Author Archives: AJ

The Pig at the Baptism

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 76
Performance Date: 2019
Primary Language: Spanish

Main Piece:
“The story goes that a family… they were getting ready for their first child’s baptism and first birthday. So, the family invited many people to the party and had decided to serve a whole roasted pig. A week prior to the baptism/party, the family had gotten a really fat and big pig. That whole week they fed the pig lots of food in order to get it bigger and more fat. The day before the party and before the pig was to be killed, the family starved the pig. I am not sure why, maybe to cleanse it or something. Well the pig was used to eating lots of food, so it was really hungry that whole day and night. The next morning which was the day of the baptism/party, the father went outside to kill the pig, but the pig was gone. He called his wife out and she then noticed dirty prints on their house floor. The father and mother followed the prints into their child’s crib, they screamed and were horrified to see the pig eating their child. The pig stared at the parents and its eyes were blood red.”

Context:
The informant is a 77-year-old Spanish speaking woman, born in Mexico. She first this story as a child and would then tell it to her children and grandchildren. She believes the pig was possessed by the devil, that the pig was evil from the beginning.

Analysis:
This story is a twist on the cruelty we inflict on pigs when we kill them for food. I believe that this story helps people come to terms with why we should kill pigs and eat them. If pigs could they would inflict the same pain to humans. In some ways this idea of the pig eating us makes us feel better about why we eat them.

AQUEL CARACOL SCHOOL SONG

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 54
Residence: california
Performance Date: 2019
Primary Language: Spanish

Main Piece:

“Aquel caracol

Que va por el sol

Que en cada ramita lleva una flor

Que viva la vida

Que viva el amor

Que viva la gracia de aquel caracol”

 

That snail

Going by the sun

That in each twig bears a flower

Long live the life

Long live love

Long live the grace of that snail

 

Context:

The informant is a 54-year-old man from Guadalajara, Mexico. He learned this rhyme from his primary school. They learned many songs like this one. He believes that they were taught these songs in order to encourage the children to sing in front of their peers and to not be shy.

Bote Pateado/Kick the Can

Nationality: Mexican-American
Age: 27
Residence: California
Primary Language: English
Language: spanish

Main Piece:

This is a game similar to hide and seek, but it involves a can and you don’t have to tag a person with your hand. These are the rules:

Pieces: A can or bottle that is heavy enough to go far, but not too far, when kicked.

Number of players: At least 3

Rules: The person that is “it” stands next to a can that is inside a drawn circle. One of the other players kicks the can as far as they can and then they all run to hide. The person that is “it” must walk to the ca, pick it up, then walk back to the circle and pace the can inside. The person that is “it” then begins to search for the other players. If the person that is “it” spots another player they must race toward the can and say “1,2,3 (Name of player caught).” “It” does this until all the players are caught. Other players in hiding can try to release the caught players by beating “it” to the can and kicking it out of the circle. This act releases all the caught players and “it” must again walk to the can, pick it up, walk back, and then set the can in the circle. This continues until “it” catches all the players hiding.

Context:

The informant is a 27-year-old Mexican-American college student. He learned this story from his uncle. His uncle would gather all the nieces and nephews to play this game. It was a way to entertain the kids when they didn’t have any other form of entertainment. Also, to make the kids exercise more.

For another version, see “Kick the Can.” Play & Playground Encyclopedia. 23 August 2012.

The Lady in White

Nationality: American
Residence: california
Performance Date: 2019
Primary Language: English

Main Piece:

“A couple of weeks before my first husband was diagnosed with cancer, I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a spirit of a woman floating in the middle of my room. She was staring toward me but was not looking at me. She looked sad. I decided to close my eyes and hide under the covers. After a while I fell asleep. The next night though, she appeared again, but this time she was much closer to my bed. She was at the end of my bed actually. I was so afraid and decided to slowly walk around her and out the door. My husband woke up after I left and he rushed out of the room as well. He was panting and his face was white. He said he had seen a woman in a white dress floating in the middle of the room and that she was staring right at him. I told him I had also seen her. It was so creepy. A few weeks later he was diagnosed with cancer and he died some months later.”

Context:

The informant is an elderly Caucasian woman born and raised in Tennessee. She had this spiritual experience while married to her first husband who died of cancer. She now believes that the spirit was trying to warn her about her husband having developed cancer. A couple of days after seeing this spirit, her husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Analysis:

I believe that the informant now believes that the spirit she saw was trying to communicate to her the terrible news to come. Maybe back then she might have just felt fear but today the informant truly believes that that spirit was a good spirit.

How to stop a dog from pooping

Nationality: Mexican-American
Age: 27
Residence: california
Performance Date: 2019
Primary Language: English
Language: spanish

Main Piece:

“Do you remember what your dad used to tell us when we were little, about how to stop dogs from pooping? (laughter) So, he said that when you saw a dog pooping you should stare at it and interlock your index fingers and pull on them while staring at the dog. I did it many times, and it worked! Or maybe the dog was just creeped out by me staring at it.”

 

Context:

The informant is a 27-year-old Mexican American college student. He heard this “trick” from his uncle. He is not sure why he was told this but continues to try out the “trick” to this day.

 

Analysis:

I believe that this gesture was a way to entertain us when we were children. It might just be a prank to pull on naïve individuals.