Monthly Archives: April 2018

Der Funka (Der Funken)

Nationality: German
Age: 21
Performance Date: 04/23/18

Its like a way of bringing in the new year. I know Lichtenstein, Switzerland celebrate it. I’m not sure about Austria or Germany but for sure we do. Basically around New Years, after Christmas time, you put your dead Christmas trees on the curb and the boy scouts will come pick them up… Every town has there own one. And the boy scouts take the trees and build enormous towers out of them… They are sometimes as tall as a five story or four story building. It depends on how many they get. They stack em all up and as a tradition of the new year, the burn it. At the very top is a witch figure. It’s like a puppet or a doll and they stuff it with fireworks. When the fire reaches the top, the witch figure explodes because of the fireworks. It’s a big deal the whole town comes out. You can get this food called Funkaküachli, which is basically funka cakes and you can get bratwurst and sausages and rolls and hot chocolate and different teas. It’s cold out in a big open field. If the tower falls down, that means you’re gonna have a long winter but if it stays standing, spring is near by. It’s like a closing ceremony for winter where you bring in the new year starting with spring.

 

My Thoughts:

This is basically a foreign version of Groundhog Day. It’s literally celebrated for the same purpose, just with different determining factors. It’s interesting how much pomp and circumstance goes into this where as in America, there isn’t really a ton of hype around Groundhog Day unless it’s in Pennsylvania with Punxsutawney Phil.

St. Martins Day

Nationality: German
Age: 21
Performance Date: 04/23/18

It’s the catholic holiday of light. If you were in kindergarten, you would make lanterns and at the night, you would parade around the town with them. You’re parents would come with you, and the whole town did it. Every school did it. The song we would sing goes as follows:

 

In German

Ich geh mit meine Laterne, und meine Laterne mit mir.

Da oben leuchten die Sterne, da unten leucten wir.

Mein Licht ist schön, könnt ihr es sehn?

Labimmel labemmel labum.

Mein Licht ist schön, könnt ihr es sehn?

Labimmel labemmel labum.

 

In English

I go with my lantern, and my lantern goes with me.

Up there shine/glow the stars, down her we shine/glow.

My light is pretty, can you all see it?

Labimmel labemmel labum.

My light is pretty, can you all see it?

Labimmel labemmel labum.

 

 

My Thoughts:

This reminds me of a Halloween parade like the kinds we used to have in elementary school. Everyone would dress up and we would walk around the field for everyone to see our cool new costumes. It also is reminiscent of caroling in Christmas time with a candle in hand.

The Story of “Die Guschger Sennenpuppe”

Nationality: German
Age: 21
Performance Date: 04/23/18

There’s a story called the Die Guschger Sennenpuppe. A Senn is like the people who tend to the fields Gusgher is the area where I’m from and puppe is doll… This is all in dialect though. This is like specifically from my area. So the Guschg is an alp in property of the town of Shawn where the shepherd’s and the alpine hill folk in there free time had fun. One day the made a doll out of old rags. She was life sized and the hill folk would speak to her and treat her like a real human. They would place her at the dinner table and feed her. She would even have to tolerate punches and being stabbed. Shortly before the Transhumans, which is a ritual of bringing cows down from the alps the doll was sat at the table and suddenly started to talk. All of the people that were working on the alps were so scared and they could barely contain themselves. The doll said “All of you except for one are allowed to go down the alp and leave with the cattle, but one of you has to stay with me” and she pointed to one shepherd and he was forced to stay. As the rest of the shepherds looked back from Valorsch, one more time, they saw the skin of the shepherd that stayed behind, stretched over the roof of the alp hut. Next to it sat the doll, laughing.

 

  1. Where did you first hear this story?

At school and at campfires, this is our folklore so we would just hear these stories. The first time I heard this was probably when I was in kindergarten.

My Thoughts

There’s a ton of scary stories about living dolls. Usually they deal with the life of a demon manifesting itself in the body of a doll. This however makes no mention of a demon. I am also slightly off put by the fact that as a kindergartner you would hear this story. This to me is like letting a five year old watch Saw.

The Girl Who Cried Wolf

Nationality: German
Age: 57
Performance Date: 04/22/18

When I was younger, my parents wanted to teach me a lesson about lying. The used to tell me the story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” except as a girl they used to tell it to me as “The Girl Who Cried Wolf.” It was actually the same story… but with a girl instead of a boy. It really did help though, I don’t lie often haha. I suppose I’m glad they told me the story.

  1. Can you tell me the story the way you’re parents told you?

Ok sure.   There once was a little girl who lived by herself on a farm. Her neighbors were very friendly and would always help her when she needed it. If she needed a cup of flour they would give her a whole bag, if she needed some firewood they would chop down a tree and give her all the wood from it. One day, she was, outside tending to her farm animals when she heard a rustle in the leaves. “OH NO” she cried “WOLF WOLF WOLF.” They neighbors came running to help but when they got there, nothing was there. “Sorry” she said. “I thought there was a wolf.” The neighbors, being the nice people they were let it go and went back home. The next day the girl was out tending her crops, when she heard the barn door creak. “WOLF WOLF WOLF” she cried again. As could be expected the neighbors came running over to help the girl. “Sorry” she said, “I thought there was a wolf.” The neighbors were a little upset but the left and went home anyways. The following day, the little girl was outside gathering grain for bread, and she heard splashing in the stream. “WOLF WOLF WOLF” she cried yet again. The neighbors came running fearing that their neighbor and friend was in danger. When they got there… nothing. “Sorry,” she said, “I really thought there was a wolf.” The neighbors got fed up with this and vowed to come to her rescue ever again. On the fourth day, the girl was outside hanging up her laundry when she saw an actual wolf approaching her. “WOLF WOLF WOLF” she cried out. But no one came to rescue her… “WOLF WOLF WOLF” She yelled again. But still, nothing. The wolf came closer and ate the girl alive. And all along the neighbors never came to help her because they had been tricked too many times.

My Thoughts:

My parents told me the same story all the time (The Boy Who Cried Wolf). I think it’s an interesting way to teach the lesson about lying although to be honest, she might have been an overly cautions easily scared girl… or boy, I suppose. It’s interesting how violence can scare young children into doing the right thing.

TMB Band Name: Sexing a Bush

Nationality: Irish, American
Age: 19
Occupation: USC Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/19/18
Primary Language: English

While interviewing my informant, Killian, I decided to document his Band Name. He got his Band Name from the upperclassmen of his section in the Trojan Marching Band (TMB). Killian is a member, and section leader, of the Mellophone section. I asked him to perform his band name to me as if he were asked to “introduce himself” by another member of the band:

 

“Someone would say ‘who are you?’

And then I say, ‘Once upon a time, my name is Sexing a Bush’

Someone would say, ‘why?’

‘Because my dead dad didn’t like to shave down there.’”

 

My informant added after the performance that he doesn’t like to use the same joke twice, and that that’s important for me to note in my documentation.

 

My informant would usually perform this Band Name/Joke ritual in a social setting with other members of the TMB. Sometimes he is asked by alumni of the band who are interested in hearing the new Band Names their section has come up with. Members of the band also frequently ask each other because they are often humorous or come with humorous jokes attached. It is also used to test the band Freshmen to see if their jokes are up to par with the standard set by current band members.

 

According to my informant, everyone in the band has a Band Name that they have been dubbed by their older section members. The Band Names are different in each section. Some sections give their members short names that function as traditional nicknames (example: “Egg”). My informant was mostly able to give me knowledge of how the Mellophone section names its members.

 

My informant’s section gave him a strange name because they have to figure out how it applies to them/ what the other section members know about them. My informant informed me that he is dubbed ‘Sexing a Bush’ because it’s a reference to a song from the popular show Crazy Ex Girlfriend. The other members of the section believed that the lyrics of the song fit his personality.

 

Analysis

I have seen my informant introduce himself on many occasions with a few different Name Jokes. The particular joke he gave me is very extreme and inappropriate (I debated even including it in the archive). The section normally uses raunchy, outrageous jokes, but I consider this joke a little too outrageous. I personally enjoy this social band tradition. Everyone has a name, so it’s fun to get to know all the members of the band just to hear them. The tradition of Band Names also further unties the band as one entity.