 1616, William Shakespeare became one of the worlds most renound playwrites. As well as being known as a plawrite, Shakespeare is also known as the ceator of words and The Globe, Britains best known theatre. People from all over the world flock to The Globe to see productions of Shakespears works in one of thie original theatre spaces. Visits to Strattford to see his house and gardens and perhaps to watch a production by The Royal Shakespeare Company. Shakespeares works of art dont just invite tourists but are also used within the education system throughout the world.

Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth the second is the monach of Britain and sixteen other commonwealth countries. The Queen is a large figure in the British community, bringing hundreds of millions of pounds into the economy each year thanks to tourism. The status of the Royal family, as well as TV shows and articles that depict the Queen and the Royal family, are perhaps the main reasons why tourism to Buckingham palace, and the Queens other proporties are so popular. Britain is one of a few countries left that still have a Royal family in place, hence it is something that we would identify as part of our nationality. Throughout the ceremony the Queens performance was of a meeting with James Bond, stepping into a helicopter and sky diving down into the London arena. In an Interview Boyle mentioned that the small segment invloving the Queen and Bond was not in his original ceremoy plan. Instead it was a last minute adjustment, which not only came as a surprise for himself, but also as a surprise for the audience. It was mentioned the Queen was included so she could show herself in a less formal light and that noone else in the royal family knew of the segmet until it was shown in the Olympics itself.

The Industrial revolution took place between the 1760’s and the 1840’s. It was the transition from production methods using hands to using a variety of new and different resources including machines, chemical manufacturing and factories. THe Industrial revolution had, for me, the biggest performance of the London Olympics. There were a lot of different aspects going on at once, and huge set design pieces were used. It does, however, add an air of confusion. Though some see the industrial revolution as a large part of our national identity, it also created horrible living conditions for those of poor or middle class workers, much worse than they were presviouly in.

There is much debate to why each of these different segments were includedn in the london Olympic opening cermony. Boyle mentioned that, while in discussion with volunteers – that had also volunteered in other Olympic cermoies – that they respected the United KIingdon. They saw ‘They see us as a beacon, this country as a beacon. As a modern, progressive country, and they aspire to it – especially London. And you think, yeah, we are actually. We’re all right.’ (Danny Boyle, 2013) This shows that all the segments going into the Olympics were to try and represent the best parts of british culture, which would in turn lead them to be seen as our national identity.

The Commonwealth Games was held in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014, two years after the London Loympics. For this, another opening cermony was held, albeit it was on a smaller scale to the London Olympics. It was directed David Zolkwer. Like the London Olympics there were many different segments shown throughout the opening ceremony.

The first part of the opening ceremony introduced Scottish actor Ewan McGreggor. He explained that for the games they had partnered with childrens charity UNICEF. This partnerships aim was ‘to use the power of sport to reach every child in Scotland and benefit children in every Commonwealth nation and territory.’ This ultimately inspired millions of people to text in donations for the childrens charity, with the slogan, ‘Put Children First’ and led to 3.5 million pounds being donated on the night.

Nessie, or The Loch Ness Monster, is ones of Scotlands most renound tousist attractions, mythological creatures and scientific investigations.The first sighting of a creature living in the Loch Ness vicinity dates back to the late sixth century AD. there is no documented sighting again until the mid to late 1800’s. Many people are shorouded in the mystery of Nessie, which makes it a large part of Scottish Nationality, hence why there was a need for him/her to be included in the production of the ceremony.

Tunnocks Teacakes are a widley popular treat within the UK, and in Scotland in particular. The teacakes making their first appearacne in 1956 by Boyd Tunnock. Zolkwer mentioned that the whole ceremony,

‘was to take the p*** out of the conventional way of telling people how great you are, to take all the cliches and stereotypes and send them up – I don’t know how it could have been more tongue-in-cheek.’ (David Zolkwer 2014)

The giant dancing cakes were added in merely for humour, as well as their representation of being a popular UK treat. however, Tunnocks teacakes do not represent what many would believe as part of our national identity.

As well as dancing cakes, there was also Scottish Highland dancing and a Scottish Ballet Duet. Highland dancing is common in all towns and cities across Scotland. It is most commonly used during the Highland games, which occur at different times of the year throughout different towns. Its a smaller scale competition during these games then during the Highland dancing championships, though all the competitors work just as hard. The Scottish Ballet has been around for the past 50 years. It hsa been molded and crafted by not only the people of Scotland, but also by the culture and spirit of those around as well.

The other main Scottish influence on the ceremony performance was the involvement of both whiskey and Scottish Terriers. Whiskey, the Scottish drink is very popular in Scotland but is also drunk around the world. the most sales of which come during the tourist season, where many buy to take back to their friends and families as a reminder of some Scottish heritage that we have. SCottish Terriers are the adorble small dogs, used as pets, shown at dog shows but most commonly known as the face of Scotty Brand. According to Zolker, the dogs needed to be used to show off true Scottish heritage and breeding.

The only parts of the Ceremony that werent centered around scottish national identity specifically was when the Queen made her arrival and the Red Arrow display. Unlike the rest of the ceremony, these two sequences were perhapd the most toned down of them all. They were a little bit more serious than the rest of the ceremony. The Queen is monarch of the Royal family and also involved with a lot of charity work. The Red Arrows, also referred to as The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team are a group of diverse flyers – trained to the higest of standards – who perform formation flying displays. They have rightfully earned respect in their lines of work, which is why these two segments were toned down, to give them the respect they deserved.

In relation to the Commenwealth games, it was mainly of Socttish Nationality. David Zolkwer intended it to be this way. In an interview he mentioned that he wanted the event to celebrate what Scotland had in commen with the rest of the world. This was evident with the main themes, a love of myths and heritage. They’re all different aspects that make up not only Scottish national identity, bust parts of the identity fo every nation that was involved in the Commonwealth Games.

The London Olympic opening ceremony was like a very well oiled machine, with its imaginative designs and innovated ideas. The opening ceremony had different segments that accentuated many parts of Britain and British identity. All segments, the NHS, Shakespeare, The Queen and the industrial revolution took place and relate to the country as a whole, as they are parts of all nations in Britain. However, the Commonwealth Games did not involve segments that could be referred to as British national identity, they showed parts that equated to Scottish national identity. While the Queen can be seen in both of the ceremonies, representing the whole country, the rest of the ceremony is predominantly Scottish in themes. With tartan spread throughout the whole production, Scottish songs, dancing and Scottish folklore, there’d hardly a speck of any fully British nationality held. David Zolkwer himself said of the production, ‘it was not political, it was all about Scotland and Glasgow as a city.’ (David Zolkwer 2014). THe opening ceremony was meant to be specifically about Scotland and Glasgow and what there was to offer here and in getting that across to an audience it was a success.

While watching the opening ceremony, one could tell that Danny Boyle attempted a somewhat serious production. There were elements of surrealism and exaggeration mainly with the part involving the Queen. However, it was obvious to see bit the rest of the performances that it was a serious event to highlight the best parts of British society. The Commonwealth Games, though, had a more tongue in cheek approach to it. As stated in the above chapter, David Zolkwer even stated himself that the whole ceremony was not serious and was made for entertainment instead.

The beginning of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony was very exaggerated. It included a lot of colours and tartan and its overall theme was very Scottish. This backs up the point that the games ceremony was to identify and promote Scottish national identity instead of British national identity. The London Olympics however, had quite a stark contrast for their opening ceremony. They opened the ceremony to a large scenery involving green hills, cosy cottages and charming clothing.

However, though there were differences in the way national identity was portrayed, there were also similarities. Both of the given ceremonies were made to celebrate sport. That was what the events were about. London’s ceremony involved segments that all nations in the country used, and all the nations competed under one title in the Olympic Games, Britain. Simultaneously the Commonwealth Games included segments that represented Scotland and what that nation was proud of. As known all the Nations within Britain – Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland- all competed separately under their own flags for the Commonwealth Games, hence there was not a great need to represent the whole of Britain in the opening ceremony.

Both the London Olympics and the Commonwealth Games used thremselves to express their national identity. Different as they were, both used the productions and performances within to get across the way they felt about our national identity to a globa audience and it worked. There were high praises for both and toursim rose. It was a complete success, bringing over 730 million pounds into the Scottish enconomy alone.

Overall, both the London Olympic Games and the Glasgow Commonwealth Games had very different takes on the way nationalsim and national identity was created through theatrical performances. Though both differed in size, structure and money they were both an booming success. They took into account thair own respective cities, but still managed to accept and show off a few segments that included the other nations that make up Britain.

References

• Edmonds, L. (2014). [online] Dailymail.co.uk. Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2704205/Meet-Commonwealth-Games-Danny-Boyle-Man-Glasgow-opening-ceremony-worked-huge-shows-Royal-Wedding-World-Cup.html [Accessed 4 Dec. 2018].
• Freedland, J. (2013). Danny Boyle: champion of the people. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/mar/09/danny-boyle-queen-Olympics-film [Accessed 2 Dec. 2018].
• Gardner, L. (2014). Commonwealth Games opening ceremony review – no lack of heart but a lack of oomph. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jul/24/commonwealth-games-opening-ceremony-glasgow-review [Accessed 2 Dec. 2018].
• Oxford Dictionaries | English. (2018). nationalsim | Definition of nationalsim in English by Oxford Dictionaries. [online] Available at: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/nationalsim [Accessed 6 Dec. 2018].
• Pressreader.com. (2014). PressReader.com – Connecting People Through News. [online] Available at: https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-herald/20140726/281530814153020 [Accessed 4 Dec. 2018].

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I was fortunate enough to attend the Indian wedding ceremony of my cousins, additionally recognized as ‘Vivah’, a kind of wedding known for the grandeur, traditions, grace, hues, and almost carnival-type celebration related to this sacred event. She goes.

I would like to tackle the means and essence behind these charming rituals and the cultural value of centuries-old traditions for the duration of a marriage. While there are many subcultures in India, this is the simple version of ‘authentic Indian marriage’.

The following will outline the pre-wedding rituals:

• -pithy

Pitthi is an auspicious ritual for true luck. Pitti is more often than not a paste made from turmeric, gram flour, and rose water. The household members and nice wishers of the bride and groom apply this paste on the pores and skin of the bridegroom. This yellow paste is believed to lighten the skin tone and is utilized a day earlier than the wedding ceremony.

The Mehndi tournament is a colorful and exciting celebration held the night before the wedding, traditionally celebrated by means of the girls of the bridal side of the family. Generally, a professional mehndi artist or relative applies henna in complex designs on the hands and toes of the bride and different women in the family. These intricate designs characterize joy, beauty, spiritual awakening, and offering. The bride’s mehndi is occasionally halfway up to her knees.

• wedding ceremony

Indian weddings not only join the bride and groom but their households as well. The family plays a necessary function in making lifestyle decisions. India is basically a collective culture. The ceremony begins with the arrival of the groom.

Baraat (groom’s procession): The groom, accompanied by way of his family and friends, arrives at the entrance of the wedding ceremony venue riding on a horse, in a festival acknowledged as the procession. His household and pals in the procession sing and dance around him to the track usually played with the aid of an expert dhol (big bass drum). The procession is met by the bride’s family at the entrance of the wedding ceremony venue. It symbolizes the happiness and joy of the groom’s household in accepting the bride as a phase of their family; as their own.

• Indian wedding ceremony garland

Milani (Union of two families): The bride’s mom welcomes the groom with a ritual. The households of the bride and groom hug each other and greet each other differently via garlanding. The bride’s household then escorts the groom to the mandap, an umbrella altar where the ceremony is performed. The mandap represents the house that the bride and groom will construct together.

Ganesh Puja (Prayer to Lord Ganesha): The ceremony starts offevolved with the worship of Lord Ganesha, the destroyer of all obstacles. The priest publications the bride and groom’s parents in providing flowers, sweets, and prayers to Lord Ganesha.

Kanya Arrival (Bride’s Arrival): The bride enters the hall and is escorted to the mandap by her maternal uncle and aunt, indicating that the bride’s maternal uncle approves of the union. In different components of India, the bride is escorted by her sisters, cousins, and shut lady friends.

Jai Mala (Exchange of Garlands): Once the bride approaches the mandap, the bride and groom change garlands of flowers, indicating each other’s approval.

Kanyadaan and Hasta Melap (Giving to the Bride): At this point, the father of the bride pours holy water into his daughter’s hand and holds his hand to the groom’s, formally giving his most precious present to the groom. The bride’s sister or cousin ties the ends of the groom’s dupatta to the bride’s sari with betel nuts, copper cash, and rice, symbolizing unity, prosperity, and happiness. The knot represents the eternal bond of marriage.

Vivah Havan (Lighting of Sacred Fire): The priest then lights the sacred hearth or fire. The fire signifies the divine presence as a witness to the ceremony. Words made in the presence of Agni are executed in the presence of God.

Mangal Phere (circling the sacred fire): The bride and groom walk around the sacred hearth in seven instances preserving in mind the 4 aspirations in life: Dharma (duties towards every other, family, and God), Artha (prosperity), Karma (energy and passion) and moksha (salvation).

The bride, representing divine energy, leads the groom in the first three rounds, while the groom leads the closing 4 rounds, signifying balance and perfection. In some cultures, the bride and groom walk around the fireplace 4 times, with the bride leading the first three rounds, and the groom main the closing round. The bride’s brother holds grains of rice in her fingers after completing every round to vow to constantly aid and protect her in instances of need.

Once the couple had done four rounds, it was a race to see who would sit down first. It is stated that the one who sits first guidelines the house.

Saptapadi (Seven Sacred Steps): This is the most stunning phase of an Indian wedding. It has a good deal of depth, cause, and meaning. The couple takes seven steps together, with each step taking a sacred vow:

We will stay with recognition for each other.

Together we will improve mental, bodily, and religious balance.

Together we will prosper, earn wealth, and share our achievements.

Together we will obtain happiness, harmony, and expertise through mutual love.

Together we will increase strong, virtuous children.

Together we will be faithful to each other and exercise abstinence and longevity.

Together we will continue to be lifelong partners and achieve salvation.

• mangal sutra

When they return to their seats, the bride proceeds to sit to the left of the groom, taking the closest feasible position of the groom’s heart. The groom then offers lifelong protection to the bride through making use of vermilion (red vermilion powder) on the crown of her brow to the mangalsutra, or sacred necklace made of black and gold beads, round her neck. These two offerings reflect the bride’s status as a married girl and the groom’s devotion to the bride.

Take a deep breath. If you want to be known as a fearless warrior, you must do this. You sit quietly looking at the beast spear in hand preparing yourself for the events that are about to unfold. You take your chance and throw your spear in hopes your target is hit. All your practice and training at the warrior camp pays off. You watch with pride as the lion, your lion collapses. In modern-day to day life this not a common even that takes place, however, for the Maasai tribe’s warriors, it is a rite of passage. The Maasai people are a semi-nomadic tribe that is recognized as one of Kenya’s fifty native tribes. One of which who refuse to adapt to modern society and still practices the lifestyle and traditions of their ancestors (The Maasai Culture and Traditions).

The Maasai we speak a combination of languages including English and Swahili. These languages were brought about due to them being surround by Tanzania and Kenya. That being said their native language is Maa. The Maa language is a part of the Eastern Nilotic language group (Jennings). Maasai, the name of the tribe, means ‘my people’ (Maimai). This is often misspelled as Masai, which has no meaning to the people of the tribe. It is believed by linguistics that people who speak maa lived together in an area where the language was common and broke apart roughly 300 years ago to migrate to Rift Valley (Jennings). This theory aligns very well with the oral history of the Maasai Tribe.

According to the oral history of the tribe’s people, the tribe originated North of Lake Turkana. After this, they began to migrate in the fifteenth century. Upon the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it is said that arrived at a ‘long trunk of land’ (The Maasai Tribe). This trunk of land being referred to is a stretch of land across Tanzania and Kenya. The greatest size of the Masaai territory reached was in the nineteenth century. At this point, the tribe covered the land from the Great Rift Valley to parts of Dodoma and Mount Marsabit. However, it would not last forever. The Maasai Emutai or wipeout took place from 1883 to 1902. During this time they were plagued with smallpox, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, and rinderpest. Due to the rinderpest, they lost about half of the wild species surrounding them and ninety percent of their cattle (The Maasai Tribe).

These are not the only issue the Maasai have face though. In the early twentieth century, they were bombarded by European settlers who wanted their fertile lands. The Maasai were not quick to give in but their spears were no match to the armed Europeans. By 1902 the tribe decided to sign their first treaty with the Europeans. This was held in British courts with British lawyers, leaving the Maasai at a disadvantage. When the treaty was all said and done the Maasai signed away the best of their land to the Europeans. Just a few years later in 1911, another agreement was signed. This one was very controversial, was only signed by a small group of tribe members that did not represent the entire tribe. This agreement gave European settlers The Maasai’s best northern land. These two treaties alone are responsible for the loss of two-thirds of their lands. They are also the reasons why the tribe had to relocate to new less fertile lands. This is not the only issue the Europeans caused though. Due to their interactions with the Maasai, the tribe’s name is now very often missed spelled for Masai. The incorrect spelling was brought about by the British and is still used to this day (The Maasai Culture and Traditions). Unfortunately, the Maasai do not resonate with this name as it means nothing in their native language.

Today the Maasai can be found in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania. The society is currently separated into sixteen sections or iloshon in Maa. These colonies are Ildamat, Ilpurko, Ilkeekonyokie, Iloitai, Ilkaputiei, Ilkankere, Isiria, Ilmoitanik, Iloodokilani, Iloitokitoki, Ilarusa, Ilmatatapato, Ilwuasinkishu, Kore, Parakuyu, and Ilkisonko. In these sections, the Maasai live in Kaarls that are set up in a circle. These are surrounded by a fence of acacia thorns in hopes of keeping lions out. Their homes or Inkajijik are made of mud, sticks, grass, manure, and cow urine. In their society women are found responsible to build the homes (Maimai). This leads us to the roles that women and men are expected to fill in the tribe.

The traditional role of women in the tribe is very simple. They are to maintain the home. The women are responsible to build the homes while the men build the fence of acacia thorns. They are expected to cook and milk cattle, as well as, raising children and collecting water and firewood. Women are often married very young to much older gentlemen and may one of many of his brides. Generally, they will give birth to three to five children. However, half of those children will most likely pass away before they reach the age of five (Bonde).

In ‘My Walk to Water,’ by Tara Zolonikov shares her experience spending time with the Maasai women as they journey to collect water. She explains that the trek to the river was not terrible as it was mostly downhill, and the temperature was not bad due to the cloud coverage. All of the women carry their own jerrycan to fill. When they reached the river, the woman informed Zolonikov that she needed to take her sandals off and head to the middle of the river to fill her jug. She described it as difficult as she had trouble keeping her balance over the rocky surface of the riverbed. Once she reached the middle, the water was not high enough to simply lay the bottle down and fill it completely. She shares that the women then indicate for her to use her hands as a cup and finish filling her container. After finishing this Tara, made her way back to the shore to secure the lid on and wrap ropes around her can. Next, the women in her group help her to place the rope to the middle of her forehead so that the jug rest and falls in the hollow of her back. Zolonikov shares that this instantly created an uncomfortable, unfamiliar pain in the head and neck. Next, her mission is to carry the jug up the hill back to the house. She explains how women make fun of her for not taking a break. All together it took her an hour round trip. This was only one trip many women make up to four trips a day to supply enough water. The women also tell her that they complete the trip at all stages of pregnancy and even with their newborns sometimes. Zolonikov jug only weighed a total of twenty pounds when filled, while most women’s jug weighs a total of 50 pounds, as they care a twenty-five-liter jug instead of a ten-liter (Zolonikov). This is just one example of how tedious their lifestyle can be and just how committed to it one must be. A society such as the Maasai can only survive on teamwork and help from all parts of it. The women of the Maasai require a certain amount of strength and perseverance to contribute to the tribe.

Men, however, need to live a life of pride and honor. Their role is determined by their age. Every fifteen years, a new generation of warriors is selected and initiated. This group includes boys and men from the ages of twelve to twenty-five who have reached puberty. However, being a warrior is an honor and to achieve such honor they must complete many rites of passage to do so. After a new generation of warriors is initiated the eldest warriors become a junior elders. The junior elders become senior elders and the senior elders retire. Chores and responsibilities are based on generations. Young boys are required to herd the small livestock. Warriors are to watch over the tribe and provide security. As well as, trade and barter for cattle. Junior elders are to make the political decisions and the senior elders are to make the day to day decisions (Bonde). Karen Blixen, an author who moved to Africa in 1914, described a Maasai warrior as, ‘a fine sight. Those young men have, to the utmost extent, that particular form of intelligence which we call chic; daring and wildly fantastical as they seem, they are still unswervingly true to their own nature and an immanent ideal. Their style is not an assumed manner, nor an imitation of a foreign perfection; it has grown from the inside and is an expression of the race and its history, and their weapons and finery are as much a part of their being as are a stag’s antlers’ (The Maasai). She paints a clear picture that being a warrior is not a job for the Maasai, but a way of life. Being a warrior is not a choice, it is something the Maasai believe you are born to do.

One very special tradition to the Maasai’s warriors is lion hunting. Many believe that this is trophy hunting since the Maasai do not eat game meat, but this not the case at all. The Maasai believe that lion hunting is a rite of passage and a way to showcase bravery and achievement. It is a chance for them to prove their fighting skills on a target that is not a human. The Maasai also have many rules when it comes to lion hunting that they must follow. For instance, they can not hunt a lion suffering from a drought, poison, or snare. They are also not allowed to hunt female lions, as they are the ones to bring life to the lion populations. The rules are followed by every warrior. There are two main strategies when it comes to lion. One can either lion hunt solo, which is a very difficult process, or in a group of warriors. Only warriors are to know about the lion hunt before it happens. For this reason, many junior warriors are excluded from the proceedings. If a warrior is caught telling about a hunt, he is punished by his fellow warriors with a beating. The group selected to go on the hunt was chosen by the senior warriors and were called the Ilmeluaya or fearless warriors. The rejected warriors were instructed to give up their weapons and sent home. When a group or individual returns with a lion a one-week celebration began. The warrior who landed the first spear would receive a beaded double-sided shoulder strap to wear during many of the ceremony’s held in the village. He also received the lion’s mane. The women would take and bead it for him. The mane would then be worn during special ceremonies as a tool for visiting warriors to recognize the group’s strongest warrior. After the meat ceremony, where a warrior becomes an elder, he is obligated to throw it away. Along with the mane, the tail and claws were collected. The tails were collected in the warrior camp so that at graduation, the warriors could come together and pat respect to all the lions hunted. The tails were then thrown away (Maimai).

The Maasai have a multitude of rituals and ceremonies they perform. The first being the Enkipaata. This specific ceremony is held for young boys ages fourteen to sixteen initiation and was organized by their fathers. During this ceremony, the boys travel for about four months accompanied by a group of elders. There is a group of houses built, thirty to forty, in one large kraal that is chosen by the prophet. Boys from all across the region will be initiated here. The day before the ceremony, the boys are to sleep outside in the forest. When morning comes, they run back to the village and spend the day dancing. After this ceremony, they are ready for the next step of initiation or ceremony (Maimai).

Following Enkipaata, is Emuratare or the circumcision ceremony. This is the most important initiation ceremony for the Maasai. Both men and women partake in this ceremony. The circumcision ceremony is a part of the process of going from childhood to adulthood. This ceremony takes place shortly after puberty. Being circumcised means you are mature now. . . . You now have responsibilities in the community. A participant in a study on circumcision in the Maasai society stated ‘If you are not circumcised . . . , whether you are 40 or 50 years old, they still consider you a child’ (Van Bavel). For the boys, they are to spend seven consecutive days of herding before the operation. On the eighth day, the boys are to stand outside in the cold and receive a cold shower to cleanse himself. The circumcision takes place right before sunrise and is performed by a man with many years of experience. There is no antiseptic or medication for the pain. The boy mustn’t flinch, as this is a test to prove bravery. Very often on his way to have the procedure done male family members and friends will shout out to the boy words of encouragement and threats. They may well that if he runs or flinches that the society will disown him and other things along these lines. The boy is to then wear black clothing for four to eight months as they heal. Once the healing is completed, they are given the status of a warrior. (Maimai).

As for the women, the ceremony is a little bit different and harder to find information on, but not impossible. This is because the tribe is not allowed to talk about a woman’s circumcision out of respect for the women of the tribe. Instead of age groups, women are classified in life phases. These consist of entito, young girls before circumcision, esiankiki, a circumcised young lady with no kids, entasat, circumcised lady with children, and koko, a grandma. The women receive the procedure shortly after puberty as well at ages twelve to fifteen. The Maasai practice clitoridectomy and excision. For a girl, this procedure is done because the Maasai believe that for a woman to bear children she must be opened up. Some of the Maasai’s people belove that if an uncut woman gives birth it can lead to abnormalities in the baby’s physical and mental condition. This, not the only reason circumcision is completed on the women. It also increases her marriageability. Some men may even refuse to marry a woman if she has not gone under circumcision (Van Bavel).

The next step of a boy’s initiation is Emanyatta or warriors camp. The camp is made up of twenty to forty houses that are selected by the senior warriors. During this period many elders choose to relocate their wives as the kraal becomes a free visit zone. The two most common camps are the Ilaiserr and Irmolelian clans. At the beginning of the camp, a pole is placed in the center of camp and the Maasai’s flag is hung from it. This pole and flag will remain in its place until the camp is over. From then two warrior chiefs are chosen to lead and represent their camp or clan. The purpose of the camp is to teach the new age set about the brotherhood of the warriors. They can spend up to ten years in Emanyatta before they move on to the next step of initiation (Maimai).

From Emanyatta, they enter the Eunoto ceremony. This is the senior warrior’s initiation that takes place after the warriors have been juniors for ten years. This ceremony also allows for the warriors to marry. The ceremony takes place in a special camp with a total forty-nine house, where the forty-ninth house is known as Osinkira. This is a big hut made of mud. During this time each warrior must shave his hair that is done by his mother. Before the ceremony can occur, the warriors must raise eight bulls to given to the elders as gifts on graduation day and three important positions must be selected, the Olaiguanani lenkashe, Oloboru enkeene, and Olotuno. The Olaiguanani lenkashe receives a specially chosen female cow. The Oloboru enkeene receives a leather strap with a knot. At the end of the ceremony, the knot will be untied to represent the freedom of the warriors from each other. Lastly, the Olotuno is not a position that the men want to accept. This is because the man who does get this position is responsible for all the men’s good and bad deeds.

The next stage that a man goes through is the Enkang oo-nkiri or meat-eating ceremony. This ceremony is performed to initiate junior elders. This is performed in a camp of ten to twenty houses, with specific houses set aside for the wives of the junior elders. During this ceremony, the warriors and wives the age set are allowed to eat a specially chosen bull that has been prepared by the women. Also, at this time a wife must prove to her husband that she has not cheated on her husband with a man from a younger age set. It is okay for a woman to sleep with multiple men from her age set, but not a younger one. If she is found guilty, she will be disrespected by the entire age set.

Lastly, the Maasai hold the Orngesherr ceremony. This then is the junior elders’ initiation to become a senior elder. Of all ceremonies, most men look forward to this one the most as every male in the age set is rewarded with an elder’s chair at the end of it. In the morning of the ceremony, a man is to sit on his chair and allow his wife to shave him. If the elder has multiple wives, the oldest one is to shave him. After the ceremony, the man takes full responsibility for his family and is considered independent. The chair stays with the man until he dies, or it is broken. Since the Maasai do not keep track of exact ages it is believed that a man assumes full responsibility at the age of thirty-five or so.

The people of the Maasai tribe undergo a multitude of ceremonies and imitations in their lifetime, all of which are non-negotiable. The importance they put on boys to become strong men who are willing to give their life for their tribe exemplifies their patriarchal society. Today they continue to practice these traditions against the approval of surrounding tribes and societies. The Maasai tribe is known for its unique culture and traditions, as well as their unwillingness to accept modern-day life.

Works Cited Page

1. Bonde, Paula. ‘What are the Traditional Roles of Men and Women in Maasai Culture?’ Coins for Change, Coins for Change, 10 Oct. 2016, coinsforchange.org/what-are-the-traditional-roles-of-men-and-women-in-maasai-culture/.
2. Jennings, Christian, and CHRISTIAN JENNINGS. ‘Nilotes, Eastern Africa: Maasai.’ Encyclopedia of African History, edited by Kevin Shillington, Routledge, 1st edition, 2004. Credo Reference, https://ezproxy.csi.edu:2443/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/routafricanhistory/nilotes_eastern_africa_maasai/0?institutionId=4650. Accessed 07 Dec. 2019.
3. Maimai, Ole. Maasai Association, Maasai Association, 2018, www.siyabona.com/maasai-tribe-east-africa.html. Accessed 7 Dec. 2019.
4. ‘The Maasai Culture and Traditions.’ Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, The Wild Co., 2016, maasaiwilderness.org/maasai/. Accessed 7 Dec. 2019.
5. ‘The Maasai Tribe.’ Siyabona Africa, Siyabona Africa (Pty)Ltd, 2019, www.siyabona.com/maasai-tribe-east-africa.html. Accessed 7 Dec. 2019.
6. Van Bavel, Hannelore, et al. ‘Changing Practices and Shifting Meanings of Female Genital Cutting among the Maasai of Arusha and Manyara Regions of Tanzania.’ Culture, Health & Sexuality, vol. 19, no. 12, Dec. 2017, pp. 1344–1359. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/13691058.2017.1313449.
7. Zolnikov, Tara Rava. ‘My Walk to Water.’ American Journal of Public Health, vol. 106, no. 4, Apr. 2016, p. 623. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303066.

Introduction

This time, I want to explain about group and team communication. When you work in the hospitality industry, you work with a variety of people and work around teamwork. We prepared a canape with our classmates at the graduation ceremony on the third week of September and worked with second-grade students. Also, I know better that team communication is important because I am personally working in the hotel kitchen. Most hospitality industries work in their sections, and they come together and serve customers, and they should not be made too soon or too late. The relationship with the members is also important because although they work in their respective sections, the number of team members who help each other and work with each other is mostly the same. This teamwork naturally has a close connection with communication. This is because teamwork takes place as well as communicating with other chefs. If you don’t communicate, you can’t get the order itself, and this situation prevents you from becoming a team. So I will focus on the importance of communication and teamwork in this report.

Body

To explain recent teamwork activities, we decided to make a canape for the graduation ceremony of the cuisine, and patisserie diploma on the third week of September, so on the eve of the graduation ceremony, we prepared a canape. We made various teams in pairs to make each other canape. I was teamed with Caroline and made mussel escabeche with garlic mayo on toasted baguettes. We had to prepare about 60 people so everyone was busy because we had to make them as fast and delicious as possible. I and Caroline shared each other’s roles and worked, Caroline made baguettes and I cleaned and cooked mussels. Also, we continuously checked each other’s processes and helped each other if anything goes wrong. We were very busy because many guests came on the day of graduation. Caroline and I flipped the canape we had prepared the day before and gave it to the second-grade students to serve. During the graduation ceremony, Me and Caroline continued to communicate with each other and completed successfully. I think one of the reasons why our team went well was because we shared the role well. The reason why we divided the roles seemed to be because time was limited and we had to prepare 60 people and also because we had to prepare as fast as possible. Some of the other teams have worked together to make it inefficient. But it seemed that all of us were not perfect, because it was the first canape that I and Caroline tried, and it was used for the graduation ceremony, so it took too long, of course, it was not wrong, but I think the cooking speed was also very important, so I think it was a reduction factor in hospitality. One of the important things in the hospitality industry is time management so taking a lot of time to prep dishes & cooking food is a disadvantage in the hospitality industry

To tell you about another experience, I work part-time in a hotel and I take charge of the larder section or dessert section at lunchtime, and my main job is to make salad or dessert. The chef calls the order when the order comes in, so listen carefully and not just make it fast, but provide it with the same timing when the food comes out of the other section. For example, if an order comes with steak and Caesar salad risotto, the salad should be served with risotto, so you should have continuous communication with the grill section and the Vege section chefs to check how long it takes to get there. If it is made too early, the temperature of the food decreases and it can give customers a bad image because it serves low-quality food. Communication plays a very important role because if I don’t communicate with other chefs, they don’t know when the food comes out and it becomes difficult to provide my food to them.

Like this experience, communication as a team is very important. Because every hospitality industry operates as a team rather than as an individual, there should be trust and efficient communication with each other. There are many different characteristics and characters to make a successful team, the first is its relationship with the team members. The relationship with team members is quite important, and the hospitality industry itself is focused on teamwork, but if the relationship with team members is not good, it will not be easy to proceed smoothly. For the relationship to improve with the team members, we must respect each other first. If we don’t respect each other, we should respect each other and help each other when we need help because there is only a lot of conflict left. The atmosphere of comfort also plays a part. of course, when you work, you have to be serious and concentrate, but the atmosphere where you can ask each other’s regards and make simple jokes changes the team itself positively. You need to know what role you are playing. The second is to know what role you are playing. You have to know your goals and work hard to help your business, and you can also take it to the next level by achieving your goals Each team member must know how he or she fits into the overall picture. Finally, members should know and follow the guidelines. When you work in the kitchen, you have to use fairly dangerous kitchenware and know and follow guidelines because you apply a variety of different recipes. For example, when using a meat slicer, you should use a handle to prevent hand ingress, and when using a deep fryer, there are so many guidelines that you should be careful not to splash oil, so you should learn those guidelines, be careful, and work safely. There are many other ways to make a good team, and to tell you a few things, things have to be fun and comfortable. It may be the most important thing; it is of no use if you are not interested in work. On the contrary, work should be fun because it can ruin the atmosphere of the team by making more frequent mistakes and pressure.

Conclusion

In conclusion, In my personal opinion, the hospitality industry takes a long time to adapt and is one of those jobs that requires that much experience. So when my friends who are working like me are working as a team, they finish their work more easily and quickly and without any mistakes. I was able to experience various experiences while working and studying, and also I learned about the importance of teamwork in advance by working. Also, it was more comfortable and fun to cook with my friends and help them prepare the canapes for this graduation ceremony. It was more comfortable and fun, so I thought the teamwork was better and communication was good. In fact, after the graduation ceremony, Chef Francis raved that our canape was quite delicious. As I said before, I explained about various characteristics to make a good team. In my personal opinion, this experience was a friendly, comfortable atmosphere and fun work to solve everything. It was a bit serious where I worked and the other chefs were much older than me, so I didn’t feel like friends, but it was different when I was with my school. I think it was a good experience. I will be more comfortable enjoy my work more and become a member of a good team. Also, I will be in a team of 2 people in the graduation canape exam next November. I will develop a cooperative spirit and prepare better and faster than last time.

Reference

1. Hotel management.com( June 2018 ) “How to make the successful team in hospitality business” by Keith Kefgen, Aethos Consulting Group, James Houran, Aethos Consulting Group Retrieved from https://www.hotelmanagement.net/operate/how-hospitality-leaders-can-foster-effective-teamwork
2. Undercover recruiter.com (2018) “Top seven qualities of successful team” by Sophie Deering. Retrieved from https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/qualities-successful-work-team/
3. Typsy.com ( January 2018) “A guide to essential kitchen equipment” by Ivana Rnjak Retrieved from https://blog.typsy.com/a-guide-to-essential-kitchen-equipment
4. Worklife.com (2003) “How important is it to love your job” by Jim Bird retrieved from https://worklifebalance.com/love-your-job/
5. Essays, UK. (November 2018). Teamwork In the Hospitality Industry. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/commerce/teamwork-in-hospitality-industry-commerce-essay.php?vref=1

Introduction

This time, I want to explain about group and team communication. When you work in the hospitality industry, you work with a variety of people and work around teamwork. We prepared a canape with our classmates at the graduation ceremony on the third week of September and worked with second-grade students. Also, I know better that team communication is important because I am personally working in the hotel kitchen. Most hospitality industries work in their sections, and they come together and serve customers, and they should not be made too soon or too late. The relationship with the members is also important because although they work in their respective sections, the number of team members who help each other and work with each other is mostly the same. This teamwork naturally has a close connection with communication. This is because teamwork takes place as well as communicating with other chefs. If you don’t communicate, you can’t get the order itself, and this situation prevents you from becoming a team. So I will focus on the importance of communication and teamwork in this report.

Body

To explain recent teamwork activities, we decided to make a canape for the graduation ceremony of the cuisine, and patisserie diploma on the third week of September, so on the eve of the graduation ceremony, we prepared a canape. We made various teams in pairs to make each other canape. I was teamed with Caroline and made mussel escabeche with garlic mayo on toasted baguettes. We had to prepare about 60 people so everyone was busy because we had to make them as fast and delicious as possible. I and Caroline shared each other’s roles and worked, Caroline made baguettes and I cleaned and cooked mussels. Also, we continuously checked each other’s processes and helped each other if anything goes wrong. We were very busy because many guests came on the day of graduation. Caroline and I flipped the canape we had prepared the day before and gave it to the second-grade students to serve. During the graduation ceremony, Me and Caroline continued to communicate with each other and completed successfully. I think one of the reasons why our team went well was because we shared the role well. The reason why we divided the roles seemed to be because time was limited and we had to prepare 60 people and also because we had to prepare as fast as possible. Some of the other teams have worked together to make it inefficient. But it seemed that all of us were not perfect, because it was the first canape that I and Caroline tried, and it was used for the graduation ceremony, so it took too long, of course, it was not wrong, but I think the cooking speed was also very important, so I think it was a reduction factor in hospitality. One of the important things in the hospitality industry is time management so taking a lot of time to prep dishes & cooking food is a disadvantage in the hospitality industry

To tell you about another experience, I work part-time in a hotel and I take charge of the larder section or dessert section at lunchtime, and my main job is to make salad or dessert. The chef calls the order when the order comes in, so listen carefully and not just make it fast, but provide it with the same timing when the food comes out of the other section. For example, if an order comes with steak and Caesar salad risotto, the salad should be served with risotto, so you should have continuous communication with the grill section and the Vege section chefs to check how long it takes to get there. If it is made too early, the temperature of the food decreases and it can give customers a bad image because it serves low-quality food. Communication plays a very important role because if I don’t communicate with other chefs, they don’t know when the food comes out and it becomes difficult to provide my food to them.

Like this experience, communication as a team is very important. Because every hospitality industry operates as a team rather than as an individual, there should be trust and efficient communication with each other. There are many different characteristics and characters to make a successful team, the first is its relationship with the team members. The relationship with team members is quite important, and the hospitality industry itself is focused on teamwork, but if the relationship with team members is not good, it will not be easy to proceed smoothly. For the relationship to improve with the team members, we must respect each other first. If we don’t respect each other, we should respect each other and help each other when we need help because there is only a lot of conflict left. The atmosphere of comfort also plays a part. of course, when you work, you have to be serious and concentrate, but the atmosphere where you can ask each other’s regards and make simple jokes changes the team itself positively. You need to know what role you are playing. The second is to know what role you are playing. You have to know your goals and work hard to help your business, and you can also take it to the next level by achieving your goals Each team member must know how he or she fits into the overall picture. Finally, members should know and follow the guidelines. When you work in the kitchen, you have to use fairly dangerous kitchenware and know and follow guidelines because you apply a variety of different recipes. For example, when using a meat slicer, you should use a handle to prevent hand ingress, and when using a deep fryer, there are so many guidelines that you should be careful not to splash oil, so you should learn those guidelines, be careful, and work safely. There are many other ways to make a good team, and to tell you a few things, things have to be fun and comfortable. It may be the most important thing; it is of no use if you are not interested in work. On the contrary, work should be fun because it can ruin the atmosphere of the team by making more frequent mistakes and pressure.

Conclusion

In conclusion, In my personal opinion, the hospitality industry takes a long time to adapt and is one of those jobs that requires that much experience. So when my friends who are working like me are working as a team, they finish their work more easily and quickly and without any mistakes. I was able to experience various experiences while working and studying, and also I learned about the importance of teamwork in advance by working. Also, it was more comfortable and fun to cook with my friends and help them prepare the canapes for this graduation ceremony. It was more comfortable and fun, so I thought the teamwork was better and communication was good. In fact, after the graduation ceremony, Chef Francis raved that our canape was quite delicious. As I said before, I explained about various characteristics to make a good team. In my personal opinion, this experience was a friendly, comfortable atmosphere and fun work to solve everything. It was a bit serious where I worked and the other chefs were much older than me, so I didn’t feel like friends, but it was different when I was with my school. I think it was a good experience. I will be more comfortable enjoy my work more and become a member of a good team. Also, I will be in a team of 2 people in the graduation canape exam next November. I will develop a cooperative spirit and prepare better and faster than last time.

Reference

1. Hotel management.com( June 2018 ) “How to make the successful team in hospitality business” by Keith Kefgen, Aethos Consulting Group, James Houran, Aethos Consulting Group Retrieved from https://www.hotelmanagement.net/operate/how-hospitality-leaders-can-foster-effective-teamwork
2. Undercover recruiter.com (2018) “Top seven qualities of successful team” by Sophie Deering. Retrieved from https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/qualities-successful-work-team/
3. Typsy.com ( January 2018) “A guide to essential kitchen equipment” by Ivana Rnjak Retrieved from https://blog.typsy.com/a-guide-to-essential-kitchen-equipment
4. Worklife.com (2003) “How important is it to love your job” by Jim Bird retrieved from https://worklifebalance.com/love-your-job/
5. Essays, UK. (November 2018). Teamwork In the Hospitality Industry. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/commerce/teamwork-in-hospitality-industry-commerce-essay.php?vref=1

In this essay I will be discussing to you why a dress code at citizenship ceremonies should not be applied. The reasons behind this are the bare facts that the way we dress defines us, and people across all cultures dress differently, as well as it being a right to dress your own way, your clothes define who you are, dress codes restrict that, especially at the citizenship ceremonies, where you are representing yourself and your culture while welcoming a new one.

Firstly, there are various cultures, beliefs and faiths, and each of them can be defined by the way they dress. A dress code is set to make everyone the same when every individual is unique, we should dress as though you are proud of your heritage and faith. Like an Indian woman wearing a beautifully woven sari, or Scottish in a kilt, or even a Muslim in an abaya, this goes to show how beautifully diverse Australia is, it’s a multicultural country where people from all over the globe live as one community. Yet, consequently, with a dress code, people are restricted from embracing themselves as unique cultures and individuals.

On a further note, there have already been dress codes implemented within councils across Australia, the Age mentioned, “new citizens have been instructed to come dressed in ‘smart or neat’ casual attire other authorities have gone further. As well as thongs and shorts being ruled out, ‘Maribyrnong City Council’ has banned slippers, singlets, nightwear, sports apparel, offensive motifs, and overly torn clothing”. I would like to highlight as it had been mentioned above that thongs and shorts have been banned, and this the casual Aussie attire. The Australian citizenship ceremony is part of the Aussie holiday festivities, welcoming hundreds of new citizens into our community. We as Australian like to go with the casual more summer look and the thongs and shorts are the Aussie originals. With this dress code upheld the new coming citizens don’t see Aussies like they truly are from the singlet to ripped pants.

Many councils disagree with the Australian government regarding the dress code for citizenship ceremonies. For example, people like the mayor of Greater Geraldton in Washington. “Prime Minister Scott Morrison has got to get fair dinkum about this”, he said. “Not every Australia Day ceremony is held in Parliament House or in some fancy dining hall in Sydney”.

The Shire of Augusta-Margaret River president Pamela Townshend said: “Quite often it is hot on Australia Day and we are at the beach on Australia Day, we wear thongs and shorts. It is just ridiculous that you have to wear a suit and tie on Australia Day when it is sweltering and 40 degrees”. “You can tell that this is a decision made from an air-conditioned office in Canberra”.

This goes to show how not only us ‘commoners’ disagree with this but people in high positions, as well as members parliament and people within the local governments these dress codes aren’t helping anyone yet, are making people frustrated and annoyed.