Let's start at the beginning and work forward...
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Swamper
Local Mocker
Posts: 324
(10/9/00 4:22 pm)
This post is a total waste of your time. Read this if you will. I was supposed to choose an American ritual that could be viewed as strange by someone outside of our culture and then write about it objectively. It's kind of a take-off on Miner's "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema". You can read that at
www.geocities.com/Capitol...miner.html
if you wish.
The Nacirema Ritual of the “Homecoming Football Game”
The Nacirema is a tribe shrouded in mystery. The numerous rituals performed by this society are often crude and barbaric. One such ritual is a yearly battle, which I have come to find is called a “Homecoming Football Game”. Even before the ritual itself begins, another festivity takes place. The Nacirema call it the “Homecoming Parade”. Many people gather along the side of a road and watch “floats” as they drift by. These “floats” are often brightly colored and usually contain war propaganda on them. The “Homecoming Football Game” itself begins with people streaming into the battlefield, many of whom are relatively young. The soldiers look to their generals for words of encouragement, and in this way are prepped for battle. The ritual almost seems to be some type of war in which no weapons are allowed. This battle is barbaric enough with men simply throwing themselves at each other to get possession of a sacred ball. Funny little ritualistic dances are sometimes performed after a soldier takes out a lot of guys and carries the ball past a certain line. This must please the gods. It also pleases the other ranks of people present. Two groups exist on opposite sides of the battlefield. They are obviously in conflict with each other. Each group is dressed in a similar fashion, and some even wear special war paint on their bodies, although they do not participate in the actual fight. Their excitement is almost tangible as they perform chants and prayers along with other groups of girls jumping up and down on the side of the field who must be even higher in rank. They wear nice uniforms and make intimidating noises with their hands, which seem to make the lesser groups even wilder.
There is also another group of people that comes out during “halftime”. They are called the “Homecoming Court” and may quite possibly be the highest in rank. Two members of this group have been crowned “Homecoming King” and “Homecoming Queen”. And so new rulers are announced during this ritual. The last distinguishable group present at this ceremony marches around in an orderly fashion while playing instruments in brightly colored wool costumes. It's lucky no weapons are allowed, or they'd quickly be shot down. Now, one can only guess at why this dreadful tradition continues to take place year after year, but hopefully this has shed some light on the odd Nacirema tradition of the “Homecoming Football Game”.
I never get the piece of cake with the flower on it.
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