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| Figure 1: Children in Shanghai don their personalized social distancing hats (Source: Linder 1) |
The Covid-19 Pandemic has dramatically changed the world,
particularly our social and cultural realities, over the past few months. New behaviors, such as government instituted or
self-imposed social distancing, shelter in place, or quarantines, have become
commonplace, and with these a variety of new and/or changed cultural rituals. This blog post will discuss some of these new
and/or changed rituals, which directly result from the pandemic. These include alterations to mortuary traditions,
new ways to support front line workers and cope with trauma, and creative ways
to maintain social distancing.
Mortuary Traditions
Mortuary traditions vary cross culturally, meeting social
and religious needs by allowing people to inter the dead and assuage personal
and/or community grief. Several mortuary
traditions involve ritual bathing of the dead, large gatherings, and/or personal
time with the dying or deceased. All of
these actions, however, have had to be altered as a result of the Covid-19
Pandemic, and I say altered because when governments attempted to prohibit the
continuation of these mortuary rituals the public rebelled. This happened in the Middle East where various
governments attempted to minimize burial rituals (due to the sheer number of
dead in a short period of time), but public outcry shifted these initiatives, causing
government officials to take control of burials as per the local customs and in
adherence to religious doctrine. In
various parts of Asia where cremations and special mortuary rituals are expected
these rituals have been put on pause due to travel restrictions and prohibition
of large-scale gatherings. Among Jews it
is customary to be with the dying or recently deceased to say goodbye, an act
known as the shiva. In observance of
this custom guests can meet with the dying or recently deceased through a glass
wall to say their goodbyes. Across the globe
funerary ceremonies are either provided virtually to accommodate larger groups,
or they are reserved only for small gatherings, typically immediate family
members.
Supporting Front Line Workers & Relieving Stress
As shelter-in-place orders were mandated across Europe
various new rituals occurred. The Italians
took to their balconies and sang, while the Spanish banged pots and pans. Both of these acts were meant to show support
for front line workers, particularly medical professionals, but also served as a
coping mechanism to relieve stress and tension.
Across the United States and parts of Canada a new ritual began, which involved
howling. The howling ritual was born out
of a social media campaign that encouraged people to go outside at 8 pm and
vocalize their support for medical professionals, but in one California
community a different take on this idea happened. It resulted from an individual mimicking the
howls of their dog, which was repeated by a neighbor. The episode was recounted the next day on
social media, and the tradition took off from there. While several individuals in the community
disliked the howls it was largely accepted and welcomed by community members,
eventually spreading outside of California to various Western and Midwestern
states.
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| Figure 2: Social distancing hats provided by cafe' owner in Germany (Source: Rothe, cited by Dunham 1) |
Creative Ways to Maintain Social Distancing
As part of the effort to stop the spread of Covid-19
recommended and/or mandated social distancing protocols have been put into
place. This can be challenging,
particularly given that appropriate physical distance among people is
culturally dictated (with some cultures requiring less distance among people
than others). Several cultural groups
and organizations, though, have taken to using some creative methods to
maintain the minimum six feet or one-meter distance, principally in the
creation of social distancing hats (Figures 1 & 2). In Germany a café owner requires patrons to
wear hats that have pool tube affixed to them, and in Shanghai school children
were required to create their own social distancing hats. The advantage of the latter over the former
is that the students have the autonomy to create and personalize their headgear
whereas the café patrons do not.
Taken together these new cultural rituals demonstrate the
creativity and resilience of humans.
Despite the challenges that the Covid-19 Pandemic present people are
still maintaining their cultural behaviors, albeit in new or altered
forms. These times demonstrate not only
the mechanisms of culture but also those of culture change, which we are both
witnessing and experiencing as a direct result of the pandemic.
Works Cited
Dunham, Jackie. "German cafe gives customers
pool noodle-hats to ensure they remain physically distant ." CTV News
15 May 2020. Electronic.
Frayer, Lauren, Daniel Estrin and Jane Arraf. "Coronavirus
Is Changing The Rituals Of Death For Many Religions." 7 April 2020. National
Public Radio. Electronic. 19 May 2020.
Homayoun, Ana. "Some Teenagers Are Creating New
Rituals in the Pandemic." New York Times 5 May 2020. Electronic.
Linder, Alex. "Hangzhou kids wear social
distancing hats upon return to school." 5 May 2020. Shangailist.
Electronic. 19 May 2020.
Scheier, Rachel. "Coronavirus has people howling
at the moon." Los Angeles Times 4 April 2020. Electronic.
