Text: 

At Christmas every year, my friend’s family folds wontons together. This is an important ritual that everyone participates in. When a new family member is married in or born, they are taught how to fold the wontons as well, carrying on the tradition.

Context:

My friend’s father’s side of the family is from China. The wonton folding tradition stems from China.

Analysis:

This reminds me of similar traditions in Greek culture (i.e. folding spanakopita). I think may cultures have communal rituals like the wonton folding meant to carry on tradition and indoctrinate new members of the family.

Text:

In Orthodox Greek culture, many children are named after saints. On the celebration day of a given saint, all children named after that saint celebrate their name day. This holiday is a lot like a birthday, but usually a much more minor celebration.

Context: Stella grew up in the Greek Orthodox church, and celebrates name days in her family. 

Analysis: The example of a name day shows a clear importance of a church community in the Greek Orthodox culture. I’ve often heard from my mother that the only way she met other Greek kids was through the church, and that was of great importance to her. The holiday is a way for those in this community to have individual celebrations that are still related to the church.

Text:

“In the house my step father grew up in, they had this story about how the family that lived there before had a daughter that died in the house. My aunt had recalled a few times that she saw a ghost of the daughter in her room (the room of the daughter previously). My step dad always thought she was full of it, but years later when my aunt and stepdad were going through old family photos, and my stepdad found a photo of him hanging out at the neighbors. When my aunt saw the photo she saw the ghost in the background, in his home’s backyard. 

Context: 

My friend told me this story, told to him by his stepdad. 

Analysis:

This story is a memorate, a good example of a popular type of ghost story. Photos are often used as proof of a ghost’s existence, and can add to the scariness of a true spirit. This story also contains the theme that a ghost tends to stay near the area of their death, as if tethered, haunting it. 

Text:

On the night of a full moon in Bachelor’s Grove cemetery, the white lady can be seen holding a baby. She is a ghost that haunts the cemetery, and is the subject of many legends in Chicago. She has been dubbed the ‘madonna’.

Context:

Another story from my good friend back home in Chicago. We often visit cemeteries together and love learning about the history of graves. He told me this story about one of the most haunted cemeteries in the Chicagoland area. 

Analysis:

This story focuses on our fear of the unknown, and our belief in some sort of continued existence after death. The full moon is another common aspect in ghost stories, spawned by the belief that there is something mystical about a full moon, something magical. 

Text:

A long time ago in China, a man did a favor for the emperor. When asked what he desired as a reward, the man told him he wanted a single grain of rice, except every day it would be doubled. The emperor did not think this would be too costly, and approved his reward. When the man soon was given thousands and thousands of grains of rice a day, the emperor realized he had made a mistake. 

Context:

My friend told me he heard this story growing up from his parents.

Analysis:

This story emphasizes the importance of wits in Chinese society. Since the man in the story was smart and subtle, he was rewarded greatly.