The informant described that it bad luck to pass salt from hand to hand. The informant explained that if need the salt, you put it on the table first and the let another person grab it. She has known this superstition her whole life because her grandmother was really into it and believed it could really have some serious effects. There wasn’t really any origin from what the informant told me but that everyone in Mexico does it. I think this one is interesting because I’ve never heard of this being associated with bad luck, if it were in the states, I’d have a lot of it. Instead, comparatively, here it’s mainly if you drop the salt shaker and salt spills is when it’s bad luck. The informant told me there wasn’t any way to reverse what happened, unlike here, you throw salt over your right shoulder. It’s wild that a whole country does this though, and I think it speaks to the customs of this culture. The informant says that whenever she does it by accident here, she feels very uncomfortable, but it doesn’t really count since she isn’t in Mexico City.
Author Archives: levinew@usc.edu
Knight, King, Queen
The informant of this one asked me the riddle. At first I couldn’t make it out, so she told me it again. Upon hearing it the second time, it became evident. The riddle goes as so: One knight, a king, and a queen go out on a boat. On the water, the king falls off. How many people are left on the boat? The answer: two. The answer seems like it should be one, because when phrasing the riddle it sounds like “one night,” not “one knight.” The informant is unsure of where she heard this one and assumes it was probably when she was young. It was not from her family so she assumes that it might be from summer camp. I enjoyed this riddle because most riddles I don’t get. There was a smile on the informant’s face when she told me this and I think she was smiling because she knew I would get it. The informant plans to pass this riddle along to her own family and friends throughout her lifetime. I think I’ll share this riddle amongst my friends after hearing it.
Christmas with the Academy
Every Christmas, the informant and his family goes over to his cousin’s house where they watch screeners with the whole family. His uncle is a lifetime member of the Academy and the whole family gets to watch all the major films on DVD before they come out in theaters. This is an annual thing that the informant and his family do. The informant had explained that typically he hates spending time with his family but every Christmas is the one time of year he actually looks forward to because of this holiday ritual. He also went on to mention that his “family does not operate well in general,” so watching these movies is a great way to bring the family all together to coexist with one another during this peaceful time of year. The family goes beyond immediate into extended as well so it’s a very big event for the informant and his family, since his mom has six brothers and sisters. It’s at this time of year where they put their differences aside to enjoy movies and focus on all the children. The informant said that if he were every in the Academy, he’d continue this ritual with his own family. But since his profession isn’t leaning towards the movie industry, he still wants to continue this ritual in some way or another, whether it be with old movies or television shows. The informant mentioned that it’s during this time of year that he feels super relaxed and happy around his family and hopes that this will continue for the rest of his life. I personally enjoy how movies bring together families, despite the context of the past and their present relationships. It’s very nice to hear that a group of people can put aside their differences to enjoy each other’s company through this annual event of watching films.
This folklore was collected via telephone call.
New Year’s Salad
This informant is from Russia and shares a common holiday recipe amongst her family. On New Year’s Eve, she explains that Russians usually puts salad called “olivye” on the table amongst the various food items they eat. This salad includes potato, bologna or some kind of meat, with either/or, eggs, pickles, cucumbers, boiled carrots, onions, mayonnaise, which can be replaced by sour cream, salt, and canned peas. She explained that it always has be there for New Year’s Eve. The main attraction of this meal is the fact that every year there is always one person who gets super intoxicated and plants their face in the salad. Typically, this person passes out in the salad and when everyone notices, it means that there is good luck for everyone for the year. The informant looked on at this tradition with humor and enjoyment for how silly it is, and acknowledges that it’s not a Russian New Year without this happening. While it is a recipe, it also seems to be a superstitious ritual for good luck. In another version of this New Years salad, Vsevolod Pulya gives a run-down of how exactly her Russian New Year goes. In this version, there is never a time when someone plants their face into the salad. However, the “olivye” salad remains a tradition and it is noted that if there’s any left over, it’s usually a good thing since they can have more of it. This is interesting to contrast with informant’s take on the salad, mainly because everyone won’t be able to have any left overs considering that someone’s is planted in the bowl. I particularly like this one for its quirkiness, but was also grossed out that someone literally plants their face into a bowl of essentially mayonnaise. I also don’t think I’d ever find myself taste testing this Russian delicacy.
Pulya, Vsevolod. “How to Ring in the New Year like a Russian.” Russia Beyond, 31 Dec. 2017, www.rbth.com/lifestyle/327047-celebrate-new-year-like-russian.
The Tooth Fairy
When the informant was a little kid in elementary school, he explained how he saw the tooth fairy. He woke up in a daze and said it was a purple ball of light that floated in and through his closed window, hovering in his room and moving around. It turned greenish and then went back out the window pane near his dream catcher. The informant knew it was the tooth fairy because he had lost his tooth and had put it under his pillow. Upon hearing this story, he was very enthusiastic about his experience and actually seemed to believe that he truly did see the tooth fairy. He received money for it but assumes that was from his parents. I am definitely skeptical and very certain he was probably just imagining things. Though, this reminds me of when Santa would come and drop presents off for me every Christmas. There was a time I thought I saw Santa deliver presents. It’s also interesting to see how I perceived the tooth fairy so differently: it was an entity that I never saw but knew existed (for the time being until I found the truth) and that delivered money. So, I think I understand the appeal of trying to believe in these mystical things that might not be entirely true but are true to a kid. The informant also seemed reminiscent of this story and is convinced it truly did happen to him even though I asked him about the probability of that having actually happened. He said, “it doesn’t matter if it did or didn’t, or if you think it didn’t, because in the eyes of my child self, it definitely did.” Seeing the tooth fairy made him feel scared, excited, and connected to this “secret of the universe.”