Nationality: American
Age: 57
Occupation: High School Teacher
Residence: San Francisco/Bay Area
Primary Language: English
Type: Folk Tradition/Superstition
- “When we lived in Japan, we learned about this tradition. On the last day before spring, you get a can of beans and throw them out the window, or just anywhere outside. Everyone did it and we were VERY confused at first, but after we asked around, by the second year we were living there we picked up on it. The idea is that you are throwing out the bad spirits. This tradition goes back hundreds of years. If you throw beans out your window at home for instance, that would signify removing the bad spirits you’re your home specifically.”
- I obtained this piece of folklore from my mother, who spend two years living in Japan as a child. Her father, my grandfather, was a psychiatrist in the air force and they were stationed in Japan, in the city of Tachi Kawa. They lived on an army base but they made many Japanese friends that living in the area. My mother obtained this folklore by first observing it and then eventually, her parents asked around. She remembers being incredibly confused about it as a child—seeing beans all over the street outside the base.
- No one in my family knows or remembers why beans, or the context behind the tradition. All they knew was that many Japanese people did that, and so many people believed that it worked. My grandparents have been back many times since the 1960’s when they left, but they have never been back in the spring and so they essentially forgot about it.
- I love this tradition. I think it has a lot of character and it is unique. I have never really heard of anything else like it. I am also drawn to the idea of purifying places from bad spirits which are believed to bring back luck and bad health. It might be a placebo effect but it would still make me feel better about my life and those around me.
Nationality: American
Age: 21
Residence: Marin County, CA
Primary Language: English
Type: Legend
- “There is the holiday 4/20, when everyone smokes week (laughter). So apparently, 4/20 started near me, in San Rafael. A couple kids in San Rafael at San Rafael High School, would smoke everyday at 4:20. After lacrosse practice or something, they would go sit next to some statue, a statue of a person, some famous person I think. Yeah everyday after practice at 4:20, and ever since then 4/20 became a holiday. I don’t know how it became so famous but I heard that in Marin and in other parts of California, especially San Francisco, friends of friends started doing it.”
- I obtained this piece of folklore from my cousin Clay. Clay is a year older than me, and grew up in Mill Valley California, which is located in Marin County (just North of San Francisco). Marin County is nationally famous for its breathtaking natural elements (forest, beaches, lakes etc.), as well as being known as a more earthy, “hippie” place, in which San Rafael is also located. Clay heard this legend from friends at school, as well as siblings of friends. San Rafael is only about 20 minutes away from where Clay grew up, and he told me that he hears this legend all the time.
- This piece of folklore is usually passed throughout high school groups. I grew up about 45 miles south of San Rafael, and I heard a very similar story in my high school group of friends, as well as my siblings telling me. The legend is most popular on the actual holiday of 4/20, in which many people are curious to how the holiday became a holiday. No one really talks about when the holiday became a holiday, just that kids at San Rafael High School was the origin place.
- I have heard this legend numerous times and I firmly believe it is true. Even on Wikipedia it talks about San Rafael High School and some statue. Everyone in Northern California basically knows this piece of folklore, it is very common.
Nationality: American
Age: 21
Residence: Marin County, CA
Primary Language: English
Type: Legend
- “In elementary school there was a big urban myth I guess is what I would call it. So near my elementary school there was a willow tree, and there was this whole willow man myth. All the kids were scared of it. Kids were not supposed to go near the tree but we did anyway. There was a forest next to my elementary school and the only way to get in was to go under the willow tree because the grass was too tall. Yeah we weren’t supposed to but we all would, go run around, and explore the forest. There was this urban legend of the willow man, I guess he lived in the forest and if you went into the forest you would see him sometime. It was a creepy thing but there was no explanation, no ‘take you away’ it was just the willow man. He was just there, living in the forest near the willow tree and he just would creep us all out.”
- I obtained this piece of folklore from my cousin Clay. Clay is a year older than me, and grew up in Mill Valley California, which is located in Marin County (just North of San Francisco). Marin County is nationally famous for its breathtaking natural elements (forest, beaches, lakes etc.), and all his schools as well as his home is surrounded by forest basically.
- This piece of folklore, according to Clay, is incredibly popular among the kids at his elementary school. It is passed down grade to grade and is therefore kept “alive.” Now that he and his friends are older, they no longer believe in the willow man myth, as their age and height allows them to explore the forest and it is no longer scary for him and them. This legend is unique to Clay’s school, and therefore will probably not exists in other schools to this exact detail, but I and he is sure that other schools probably have similar legends.
- I never had never heard of any legends like this when I was in elementary school, but in high school I had many legends about teachers and substitute teachers. None of which were scary or frightening like the willow man legend. Either way, I think that these types of legends like the willow man bring students closer, and they establish a unique basis for communication within this specific community.
Nationality: American
Age: 21
Residence: Marin County, CA
Primary Language: English
Type: Legend
- “Well I always was scared of the Moth Man, he’s a legend or myth or something. It’s basically a shadowy figure or silhouette that would appear right before something bad or terrible would happen. The Moth Man, driving or something. So if you’re driving at night and you see the silhouette of a man on a corner, or on a tree, or something, you’ll crash your car. Something like that. I was scared of him as a little kid and still when I go camping or backpacking someone will tell a story about the Moth Man. He is in many different ghost stories/scary stories that you tell around a campfire.”
- I obtained this piece of folklore from my cousin Clay. Clay is a year older than me, and grew up in Mill Valley California, which is located in Marin County (just North of San Francisco). Clay spends a lot of his free time outdoors: camping, hiking, backpacking, kayaking etc. Him and I also spent many camping trips together when we were younger, and we told each other ghost stories. Clay said he heard the Moth Man legend from kids at school, and from friends around the campfire.
- Clay grew up in a forested, suburban environment, and the legend of the Moth Man seems to be unique to his hometown (but it may not be). Shadow figures in the forest are much more frightening than a shadowy figure in a big city against city sky scrapers. From what Clay told me, this is something that is told around campfires and younger kids, not so much something that is passed around adult communities.
- This piece of folklore confuses me but it also intrigues me. I am drawn to the concept of seeing something as a warning, but I am frightened by the silhouette shadowy figure. I have never heard of this before and therefore do not believe it, although, apart of me wants to believe this.
Nationality: American
Age: 21
Residence: Marin County, CA
Primary Language: English
Type: Fixed Phrase
- “So in there are two different snakes that look almost identical, one is poisonous and the other is totally harmless. They both have only three colors on them. One has, red, yellow and black, while the other is red, white, and black. There was a saying that I picked up that taught you how to tell which one was poisonous and which one was harmless. ‘Red touch black; venom lack. Red touch yellow; kill a fellow.” King Snakes are the harmless ones and Coral Snakes are the super deadly ones. I was going around the desert with some friends when some other travelers told us about the desert snakes. We were in the Southwest (Arizona area).”
- I obtained this piece of folklore from my cousin Clay. Clay is a year older than me, and grew up in Mill Valley California, which is located in Marin County (just North of San Francisco). Clay has been on numerous trips outdoors, and spends a significant amount of time in nature. He is trained as a college outdoor guide as well as a backpacking specialist. Clay obtained this phrase while in the Southwest desert area, he does not remember exactly which state he was in, but somewhere around Arizona area, and he did at one point go close to the Mexico border.
- In North America but mainly the desert biomes, there are two types of snakes that look very similar, although one of the two is incredibly dangerous—due to its strong venom. King snakes are harmless while Coral snakes have a deadly venom. Many hikers and campers confuse the two snakes, and put their life’s in potential danger. This folk saying helps people identify the dangerous snake from the harmless one, in an easy, simple rhyme.
- I have never heard this saying before because I do not spend that much time in desert areas, but if I were to, I would want to know this folk saying. However, I might not remember it, which would defeat the whole purpose.
