“When, something about when people say ‘gesundheit’ or ‘god bless you,’ that it was because you say it and that prevented something about the devil running up your nose and into your body and killin’ ya, stoppin’ your heart.”
“Do you know where you learned it?”
“From my mom or my grandma.”
“The whole gesundheit thing. I mean, Grandma Kern’s whole family, they were German. And so growing up, some of the words they would use for things, they’d always use the German word. And, ya know, we just never though anything about it. We just thought that was the word that you use. So, if ya did sneeze, she would always say gesundheit. And, really, it means ‘god bless you.’ And again, I guess it’s because if you sneeze, your heart can, um, stop, and so they’re blessing you in case you died or something.”
Although this is a distinctly German word, I’ve grown up feeling as if it were almost mainstream. Many may not know the origin nor the literal translation, but many will understand what is generally meant since it is said under a very specific context.
“‘Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee Lord my soul to keep. Angels guide me through the night, and wake me with the morning light. Amen.’ That one, that was a pray we said, that we learned as children, and then that was what I had you guys say also.”
“So, do you know where that came from?”
“No, that’s been around forever and ever. I think mom used to say it when she was a kid.”
“So how did it end up on that blanket, or whatever it was that was in my room?”
“I, I don’t know. I just now saw that blanket somewhere.”
“Oh, you didn’t make it, you just found it?”
“No I think someone gave it to us as a baby gift and I just painted, I think I painted it. I don’t remember.”
“Wait so did they know that you used that prayer? Or was it just a coincidence?”
“Uh, I think it was a coincidence. I would guess the origin is a Catholic prayer.”
“Almost seems too uplifting to be a Catholic prayer.”
“But, ya know, their belief in the, that everyone has a guardian angel to protect over you. So I think that it was special for children.
Since as far back as I can remember I’ve said this prayer before going to sleep. I’ve never been particularly religious, but it has just always been something to do, like a ritual. In a way this kind of mentality in approaching religious, or any, tradition keeps them alive. However, this also minimizes, and maybe even trivialize the meaning of folklore.
“We give our thanks to you, oh God, for rest, food, and play, for loving us and helping us at all times night and day. Amen.”
“That prayer, my mom gave Justin, and she came across it somewhere when he was a little kid. And she had given it to him and we just started saying that one.”
“What do you mean she gave it to him?”
“Well it was printed on paper or something she read somewhere, and so she, I don’t know why she gave it to him, but we liked it and so we just started saying it.”
“When you were a little kid, I started singing you an Irish lullaby. I believe it was called ‘Tura Lura.’ And just a tiny, short little song. I have no idea where I heard it, um, something I started singin’ to you. Why, I again, don’t know the origin of that. And you seemed to like it.”
“Do you know the words?”
“Yeah…
‘Tura lura lura, tura lura lai,
Tura lura lura, hush now don’t you cry.
Tura lura lura, tura lura lai
Tura lura lura, Tis an Irish lullaby.’”