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Lakeside Junior High School 153
My Favorite Marshallese Tradition
By Ranny Zacherias
I was at a church called the Mormon Church on the south
side of Springdale, except I was not there to do the stuff we do
on Sundays, but to celebrate a baby's 1st birthday. If we
celebrated in a house, we wouldn’t fit because there were more
than 50 people coming to celebrate. This is what we call a
kemem (keh-ma’am). Most are open invites where family and
friends and their families join. Others are closed invites where
others cannot come unless invited. The baby was someone from my family so we, of course,
were invited.
The way we celebrate a first birthday is different from how other cultures celebrate. Some
just sing happy birthday and have a party. The way we celebrate is that there are a lot of people
dancing in big groups, little groups, in duos and solos. Unlike other people, our parties can go for
a whole night until everyone leaves.
This tradition stands out to me because when you grow up, you’re not going to
experience what a kemem is like. It’s more famous than our May Day month, and a kemem can
happen more than two times a year.
