GTKY: Celebrating/Honoring Your Heritage

tealowl · August 2013

Do any of you do anything traditional or custom for your heritage?

I'm a Swede! I love eating pickled herring, but we don't do too many customs. There's a Swedish song that my aunts sing at every family wedding, but I haven't learned it yet. We have a few local markets in town that sell Swedish food that I will get, like potato bologna. But I only eat it at Christmas!

stefaniew26 · August 2013

I'm German so we hide a pickle ornament in the Christmas tree each year. Whomever finds it, gets an extra present. H is French- Canadian no traditions that I know of

duncs107 · August 2013

I'm Irish and hubby's family is German. We drink A LOT at all family occasions. I used to do be in Irish Dance (river dancing) with my cousins when were little, some of my uncles play bagpipes. Our families mostly just eat Irish/German foods now, we don't really do anything else these days.

ETA: My mom used to date/be engaged to a guy from England. We went and visited his family a few times and once celebrated Christmas with them. I LOVE English Christmas. They do "poppers" which are little things you twist with goodies inside, wear crowns at dinner, and then celebrate Boxing day. It was awesome. I want to move there just to celebrate Christmas in English style.

MeggoWaffles · August 2013

Polish on my mom's side. Sto Lat and pierogies is pretty much as far as we go.

Portuguese on my dad's side, and I identify much more to that side. Portuguese is my dad's fist language, and I understand a little. I was allowed to have wine with dinner when I was 13, grew up eating sardines, cod fish and chorizo, and spent an amazing summer in Portugal as a teenager.

AppleGrapeMSTK · August 2013

My family comes from a long line of Mormon pioneers. When we lived in Utah, we always went to the Pioneer Day parades, but other than that, DH and I do not celebrate our heritage because we are no longer members of that church. It does mean that 90% of all meals I make are in casserole form.

crwel1048 · August 2013

I'm Irish, German, and Sicilian. However, primarily Irish. The Sicilian and Irish stand out more with traditions. My mom makes her grandmother's (she came from Sicily as an adult) pasta sauce many Sundays and at every daughter's wedding they have Italian/Sicilian seed cookies. As for the Irish side we really just do the corn beef and cabbage since my grandmother (from Ireland) passed away. I feel like the traditions just kind of dropped off.

EmilyA724 · August 2013

I'm half Polish/half Sicilian

For my Polish side we celebrate Wigilia on Christmas eve, which is a "white meal" where all the food is supposed to be white. We start with little wafers called Oplatek. We go around and break off pieces of each other's and wish each other a Merry Christmas. For dinner I mainly just stuff my face with pierogi.

For my Sicilian side one of the biggest things we do is celebrate St. Joseph's Day in March. It's a big wonderful feast. I love to eat the sphinge, which is just fried dough goodness.

cheergrl28 · August 2013

al-e said:

I'm Irish and hubby's family is German. We drink A LOT at all family occasions. I used to do be in Irish Dance (river dancing) with my cousins when were little, some of my uncles play bagpipes. Our families mostly just eat Irish/German foods now, we don't really do anything else these days.
I'm Irish and my H is German too! The only way we pay tribute to our heritage is through alcohol. I love family traditions so I think it would be cool to do more Irish and German-ish things.

I'm Irish/German and H is Irish/Scottish. We play to our Irish heritage more - Irish blessings are hung in our house and prior to holiday meals and the first toast of any drink is an Irish blessing that my grandmother used to say.

MeggoWaffles · August 2013

@EmilyA724: Oplatek! We do that too, and its one of my favorite traditions. I forgot about that! You just made me smile. :-)

Also, trying to quote on my phone is failing. Sorry.

von1976 · August 2013

I'm kind of a mutt. I'm English, Irish, German, and Finnish.

My family is 5th generation on one side and 4th generation on the other. We're 'muricans now! Though we do have family traditions I will probably carry on:

I always throw a pinch of salt over my left shoulder when I spill salt.

I always leave the bay leaf in the dish, and whoever gets it has to "kiss the cook".

I will probably also say "Gish de hind de mudder vil stew" to my children. I have no idea what that means, and it's probably not even close to what it should be, but it goes back to my Finnish great-grandmother. It's supposed to mean "Go home your mother wants you". My mom used to say it to me, and hers did to her, etc.

Come to think of it, all of these come from my mother's side of the family.

pettycrocker · August 2013

I'm Italian. I make pasta, once every decade or so.

H is Mexican, and he never celebrates Cinco De Mayo.

Pintobean39 · August 2013

I'm French/Cajun and we have always eating red beans and rice every Monday.

I'm not sure if its a Cajun/creole thing or just a south Louisiana thing but my husband is from North Carolina and he bitches about it almost every Monday because everyone serves it.

Pintobean39 · August 2013

Mrs Castillo said:
I'm Italian. I make pasta, once every decade or so.

H is Mexican, and he never celebrates Cinco De Mayo.

I always heard cinco de mayo was only celebrated in the US

CrazyCupcake52 · August 2013

ScrappyLika said:

In my mom's polish family tradition, they make the bride an apron for the reception. It is decked out in babies and pots and pans, etc. All the guests circle around singing "Let me call you sweetheart". The veil is removed and the apron is put on. Symbolizing becoming a wife.

Totally did that at our wedding, poor DH's side of the family was so confused.

Love making a big batch of homemade pierogies that we freeze and eat throughout the year. Always have pierogies and kielbasa for family get togethers.

My other grandma is Italian and she taught me how to make gnocchi, so I do that a few times a year. I have yet to attempt homemade pasta.

mmb248 · August 2013

I'm a mutt. My dad's side is all Scottish, Irish, Scotch-Irish, and a little bit of French. My great grandfather ran moonshine through the Carolinas. I guess that's a tribute? Since then, the whole family has been dry... Except for ME!!!! (and my sister)

My mom's side is Dutch, English, French, and Cherokee. My granny (Dutch and English) once said that her blonde hair was proof of her dutch roots. My mother said, "Nope, L'Oreal is French and your roots are brown." My granddad was 1/2 Cherokee but the only "tradition" we had was that he referred to his glass at the table as "firewater." Definitely don't drink the firewater.

Interesting fact from the genealogy gurus in my family - On both sides of my family, we have been in North or South Carolina since the 1600s. We really get around. 8-|

kramja01 · August 2013

I wish I had more fun family traditions! I am English on my mom's side (my 10-great grandparents came over on the Mayflower) and German on my Dad's side (ancestors came over in the early 1800s) and we don't really do anything culturally unique. DH's family is also German, but from Pennsylvania Dutch country. His family eats a lot of traditional PA Dutch foods--all kinds of sausages and processed meats, milk pies, sauerkraut. I just learned how to make Nut Rolls, which DH loves, so I'm happy to contribute a little to his food culture.

mrstengallonhat1 · August 2013

teal owl said:

Do any of you do anything traditional or custom for your heritage?

I'm a Swede! I love eating pickled herring, but we don't do too many customs. There's a Swedish song that my aunts sing at every family wedding, but I haven't learned it yet. We have a few local markets in town that sell Swedish food that I will get, like potato bologna. But I only eat it at Christmas!

I'm part Swedish too! My mom's side always does a Christmas smorgasbord around St. Lucia Day in mid-December.

The other side of my family is Irish...we don't really have any "traditions" per se. My grandmother always wore a Celtic cross around her neck, which I love. My youngest brother had it tattooed on his back in tribute to her after her passing, and I'd like to do the same (in a much smaller version) sometime down the road.

frenchy816 · August 2013

I'm completely Irish so when I was younger all 5 of us (including the boys) did Irish Dance. We all have Gaelic names. St. Patrick's Day is a huge holiday for us. The city has an awesome parade which we go to, the 'leprechauns' come to the house and when we were kids they used to make mischief. We would wake up to toilet paper all over the inside of the house, chairs on tables, cushions all over, etc. Then we would get a lotto ticket and a bag of M&Ms. As adults we still get the lotto ticket and M&Ms. We have Corned Beef and cabbage, Guinness/beer. We 'baptize' our Bushmills with Jameson's when we drink it.

When my grandfather died last September he was buried with soil from the home land.

He would always say an Irish blessing at dinners.

There are so many more traditions that we do on special occasions.

CrazyDaisy8 · August 2013

I am German. I am not a fan of a lot of the German food but love goetta! Besides the annual Oktoberfest is Cincinnati every year, I don't really participate in much else that revolves around my heritage. Oh, I go to GoettaFest every year too. Yummy!

warmheartmom · August 2013

I'm Salvadorean (El Salvador, C.A.) and my DH is from Puerto Rico. We eat rice and beans almost everyday with whatever meat.

Pintobean39 · August 2013

HappyFeet34 said:
I'm Italian I eat a lot of food and like gelato . But for reals, we had pasta every Sunday in my family, homemade sauce and meatballs. DH and I keep up the tradition.

I'm so jealous of Italians. My next door neighbor was Italian and every Sunday after church the whole family came over to eat red gravy, pasta, with something (eggplant, chicken, and my fav meatballs). I was invited to join a lot and I really enjoyed those Sundays. I only wish my family had those kinds of traditions. Then again I'm alone in a town with no family here.

ArmyWife0623 · August 2013

Once again, I'm boring here... I'm Czechoslovakian and native American. I'm awesome in archery but I have yet to make Czech food, though I'm sure would delish! DH is polish and Irish, and we love da booze!

Drgn30 · August 2013

i'm part mexican (chihuahua). we celebrate dia de los muertos every year. we leave out food and drink (usu. booze) for our departed loved ones and pray. it's a really important tradition in my family.

starlight0412 · August 2013

Im half Dominican and half African-american. DH is Russian. Im heavy on the family traditions, but DH doesn't really care for them. I hope that will change when the LOs come around.

BankerBSN · August 2013

I am American. I put up my Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. DH is a Serb and we roast a whole lamb maybe twice a year and also celebrate "Serbian Christmas" and "Serbian Easter" which is just Orthodox holidays.

pearlsandcurls84 · August 2013

DH and I are both Irish. We always have a big Irish dinner with soda bread for St.Patricks day. And all weddings in my family include a good ol jig. My grandmother was born and raised in Ireland and was one of 17. 12 of her siblings were at our wedding drinking and jigging up a storm.

My mom has a tiny bit of Swiss French ancestry. I make fondue a lot, so I guess we celebrate that culture too.

KatieN123 · August 2013

I am almost all German. I have a little bit of Italian and Spanish background as well. DH is mostly German with a little bit of Irish. We celebrate all American holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc). We are big into going to Oktoberfest and Volksfest every year. I volunteer at Oktoberfest with my family to not only help out but to get the free food and beer. LOL.

The only family recipe that was passed down was Goulash. My DH and I love to try to cook different ethic foods. Some come out great, but some are epic fails. I wish our families would have wrote out family recipes. So much was lost. Sigh.

Marcilene1 · August 2013

I'm first generation Irish. We're pretty heavy on the traditions, especially on my dad's side. There was always Irish music blasting (so embarrassing), Irish food (which is just really, really overcooked meat and potatoes), we always had a garbage can full of potatoes in the basement, booze, prayers in Irish, etc.

H is Puerto Rican. He speaks Spanish and cooks Spanish food fairly often which I am grateful for because Irish food sucks.

WillCMyInk · August 2013

I'm part Italian (along with everything else) and although my heritage comes from southern Italy, my aunt married a man from northern Italy and she gave me a recipe for a traditional Italian soup that her MIL showed her how to make when she lived there. As a kid growing up we ate that soup every Christmas and I've tried to continue that trend as an adult. I am now the one preparing the soup and I love sharing it with new people because everyone LOVES it.

AmyC925 · August 2013

I'm Irish, Norwegian, Polish and German.
We do the pickle, we booze it up, I eat kielbasa made by my dad's friend in his basement for holidays, I love kraut and kapusta and celebrate Pulaski Days.

LaDyBostonRN · August 2013

Late to the party but ....

My family is Cuban and Puerto Rican. For New Year's Eve it is a tradition (I think it is also a tradition in other Central American countries) to make a life size doll (out of straw) of someone who has caused some sort of general unrest within the community or the world. You then set it on fire and jump over it to signify putting the past behind you. In 2002 for the turn of the century we picked someone from the past 100 years. So my family made a life size Hitler ... and we set him on fire ...and I jumped over him

Spookster · August 2013

I am Alaskan Native (Aleut/Kenaitze) and Irish. I love Native foods and living the subsistence life, using every part of an animal and honoring the gift of their life to nourish mine and my family's lives.

I love listening to Elders tell stories and soak up all the time I can get with them. Berry picking, weaving grass baskets, beading earrings and jewelry.

I love Irish folklore, and food :-)

coopsbaby · August 2013

I'm half Czech, and all I really have from that side is family recipes since my grandparents died when my dad was a kid. But Czech food is sooooo tasty!

My maternal grandmother was Irish, and grandfather was German and English, but their families have been in the country for hundreds of years and are just pretty much "midwesterners" now. I do love to drink, I like to attribute that to my Irish side, plus I love me some corned beef and cabbage "boiled dinner". Mmmm, mushy meat.

CopperPoppy · August 2013

First of all I just want to say I think it's amusing that @frenchy816 is completely Irish.

I am ~80% Central American. (Guatemala and Nicaragua) most of my family speaks Spanish but I only understand it and that's somewhat questionable at times. The other 20% or so is mixed European (Swedish and German) my ancestors didn't really keep track of things very well and I'd love to know more.

I am into some of the traditions (tamales at Christmas time) but I can't really think of anything that I do. I guess I consider myself more American than anything even though I'm first generation on my dads side.

princessisadora · August 2013

Marcilene1 said:
I'm first generation Irish. We're pretty heavy on the traditions, especially on my dad's side. There was always Irish music blasting (so embarrassing), Irish food (which is just really, really overcooked meat and potatoes), we always had a garbage can full of potatoes in the basement, booze, prayers in Irish, etc.
H is Puerto Rican. He speaks Spanish and cooks Spanish food fairly often which I am grateful for because Irish food sucks.

@marcilene1 you guys are the opposite of My H and me. I am Puerto Rican and H is Irish. My family still lives in PR and his family still lives in Ireland. We had 2 weddings one in PR and one in Ireland

princessisadora · August 2013

PS- Irish food is awesome! My H makes the most amazing steak and Guinness pie and colcannon!

Marcilene1 · August 2013

princessisadora said:

PS- Irish food is awesome! My H makes the most amazing steak and Guinness pie and colcannon!

@princessisadora

I think your husband must be a good cook because I hate Irish food including colcannon. Blech! It's funny because my husband loves corned beef and cabbage (which is totally an Irish American thing, not an Irish thing) and I love spicy Spanish food (he doesn't care for it lol)

frenchy816 · August 2013

CopperPoppy said:

First of all I just want to say I think it's amusing that @frenchy816 is completely Irish. I am ~80% Central American. (Guatemala and Nicaragua) most of my family speaks Spanish but I only understand it and that's somewhat questionable at times. The other 20% or so is mixed European (Swedish and German) my ancestors didn't really keep track of things very well and I'd love to know more. I am into some of the traditions (tamales at Christmas time) but I can't really think of anything that I do. I guess I consider myself more American than anything even though I'm first generation on my dads side.

Thanks. Is it my screen name that makes it amusing that I'm Irish? FWIW, I'm a French/Spanish teacher and Frenchy is a nickname that one of my friends gave me back in high school.

[Deleted User] · August 2013

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Marcilene1 · August 2013

@Bree8485

Indian tacos are soooo amazing! We go to a powwow once a year here in Queens and it is awesome. You and your hubs really need to get on that

CopperPoppy · August 2013

@frenchy816 said:

CopperPoppy said:

First of all I just want to say I think it's amusing that @frenchy816 is completely Irish.

I am ~80% Central American. (Guatemala and Nicaragua) most of my family speaks Spanish but I only understand it and that's somewhat questionable at times. The other 20% or so is mixed European (Swedish and German) my ancestors didn't really keep track of things very well and I'd love to know more.

I am into some of the traditions (tamales at Christmas time) but I can't really think of anything that I do. I guess I consider myself more American than anything even though I'm first generation on my dads side.

Thanks. Is it my screen name that makes it amusing that I'm Irish? FWIW, I'm a French/Spanish teacher and Frenchy is a nickname that one of my friends gave me back in high school.

Yup that's what I meant. That makes sense. I will imagine this frenchy now when I see your name...

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GTKY: Celebrating/Honoring Your Heritage

Re: GTKY: Celebrating/Honoring Your Heritage

BFP on 11/23/13!! Due date is July 20, 2014!

Yeah! DH and I did it on our own without any treatments or procedures. We are excited about our miracle baby.

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