Author Archives: Matthew Manasse

Folk Dance – Italian

Nationality: Italian
Age: 23
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 23, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Dance- Festa Italiana

Every year during the second week of September, my family and other Italian friends have this festival called Festa Italiana, or Italian Festival.  It is weird because I am not totally sure why we do it, but anyways, we have this certain dance.  Before I tell about the dance, wow this is embarrassing, ok.  So, my mom always makes this old peasants outfit.  It is this white shirt with this red skirt, and I have to wear these special shoes.  All the people do this, but my mom loves to actually make the costume for some reason.  So, once we get to the festival with our costumes on and eat a little bit of course, we all get on the dance floor area.  There is one lady on the microphone that yells out the dance steps and we all have to participate.  It is actually really embarrassing, but it’s funny because we all do it.  I can’t really explain each step.  It kind of just comes to me as she says it because I have done it for so long.  I started this Festa when I was 11, and have continued ever since.  We also have Italian food and other Italian things to do.  It is actually pretty cool.

Jessica seemed embarrassed to tell me this wonderful story at first, but as she opened up, it was clear that she enjoyed the festival more than she thought.  Her face lit up when she spoke of the dance.  She wasn’t so happy about the costume though.  She wishes her mom would “relax and let her buy something herself”.  I asked her what she thought of the whole experience and she said, “ It is embarrassing to talk about, but I actually do enjoy the festivities.  Once you’re their with family and friends and they are all participating, you realize why your there and why your Italian”.  She also commented on the fact that she is not sure how the festival began.  She is just proud it continues every September.

This festival was very interesting to me.  I think it is a way for Jessica, her family, and Italian friends to see each other all together once each year.  Also, it serves as a way to celebrate their Italian heritage. The presence of Italian food and dance connects them with their culture.  Whether the dance is authentic or not, it makes the people involved feel more Italian.  This will imbed a feeling of pride that will drive them to celebrate their heritage year after year.

Jessica said the festival happens every year in September.  This could have something to do with the fall of the fascist regime in September of 1943.  September of that year was when Mussolini was arrested.

Jessica noted that her mother loved to make her costume.  I know this bothers her a great deal, but I think this connects her and her mother in a special way.  I believe it is supposed to make Jessica realize the importance of her Italian heritage and the effort people go through to preserve it.

Recipe – Italian

Nationality: Italian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Pittsburgh, PA
Performance Date: April 22, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Recipe-Grandma’s Famous Gnocchi

Every year around New Years, my grandma comes over to make her favorite meal.  Coincidentally, it is everyone’s favorite meal.  The whole family comes over, my cousins, aunts, uncles, and everyone.  She makes her special Italian meal.  Gnocchi and marinara.  It takes her hours to prepare it, a little because she’s so serious about each detail, but also because she just makes so much of it.  She does it by hand, and she is 88 years old.  She buys the potatoes from this special Italian store.  I don’t think they are really special potatoes in any way, but she has done it forever.  She doesn’t really let anyone besides my mom help her, but I try to sneak in and get some clues.  When we sit down to eat, we all say this Italian prayer.  My grandmother leads it and we all follow along.  Since we are Italian, we just dig in and eat right after.  I love leftovers, but there never are any.

This is a great story about how food and tradition can bring family together.  Jonathan, my friend from junior tennis, invited me over for one of these family occasions one time.  It was fantastic and made me feel Italian for the evening.  He said he first experienced this when he was seven, and it continued ever since.  He is not sure where his grandma found her recipe, but it comes all from memorization.  Lastly, I asked him what he thought of the New Years meal, and he said, “ I wish New Years was everyday because of that gnocchi. It just tastes so good.  It makes it kinda special though that its only once a year”.

Grandma’s meal symbolizes more than just a great dinner.  It represents the meaning of Italian for the Spero family.  I think if it was done more often, it would lose its’ meaning.  Although everyone says they come because of the food, I firmly believe it is more than that.  It is about the family and relationships they have.  The gnocchi is just an excuse for everyone to see grandma.  I think it makes her feel unique and special.

The preparation of the gnocchi is quite interesting.  She uses potatoes only from the Italian store, but they aren’t different from normal potatoes.  This ritual makes the gnocchi seem more authentic, and makes grandma confident in the taste.  The fact that she only lets Jonathan’s mother assist her in the process signifies a passing down of the recipe to the next woman in the family.  I believe the mother will continue this tradition far after the grandmother passes.

In addition, the Italian prayer adds one more link to the family’s heritage.  The whole occasion gives the Spero’s a sense of identity and strengthens their connection with Italy.

Folk Game

Nationality: Vietnamese
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: February 29, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Game- Orangejello and Lemonjello

Ok, this game is really funny. When I was in 7th grade, there was this game named after these two twins in my grade because one liked orange jello and the other like lemon jello. Naturally, it was called Orangejello and Lemonjello.  I don’t know why we played it, but we did it when we were bored in math class.  Everyone would pick a certain character from a movie or show and write it on a piece of paper.  When we did this, we all had to stand up.  People would see all the names on the paper, and if someone correctly identified your character, you would sit down and you were out of the game.  I am not sure why this game was so popular, but it was actually kinda fun I guess.

Joayn described this game to me shortly after one of her boring math classes this year.  Apparently, it brought back memories from middle school.  She said her classmates taught it to her for the first time in 7th grade, and they only played it when they were bored.  She seemed to enjoy the game, but looking back, she thinks it was pointless.  Joayn pointed out that it was just a way to pass time.

This game represents childhood in so many ways.  Most games in middle school like Thumbs Up Seven Up or Murder in the Dark have no real meaning or purpose to them, but the kids enjoy them tremendously.  I think it has something to do with when they are played.  During a boring class, I think any type of break or change from normal class routines will excite the kids no matter what activity is presented to them.  Joayn’s game is a perfect example of this phenomenon.

I think another huge factor to this game and those like it is the interaction the students get with each other.  In a normal classroom environment, the teacher keeps the class structured and there is not much room for fun.  This game brings everyone together and forms a huge stepping stone for socializing.  Lastly, those that know this game feel like a part of a group.  This feeling will create greater interest in the class in the future.  For this reason, teachers are more likely to allow kids to play Orangjello and Lemonjello.

Folk Song – Jewish

Nationality: Jewish
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 26, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Song- Reciting the Torah

There is something very interesting I discovered about the Jewish religion once I learned more about folklore.  In folklore, a group of people may learn a joke, a legend, or even a recipe without being taught.  They don’t go to class for it, but somehow, everyone knows.  The same concept pertains to the reading of the torah or the prayer book in synagogue.  I never learned the tune of each song in the Torah from the Rabbi.  In fact, I never learned it from anyone.  Going to temple for holidays, Hebrew school, and various other occasions made it possible for me to naturally pick up everything in the Torah.  Each congregation has their own melodies to songs, and at mine, everyone knows them without even thinking.  I think this is a perfect example of Folklore.  In fact, I have even passed on these melodies to kids younger than I am.  Whether my version was slightly different or not, I will never know.  But maybe one hundred years down the line, people will be reading out of the Torah with a slightly different tune because of my minor change.

This concept of Torah melody is strange.  I never thought about it until this assignment, but it really is a great example of folklore.  I cannot pinpoint one person or multiple people who taught me each song, but somehow I know them all.  I must have learned them sometime before my Bar Mitzvah, but the exact date cannot be determined.  I do not know what to think of different melodies for each congregation.  I think the Torah is open to interpretation, so therefore, I think the reading of it is too.

The fact that each congregation has a different way of singing songs in the prayer book and Torah gives a sense of identity to the people who belong.  Just knowing Hebrew itself connects people of the temple to Judaism and Israel.  Whether or not God wanted to have one set way of reciting his words, it is apparent that they will always change.

Folk Remedy – Juaneño

Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: March 14, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Folk Remedy- How to Stop a Cold Juaneno Style

Ok, your gonna think I am really weird, so please don’t judge me for this.  I am part Native American. My family originates from the Juaneno people.  So, my family has a bunch of different superstitions and remedies that were passed down to us from past generations.  Like, you know, when you get a cold, you take Tylenol.  Well, when I get a cold, it’s a little bit different.  My father makes this concoction of green chili, beans, and bird meat.  He makes it into some type of stew.  He has never showed me how to make it, but he always makes me drink it when I am sick.  The funny thing is, my sickness always goes away.

This cold remedy is something I never heard before, but Raquel swears by it. “ Believe me, I think it is weird too, and it tastes gross.  But I rather be healthy”.  She said her dad made it for the first time when she was about six years old.  She said he would only go to this special natural store to get the ingredients and the meat.  I asked her why she thinks the ingredients are so effective, and she really had no response.  She was not sure and thought there might be something else in the mix that her father would not say.

This concoction serves as a connection to Raquel’s Native American heritage.  I think her reaction to it might be more mental than anything, unless the father knows something the medical world does not.  She also said her father only buys ingredients from a special store.  This makes the stew seem more authentic and pure.  If he shopped at a normal grocery store, I doubt the stew would seem as important.

Another reason I have for this unique remedy is that it builds a bond between Raquel and her father.  Every time she is sick, he will make this for her.  This comforting feeling might be the reason for quick recovery.  Also, it shows her both the importance of her heritage and the knowledge of her ancestors.

Lastly, Raquel mentioned her father is the only one that makes it.  This shows the male dominance in the Juaneno tribe.  It reinforces the fact that he is the man of the house and he can provide during good and bad times.  Whether the remedy is effective or not, Raquel knows she can rely on her father for anything.