Author Archives: ranzani@usc.edu

Cure for the Common Cold

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/7/18
Primary Language: English

Main Piece: KK: My grandma used to say that if you were sick, you should put Vicks on the bottom of your feet… which DOESN’T work, but I still do it sometimes! Because when you’re sick, you’ll do anything to be not sick.

 

Context: This tradition was used whenever KK or a family member was sick.

 

Background: KK’s family is fairly low-income, which is of particular interest with folk remedies, as people with less financial stability are more often going to resort to different sorts of ways to cure themselves, as opposed to going to a store and just buying some medicine.

 

Analysis: Vick’s is used quite often in folk medicine– many times it is put directly under your nose to clear it up. I think this is particularly interesting because KK clearly states that this doesn’t work at all, and yet she still does it. This is an interesting example of tradition in families– even if logically, KK knows that putting Vick’s on the bottom of your feet to make yourself feel better should not work, the thought that her grandma told her it does can often make her do it anyways, as a memory of her grandmother, and because she was raised to do this.

 

Happy New Year!

Nationality: Filipino
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/3/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese, Tagalog

Main Piece: SM: Do you do the thing on New Years, where your parents throw a bunch of money on the floor, like coins, near a door actually, and all the children kind of rush for it and try to collect as much money as you can, because it like symbolizes like good fortune, you’ll get rich, and it promises wealth. Also, when it strikes 12 you’re supposed to jump a lot, like try and touch the sky, and it promises you’ll grow taller. Both of these are LIES.  Still do it though, even though I don’t believe it, I still do it.

 

Context: These are two traditions, followed by Filipino cultures on New Year’s Eve.

 

Background: SM grew up in a fully Filipino household, and so these typical traditions surrounded her as she was growing up, and she still continues to practice them.

 

Analysis: Upon further research, New Year’s Eve traditions are huge in Filipino cultures. Her tradition of jumping to get taller is fairly unique, but the money one is pretty common. Most stories I found of this are the same, where the parents throw a bunch of coins and the children try to collect as much of it as they can to promise good fortune in the new year. I think SM’s tradition of jumping probably stemmed from the fact that she, and her whole family, are fairly short, and therefore to make her feel better about her height, her parents promised her that if she jumps right at midnight she’ll grow more!

 

Money Traditions

Nationality: Filipino
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/3/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese, Tagalog

Main Piece: SM: Don’t put money on the table! It’s just bad luck. Grandparents will scream at you. You can put it on top of a napkin or a book and it can still be on the table, but don’t let it touch the bare table.

 

Context: This is a Filipino tradition, seemingly with an older generation, as SM’s parents did not seem worried about it.

 

Background: This tradition only existed shortly, because SM told me that after a few times she learned to never do it, because her grandparents would freak out every time.

 

Analysis: What is particularly interesting about this is that her grandparents freaked out about it; not her, not her parents. Neither her nor her parents thought that putting money on a bare table was a problem, but her grandparents told her it was bad luck and she should never do it! This is an interesting example of a superstition dying out little by little, as SM’s parents did not carry this tradition from their own parents and did not pass it down onto her, but her grandparents still firmly believe in it.

 

The Clock is Ticking

Nationality: Filipino
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/3/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese, Tagalog

Main Piece: SM: For Chinese people, don’t bring clocks to the wedding, because that’s like a symbolism… thats a symbol of basically counting down someone’s death. So if you give it as a gift, it’s like you’re wishing for someone to die soon.

 

Context: This is a superstition that is just understood in the Chinese culture, similar to how it’s understood in the US that “you shouldn’t wear white to a wedding.”

 

Background: SM grew up in Singapore, and so she grew up fully aware of this superstition.

 

Analysis: The symbolism in this one is particularly interesting, because it does actually make sense! Clocks are often used as symbols of death, or of limited time, and so when you think about it it completely makes sense that gifting a clock could symbolize gifting someone death. At a wedding, when everyone is excited about the future, and many families are gifting practical household options, I can understand how the last thing you would want is a clock.

 

The Color Purple

Nationality: Filipino
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/3/18
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese, Tagalog

Main Piece: SM: If your favorite color is purple, then…. We all believe that you will never get married. I have no idea why. It’s also just bad luck to have your favorite color be purple.

 

Context: This superstition is told often enough that SM remembers this off the top of her head, and is generally mentioned around single daughters.

 

Background: SM grew up in a Filipino household, and even said that one of her cousin’s favorite colors was purple and she didn’t get married until she was 40ish, and so SM has always believed in this superstition.

 

Analysis: I think this is extremely interesting; logically, there is absolutely zero correlation between someone’s favorite color and their chances of getting married, and yet is is so firmly believed in SM’s family (and according to her in the whole Filipino culture) that these two things are directly related. I could not find much information on it online, so I would be interesting in asking more Filipino families if they believe in this superstition.