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 Unit IX
The Seasonal
Round and The Cycle of Life
By Paddy Bowman, Sylvia Bienvenu, and Maida
Owens
It's Easter Sunday morning in Marksville, Louisiana. Many
of the townspeople are attending services at the various local churches. Meanwhile, Brent Scallan
and Mike Bordelon hurry to set up tables and chairs for registration and a loud speaker system they will use in the big egg knocking contest that will begin soon, after the church crowd arrives. Brent will be the Master of Ceremonies, a capacity in which he has served for the past thirteen years, since he was eighteen years old. Mike, as his assistant, will be in charge of registration, as well as helping to keep everyone organized, and checking eggs at knocking time (to make sure that each contestant is using only the three eggs he or she has had registered, stamped and numbered). Years ago, Mike, now age forty five, was the announcer. Now he leaves that task to Brent. When it is time to begin, Brent calls out, "Last call to register your eggs." Then starts the T-toddler contest for children under eight. Their prizes will be baskets of Easter candy. A few adults are still scrambling to get their eggs registered.
Brent calls out for numbers one through forty to line up on the steps. Mike is checking the eggs,
making sure everyone is there, helping people find the knocking partners. And the big moment is
here! "Ready! Knock!" Brent continues, reminding the contestants, "If all your eggs are cracked, please step down. If your eggs are not cracked, pair up with the next person in line and continue knocking. If you are finished knocking, please move off the steps." Soon there will be a winner, and a great, fun tradition continues in Marksville.
--Sheri Lane Dunbar
from "If Your Eggs Are Cracked, Please Step Down: Easter Egg Knocking in Marksville
Unit Introduction
Just as a seasonal round
of folklife customs, rituals, and beliefs accompanies our passage
through the calendar year, so the cycle of life embraces us in
a journey from birth to death marked by milestones great and
small. This unit invites students to place their own seasonal
rounds and life celebrations and milestones in the context of
others in their communities, in Louisiana, and around the world.
Fourth graders study the seasonal round in Part 1, while 8th
graders research the cycle of life in Part 2. Adapt these lessons
to your students. For example, Lessons 2 and 3 in Part 1 are
adaptable for 8th graders.
Unit IX Resources
Unit IX Outline
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