Tag Archives: italian

Folk Object: Nunzio Figure

Context:

The mother of my informant is from Italy, from the region of Abruzzi, and she owned a figure of a saint named “Saint Nunzio”. He’s a figure who comes from the same region. He was also a blacksmith, and a lot of the people there find kinship with him for being a craftsman like the rest of them. The figure is sort of a good luck charm that, according to the informant, her mother projected “everything nice” onto, and which she would take with her on travels. Eventually the informant’s mother passed Nunzio down to my my informant, who she instructed to take him with her wherever she goes, as he would watch over her. To this day, my informant still takes Nunzio with her on vacations and long trips.

Analysis:

Nunzio appears to be a religious piece of folklore of specifically Catholic nature. This is not too surprising, considering how much of a heavy role Catholicism and religion play into Italian culture. This one in particular is interesting, as while images of saints are often used to remember a saint’s good deeds, it is much rarer to have them be an outright good luck charm for the holder. This may be partially because of the importance of Nunzio to the region, as having an image of someone who would be considered “kin” is especially important from the perspective of someone traveling. If you have someone from your home with you, you no longer feel far from home. It should also be noted that Nunzio wasn’t canonized until 2018- far before the informant’s mother would have recieved the figure. This would make him a folk saint- another interesting layer of folklore that demonstrates how one can be exalted for their deeds and general help by fellow Catholics without being officially canonized by the church.

Gesture: Bras d’honneur

Text:

This gesture is a taboo, so no recording will accompany it- only a description. To do it, you’re supposed to bring one arm up high across the chest with a clenched fist, before making a fist with your other hand and striking the inner elbow of the risen arm.

Context:

My informant mentioned that Italians tend to be known for the gestures they make when speaking. She mentions that this is one specific type of gesture that you would see your aunts and uncles do, but which you weren’t supposed to do yourself. It is meant to mean “screw you”. It’s supposed to resemble a person hanging up an umbrella, hence the name. A notable difference between this version of the gesture and the more popular one you might find by looking it up online is that this version involves hitting the elbow with your fist, whereas the more common version involves slapping your elbow. 

Analysis:

Hand gestures in Italian culture seem to be a way to stand out compared to whoever the person doing them is talking to. It also serves as a natural form of punctuation, adding greater emphasis to whatever a person says. As a result, a major gesture that basically says “screw you” could be a very effective tool in shutting someone down. Because of its severity, though, it appears far more taboo. The way that this version of the gesture involves a fist instead of a slap to the elbow could represent a greater severity- a “punch” rather than a slap, showing more force and far more aggression towards the person it is directed at.

My eyeballs (are) floating out of my head.

-American English saying

-Taylor-Corrine’s translation: ”Gotta pee bad”

My friend, Taylor-Corrine, is from Seattle, WA. While she identifies as Black, she belongs to a diverse familial heritage characterized by African American, Caribbean, Italian, and Native/Indigenous cultures. Perhaps as a result, it’s not uncommon for the most random and/or niche sayings to slip right out of her mouth like they’re a part of common vocabulary, and for me to, of course, have questions. This occurred one day recently, when we accidentally locked ourselves out of our own bathroom at our house. 

She said, “My eyeballs floating out of my head,” and seemed surprised by my confused look before telling me it means she “gotta pee bad.” Taylor-Corrine grew up hearing her maternal grandmothers say the phrase. She joked about her ignorance regarding the saying’s origin, “Ion know if it was some shit from the Great Depression or some Italian shit but my great grandma n great great grandma said it when I was younger.”

While not much seems to be out there on the phrase based on a quick Google search, I found an Urban Dictionary folk definition for the phrase “my eyeballs are floating,” which means “My bladder is full; I need to pee.” Therefore, it is definitely used outside of Taylor-Corrine’s family. Additionally, a list of “The 16 Funniest Southern Expressions” on Destination Tips includes the phrase, “My back teeth are floating,” with “my eyes are floating” as a less common alternative. 

Perhaps, then, the saying emerged in the American South. However, this is unclear. Nonetheless, even without a direct translation and only context, the imagery evoked makes sense for what is being conveyed: one’s bladder is so full, the liquid has leaked and started filling the rest of the body to the point of causing the eyes to float. 

New Year’s Day Pork, Sauerkraut, and Donuts

CONTEXT: JM is a third year USC student from Pennsylvania. He describes a tradition he learned from his mom to mark the new year (Jan 1). He reflects fondly on the tradition, though he expresses that he didn’t really understand why they did it.

TEXT:

JM: On New Year’s Day, my mom would make us eat donuts in the morning for good luck and for dinner we would always have pork and sauerkraut. I think it’s a German thing but I’m not entirely sure why. So breakfast was donuts and dinner was pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s Day. I think you’re technically supposed to eat the donut at New Year’s Eve, but my mom always gave it to us in the morning. She’s Italian, but I think her dad’s side is German and that’s where it came from.

ANALYSIS: This is a foodway, and a celebration and marker of the start of a new calendar year. JM believes this tradition follows German tradition that his mother inherited from her family. I have heard of donuts and pork and sauerkraut being eaten in Germany for good luck. This also makes it a tradition that brings family together, both when it is eaten, and across generations. Eating pork and sauerkraut for New Year’s Day is also practiced by the Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish communities, commonly in the region where JM is from. Both foods are eaten for good luck, which is a superstition associated with the calendar year- starting new.

Bad mood leads to bad cooking

Background: M is an American of Sicilian descent who grew up in Buffalo, New York.

Text:

M: “My grandma had a superstition that if you’re cooking while in a bad mood, then the food you’re cooking will taste bad. She’d always say ‘sour mood makes sour food’.”

Interviewer: “Was it just your grandma who believed this superstition?”

M: “My mom…my grandma’s daughter of course… also seemed to believe in this as well. She’d make excuses that she couldn’t cook because she wasn’t in the best of moods.”

Interviewer: “Do you have any other personal experience with this superstition?”

M: “During my teen years, my mom and grandma would yell at me constantly to get out of the kitchen since my teenage mood swings supposedly indicated that I wasn’t up to any good in the kitchen.”

Interviewer: “What did you make of this superstition?”

M: “I always thought it was kind of silly, sometimes maybe even an excuse not to cook. But I guess it could demonstrate how important food and cooking are in Sicilian culture… it’s more than just what’s served on the plate”

Analysis:

As M alludes to, this folk belief can demonstrate how some cultures perceive cooking and serving food as an experience that transcends just the biological need for sustenance. Often times, it can demonstrate a deeper connection to one’s ethnic and cultural background. But not only does preparing ethnic food requires careful consideration and masterful precision to do justice to the cultural practice at hand, it requires soul. Thus, being in a bad mood can distract or subvert one’s full attention from the task and dampen the cooking experience.