Star Wars Culture Week is a week dedicated to showcasing the various cultures of Star Wars fans, whether they like the Original Trilogy, the Prequels, the Sequels, Legends or the High Republic. The point of this week is to boost the voices of fans of color, especially those who have historically seen their peoples represented (and misrepresented) in Star Wars canon. Fans of all cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds are encouraged to participate! We accept art, edits, writing/fanfiction, videos, music, recipes, and anything that you feel represents your culture!
Moderators: this event is being dual-hosted by @unwhitewashthebadbatch (run by @clonehub and @tieflingkisser) and @starwarsfandomh8speopleofcolor
Event date: April 1st - 7th
Tracked tags: #StarWarsCultureWeek #SWCW
Prompts:
Music & Art - Statues, paintings, songs, instruments, and all the ways that people make art and music!
Language - Mother tongues, accents, pidgins, creoles, slang, dialects, and any other form of verbal or nonverbal communication!
SPIR (Spirituality, Philosophy, Ideology, Religion) - Religions big and small, personal philosophies, and spirituality! Show us the major and minor celebrations, the festivals, the superstitions, the daily practices, and everything in between.
Life and Death (And everything in between) - birth, courtship, wedding, and funeral practices
Diaspora - Cultural mixing, borrowing, sharing, reclaiming, and everything that immigrants and their descendants do in diaspora!
Rules:
BE RESPECTFUL!
It’s okay to post late! If you want to make sure we see your work, be sure to tag us @starwarscultureweek
Please properly tag warnings and triggers!
Credit properly if you are using others’ designs or inspirations!
There is no limit on the number and variety of things you can post, but please don’t spam!
Reblog! Like! Retweet! Share! Show support!
Please remember: this event is meant to uplift and support people of color and other marginalized communities in celebrating their identities. Bigotry or harassment of any kind will result in an automatic block.
And most importantly: have fun!
Please feel free to reply or send an ask if you have any questions!
Music for Panthar tends to lean on one side of a spectrum between loud and soft
Music that is loud is for celebration and pride. Loud music is composed with lots of percussion and places a lot of importance on vocals. Usually sung components of loud music is vocable as opposed to actual words sometimes with a chant or shouted words in the music. The music is very bouncy and lends well to dancing. These songs are meant to be sung at holidays, celebrations but you’ll hear it most at sports matches.
Quiet music is intimate and personal and tends toward natural sounding components like winds, woody percussion or even actual natural sounds. These songs do have sung words often and the music is very soft. They are often songs for families or couples or even a certain place.
Of course Panthar music is not only of these two categories but these two are the most popular among Panthar.
Star Wars Culture Week Day 6 - Fashion @starwarscultureweek
How should Jedi dress at formal events? The answer is: well. They should dress well.
(Jewellery is inspired by traditional Turkish - central Anatolian - headwear. I tried to incorporate Star Wars by adding padawan beads and robes. The facial markings are a mix of what we’ve seen in canon with Togruta and Syrian facial tattooing.)
“Still your mind, Diel. Listen to the rustle of the leaves, the splash of the water, the myriad of voices around us. Huttese, basic, others you can’t recognize.
Feel the gentle mist, the breeze, the vibration of the ground as the children play.”
Open your eyes, my Padawan. See the texture of the stones, the colors of the market.
Smell the food stalls, the foods from a thousand different worlds.
Feel the living Force as it tugs you along. Follow its flow.
“Master?”
“Yes, my learner?”
“What about taste? We covered all the other senses.”
Master Fizzguise chuckled, “Remember those smells? When we pinpoint them, we will find the taste.”
summary: A hired mechanic developing feelings for the Mandalorian finds themselves missing the culture that surrounded them before they started their journey. The stoic bounty hunter asks them to tell him about it, his own feelings starting to grow as well.
warnings: none, but my blog and work is 18+ only. no minors.
notes: this one is all about a jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah. even if you aren't jewish, I encourage you to read--I tried to weave education into this as well as I could. I just wanted to share my favorite holiday with all of you! enjoy!
thank you to the mods of @starwarscultureweek, this is a few days late for day 3 and day 5, but submitting anyways.
read on ao3 | fic masterlist
You didn’t know much about the Mandalorian that had hired you to work on his ship. He was quiet and kept to himself, usually preferring to stay in the cockpit throughout your travels and only coming down to the hull to use the privy. Your partnership was still new; you’d only been working for him for around 30 standard days, give or take—you’d lost track. You knew he’d open up more as time went on, as would you. Peli had warned you about his indifference towards conversation, so you’d expected his brief remarks to you and the lack of meaningful conversation.
You hadn’t expected to feel your heart flutter when his boots tapped down the metal ladder, or to savor every interaction with him, etching his voice into your brain. It dripped into your ears like honey and seeped into your veins, even if it was modulated through the helmet he wore. Sometimes, when he walked past you, you’d get a whiff of his scent—musk, leather, sweat—and it was a strange comfort. You’d come to enjoy his tough exterior, for you knew deep in your heart that underneath the unbreakable beskar was a tender man with a sense of duty and honor.
The little green child in his care brought out this tenderness. A new duty had been added to your job within the last few rotations: caring for the big-eared baby named Grogu. It flattered you that he trusted you enough to care for and watch over Grogu while he was away from the ship; anyone could see how protective the Mandalorian was. Even through brief, stolen glances, you could see the way he held the child with a fondness only a father could possess. This careful nature and fierce protectiveness fanned the flames of your growing affection towards the mysterious man.
You were hoping that your suspicions about his character underneath the tough exterior were right as you sat on the Crest’s ramp, a scenic meadow in front of you. You tried to relax your body and mind, extending your legs and leaning back with hands planted behind you, eyes closed to feel the sun penetrate every pore. Though the afternoon rays warmed your skin and brightened the tall green grass and its random bursts of flowers, it couldn’t warm your heavy heart.
Earlier, all three of you had taken a trip to the market. It was rare, but after you mentioned your curiosity about the planets you traveled to during his hunts in passing, the Mandalorian dropped out of hyperspace and landed on this random, idyllic, Mid-Rim planet. You hadn’t expected him to listen to you, let alone fulfill your wish. As you’d walked through the market, your heart had felt light and excited about the potential of growing your relationship with him beyond stiff exchanges and brief interactions.
Your heart froze over when you saw the date on a calendar in a random bakery Grogu forced his armored guardian to stop in. Mando had noticed the slight change in your demeanor, asking if you were alright, and you forced a smile and nodded. The rest of the excursion was a blur, muddied by the date. You’d been so busy since joining the Mandalorian that you’d never stopped and thought to ask about something so simple. And now, sitting alone in the sun, you let it sink in.
“You going to use those?”
You jumped, sitting up straight and twisting around to see the Mandalorian standing at the top of the ramp, a finger pointing at the forgotten tools by your side. You’d meant to repair something incredibly minor just to take your mind off things, but you hadn’t been able to focus enough, the task only making things worse.
“Oh, um…no,” you stumbled over your words. “At least, uh, not yet.”
“I thought you were fixing something underneath the hull.”
Kriff, you’d forgotten about mentioning that to him. You bit your bottom lip and turned yourself back to face the meadow. “I couldn’t figure it out.”
There was silence, only the leaves of a nearby tree rustling with a gentle gust of wind.
You felt your heart skip a beat when he said your name, and then the Mandalorian cleared his throat. “What’s really going on?”
The sound of his boots grew closer until he was standing, then sitting next to you on your right. His legs were bent, and he was casually resting his arms on his knees. You felt hot under his gaze as if you were a quarry he wanted to interrogate.
“It’s nothing.”
“You’re a horrible liar,” he said, the ghost of amusement under his words. “Tell me.”
You sighed and crossed your legs, fingers mindlessly toying with the fabric of your pants. “I saw the date on the calendar in that bakery we visited, and I realized it’s a holiday.”
“It is?”
“In my culture, yes.” You dropped your eyes from the bright grass and stared instead at your feet. “It’s Rosh HaShanah.”
You heard a modulated hum. “What’s that? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.”
Your head snapped up to turn and stare at his helmet incredulously. “Really? You’ve been everywhere, and you haven’t heard of it?” When he shook his head, you raised your eyebrows and gently smiled. “Interesting.”
“So,” one of the Mandalorian’s gloved hands waved you to continue as he spoke. “Tell me about it.”
“Well—ok,” you grinned. “I’m Jewish, and my people celebrate Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year. I guess you’ve never heard about it since we aren’t a very large or common people.”
As you’d been talking, your gaze had drifted back out to the meadow, so you turned to look back to the Mandalorian, making sure he was still listening. When you saw that he was, and that he was waiting for you to continue, you carried on.
“Rosh HaShanah in our language literally translates to ‘head of the year,’ and it’s part of the Yamim Nora’im—the Days of Awe, or High Holidays. It lasts two days, and religious Jews will spend almost all day in synagogue, reading prayers.” You gasp and turn to him. “And the shofar! It’s blown during religious services. It serves as a call to repentance since the days ahead are centered around atoning for sins and wrongdoing, called teshuvah.”
He nods and turns his body towards you, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his thighs. “Is it just prayer?”
You shake your head. “There’s also festive meals and foods. On the first night, it’s customary to dip apples and round challah—a sweet bread—in honey to symbolize our wish for a sweet new year. Ashkenazi Jews, like my family, also make tzimmes, a dish of sweet carrots to symbolize a wish for a year of abundance.”
You smiled at the memory of helping prepare tzimmes, the memory of the sweet aroma of brown sugar and carrots tickling your heart and melting it. The honey you’d dipped your apples in years ago was golden and sweet, and now you had a sound—a voice—to match that delicious taste.
“Sephardic Jews have a special seder—a ceremonial dinner—with specific foods that each get their own blessing, like leeks and dates.” You chuckle. “Food is very important in my culture.”
“It does sound very nice.” The compliment sent heat to your cheeks, making you feel better about being vulnerable about something so precious to you. “Thank you for telling me about it.”
“Thank you for letting me,” you say, feeling your eyes tear up. You looked long across the meadow and watched the tree sway. “I remember sitting in synagogue as a kid and wishing I was better at speaking our language—Hebrew. I don’t remember much now, but I’m glad I know a bit and can remember some prayers, even if the religious aspect of being Jewish isn’t as important to me now.”
“Mando’a is the language of my people. I don’t know much either, but as Foundlings, they try to teach us what they know.” He paused, sighing. “It connects us to our planet, even if it is cursed.”
“I understand that.” You smile longingly. “It’s a joy to be Jewish. We’re not a large people, but we have such rich traditions and practices tied to both our religious and our ethnic identity. Being Jewish isn’t only about being religious—plenty of Jews are secular. What binds us is our traditions, our language, and our perseverance.”
The Mandalorian’s beskar helmet glinting in the sun caught your eye, and you looked at him. “It reminds me of my people. We’re scattered like stars in the galaxy, but we survive. It’s something I and other Mandalorians take pride in.” He nodded at you. “The Jewish people should as well.”
Despite the helmet, you felt so comfortable and seen under his gaze. The smile on your face widened, beaming hope and joy at him. Though you had chosen to leave your home world behind in search of adventure across the stars, you missed the Jewish community you’d grown up around. You’d never had to explain such an important holiday before—nobody had ever asked throughout your journeys. The first person to ask was the stoic Mandalorian in front of you, and you felt more connected to him in this moment than you ever had before.
Here are two people, you thought, who carry the long and ancient histories of their people on their backs, seeing each other clearly like nobody else ever could—ever would.
The warm connection took root in your chest and grew, and you wished you could hold it out for him to touch and see and admire.
You turned back to your grassy view, brow furrowed in thought. “Mando?”
“Hm?”
“Is there water around here?”
“I saw a river not too far from here. It’s a short walk,” he remarked. “Why?”
“There’s this other ceremony done on the first afternoon of Rosh HaShanah, and I think you might like it.” You look at him again, a gentle smile back on your lips.
You barely noticed his helmet tilt to the side in curiosity. “What is it?”
“You go to a body of water and perform the tashlich ceremony. You toss breadcrumbs or pebbles into the water, symbolically casting off your sins from the past year.”
“I’d like to try it, if you’ll let me,” he said, his honey-soaked voice dripping into your heart.
“I don’t remember the prayer, but we can do it,” you smiled.
He stood up with a grunt, offering a gloved hand to help you to your feet. It was a gesture he’d never extended to you before, and the sweetness of it melted your heart. Even now, he stood only a foot away from you, his beskar shining in the sun. Incredibly close, but still far away. Maybe, though, you were slowly closing the distance. The Mandalorian was truly showing his tenderness now with you, and you felt a sense of pride knowing that he had started to extend that softness out to you. It was a warm hug in a moment of sorrow, a moment of grief.
You wished that this year, he would hug you more and hold you closer, and that the honey secretly dripping from his lips would continue to bless you with its hidden sweetness.
“And, Mando?” You smiled. “Shanah tovah. Happy new year.”
“Shanah tovah,” he replied, making sure to say it slowly to copy your pronunciation. His effort made you grin, and he wished you could see the smile decorating his face.
if you want to learn more about jewish practices, traditions, and culture, I recommend checking out this page on chabad.org. educate yourself on antisemitism here and by listening to jews and what we have to say. chag pesach sameach and shalom to my fellow jews <3
Probably nothing is more popular or easily recognizable than food. Food almost defines a culture before anything else. National dishes and local delicacies help bring countless people together. Immigration, colonialism, disasters, and far-reaching trade networks have changed food maps for eons.
What are the foods that make up Star Wars? What foods would you put into Star Wars? We've seen the tomato slices and drum sticks from The Clone Wars, the infamous war rations, and the popular nuna. Mandalorians have uj cake, while Jedi might have their own versions of home delicacies. Maybe there are outer space versions of jollof rice or moon cakes. Show us what you got!
Star Wars Culture Week Day 3 - S.P.I.R @starwarscultureweek
The evil eye is born of jealousy. Consequences of having it cast on you can be minor, like illness, or major, like death. To keep themselves safe from the evil eye, a nazar boncuk was made. It is hung in homes or worn on your person. The Twi’leks created ear cone rings for them to be worn, where the Togruta prefer to hang the nazar on their walls. But the intent is always the same - to be shielded from harm.
"Nazar değmesin." A popular saying that means you hope the evil eye does not touch them. Effectively, good luck to you, touch wood, etc.
(Referenced from my culture - Turkish. Though Turkey isn’t the only culture that has this practice. You’ll often find the nazar in other countries, and the belief of the evil eye spans over thousands of years of history in many religions. All of these are items that I own and wear. I probably have about 15 nazar in total!)
“Master, why don’t you draw your lightsaber? Don’t you want to spar?”
“Of course. However, my people are semiaquatic. There’s a lot to learn from water when it comes to fighting. ‘Be Water, My Friend. Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water.‘ The best way to defend against an attack is to not be where it lands.”
Diel took another swing, straight down to his master’s head, pouring his strength into it. His muscles strained as his blade flickered above Master Fizzguise’s up stretched arms.
“Using the Force, I can shift your blade to either side, or stop it entirely.”
“That seems so risky! What if you hadn’t caught it in time?”
“What is the final tenet of the Jedi Code?”
“Death, yet the Force.”
The Tynnan nodded. “When it is my time, I will join the living Force. Willingly.”
Day 4 - Life and Death (And everything in between)
Day 4 of Star Wars Culture Week is about all the major life events--including death--that are celebrated in almost every culture one can think of, real or fictional. This means courtship and dating, romance, marriage, birth, a life-well lived (or not) and the funerals that punctuate the end of a life or legacy.
From funeral pyres to dances to year-long mourning periods, from first Life Days to naming ceremonies, and from flirting to proposals, we have found endless ways to communicate the importance of these events. We’re excited to see what you’ve all got planned for today!
Star Wars Culture Week Day 2 - Language @starwarscultureweek
Language is often more complex than you realise. For example, you may think this Mirialan is being rude by responding with ‘tsk’ to a question like, “Are you heading to the market today?” It’s a common misconception, though the truth is far from it. Simply put, she’s saying ‘no’ in a completely neutral way.
(Just a simple thing for today, but I wanted something at least. The tattooing on the chin is inspired by Syrian Bedouin facial tattooing. The clothing is referenced from Turkish culture, as is the language mannerism.)
taglist (dm to join): @tatert07s @penandsaber @forbodium
“SPIR” stands for Spirituality, Philosophy, Ideology, and Religion. Without the ancient battle between the Jedi and the Sith, we would not have Star Wars. Without the Rebels fighting the Empire and the Resistance fighting the First Order, we wouldn’t have the epic saga of good vs evil, and how fighting is always worth it as long as we have hope. There are countless philosophies, religious beliefs, and ideologies that make up the galaxy far far away, including some that Star Wars fans create on their own!
At the same time, the reason we wouldn’t have Star Wars without the Jedi is because we would not have the Jedi without the South and South East Asian religions that influenced them--Buddhism and Taoism, for example, but Islam, a MENA religion, is also responsible for many of the aesthetics of the Jedi that we are familiar with today.
Unfortunately, historically, Star Wars has not always represented minority religions with the most respect or dignity. This day is an opportunity for Star Wars fans of any religion to show themselves as they would like to be presented. Whether its headcanons about Padme and the clones being Jewish, or its you putting a piece of yourself into your OCs--or even making up an entire philosophy on your own--we’re excited to see what you all have made for this day!
“Tell me of your homeworld, my Padawan,” asked Master Fizzguise as the pair meditated.
“Where I was born? I’ve always considered Coruscant to be my home.”
“Yes, your planet of birth. Apologies for not being clearer.”
“I was born on a registered but unnamed Class M planet. My parents were part of the colonial exploration team.”
“From where did they hail?”
“Oh, all over. My parents met during the expedition, from what I was told. More than a dozen planets were represented.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. In homage to them, I’ve been working to learn many languages. I’m up to five now, six if you count Basic.”
{Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.}
“Master?”
“It seems there is more to learn. It’s a saying from my people: ‘Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.’ Through patience and perseverance you will attain your goals.”
There are millions of languages on planet earth, from dead languages to world languages to pidgins, creoles, and variants. The same can be said for the Star Wars Universe--all those species, all those planets. Yes, the galactic commonality is Basic, but when two characters aren’t communicating in Basic, how do they speak? Do they sign? Do they speak just slightly different versions of the same mother tongue? We’re excited to see what you all have planned for today!
