Author Archives: Sophia Guzman

Karnataka Rice Throwing

Age: 20

“Poojes…well wishes and blessings.”

Text:

Informant: “In my culture, they’re used at different times but there’s a combination of these things that I was thinking about. Whenever me and my brother leave somewhere to go back to college without our family, we’re supposed to do, we do “poojes” for a lot of things. Just religious reasons as Hindus. When one of us is leaving or getting on a flight, I don’t know what it’s for but I think it’s for well wishes and blessings. My parents bring out rice and throw rice at the person.

Context:

In Karnatakan culture, it’s common to throw rice at people. It signifies well wishes and good luck as they are about to embark on a new endeavor.

Analysis:

In many cultures, there’s a tradition where wedding attendants toss grains of rice at a couple during the wedding. It symbolizes the person wishing that the couple have a prosperous marriage. In Karnataka, people will throw rice at anyone they want to have good luck. This tradition has a functionalist approach because it satisfies the need for the culture to bring their blessing on family and friends. The ritual is customary, as it’s a gesture or movement. It’s meant to be repeated at important events. It also validates the culture because it’s performed by members who identify as part of the group and is done onto other group members.

Niles Canyon Ghost / White Witch

Age: Gabrielle Vella

Text:

Informant: “My legend is the Niles Canyon ghost, or, I’ve also heard White Witch. A ghost of this woman who some say that she died by a car crash in Niles Canyon or that she was a hitchhiker. Either way, she’s a ghost and haunts the area and it’s in Niles Canyon near Fremont, and I live in Union City, so I live in the area. I grew up going over there a lot. I’ve never seen her personally, but the people who have, say that she’s wearing 1920s style attire, usually a dress and it’s typically white. That’s usually what I hear. I know some other people say that she was going to prom or to a wedding or something. That’s not what I’ve heard most often. Most often I’ve heard that she was a woman who was hitchhiking and got into a car accident and so she haunts the area, but I think there’s a certain spot she doesn’t go passed. I think there a toll in the area, like a toll you have to pay and she doesn’t go past that.”

Context:

The informant is a 19-year-old college student, originally from Union City, CA. They first heard the legend from their grandma.

Analysis:

After researching this legend, I found that the Niles Canyon ghost is a story told about a woman who died in a car crash in Niles Canyon, alongside her boyfriend. The accident is said to have taken place on February 28th. The year is unknown. Every year, the ghost supposedly walks on the road and asks passing cars for a ride to San Francisco.

The story of the Niles Canyon ghost most closely resembles a legend in folklore. It has the component of a story told by a community that is often believed. In this case, people in neighboring cities, such as Fremont and Union City have heard the legend and belive it to be true. The story is set in the real world, Niles Canyon, CA. We know that the ghost is from a certain time period, the 1920s. All of these elements combined draw most similary to an urban legend.

Chains on Roof

Age: 22

Text:

Informant: “He lived in Mexico and it was like a very small bedroom, a one story house. This was probably around midnight, I could be wrong. He was either by himself or with his siblings. All of a sudden they hear someone up on the roof walking, just like dragging chains. Hugh chains. It went on for a couple of minutes.”

Context:

The informant’s uncle told them the story of when he was living in Mexico and heard chains dragging on the roof in the middle of the night.

Analysis:

A common motif in Mexican folklore is the sound of chains dragging on the roof. It can symbolize a restless spirit. Although, there’s no specific myth or legend attached to it.

The informant’s uncle’s personal story may or may not be true. It could be a story created in good fun to scare the informant when they were a child. If so, it takes a functionalist approach because there’s a purpose to the story being told.

El Cadejo

Age: 74

Text:

Informant: “When people walk alone in the mountains, farms, where no on else is around on the roads, or if you come home late after being out, if you saw a white dog, it was there to protect you. But, if you saw a black dog, the black dog would look for drunk people on the street and attack them. People who saw black dogs that looked like a spirit, they would run to someone’s house. If it was white, they felt it would protect them.”

Context:

This Nicaraguan legend was told to the informant as a child and teen by their mom and grandma, who lived in Nicaragua. The informant was born and raised in Nicaragua until they moved to the U.S. at 16 years old. People who lived in the mountains or farms and saw a white dog were told that it served as a protection. However, if they saw a black dog and they were drunk, they’d get attacked.

Analysis:

I’ve found that a lot of Nicaraguan legends have an underlying lesson that is meant to be shared to young ones. This particular legend served a functionalist approach because it was likely meant to discourage people from getting drunk. It could also have been told to prevent people from being out alone in the middle of the night. Adding the element of potentially seeing a white dog could give teens a little bit of hope that they were safe on their walk.

‘Star of India’ Ghost

Age: 20

Text:

Informant: “In 5th grade, everyone went to the Star of India which is this big ship for our maritime unit in 5th grade. Basically, the ship is docked in the harbor, I don’t think it actually sails anymore. While we were there, the guys that were running the whole thing were telling us ghost stories and there was one where a really young kid fell from one of the masts and so around that area, he haunts that place. We would go out in shifts throughout the night and just do random stuff, like make some food or the other people would go look at the stars. It was said that if you were out there at 2 A.M., you could hear the mast creak and that was supposed to be him haunting the ship.”

Context:

The Star of India is a historic ship located in the Maritime Museum of San Diego, CA. It’s open to the public to tour. The informant learned about the legend while attending their 5th grade field trip. It’s said that a few passenger’s died while on the ship and now allegedly haunt it. The story gets told to employees and passed on to visitors.

Analysis:

The Star of India is the world’s oldest active sailing ship. It was built in 1863 and embarked on numerous voyages. In 1927, it was purchased by people in San Diego where it has since been restored and remains in the city. By definition, this haunted ship is considered a legend because the story is based on a location in the real world. Employees are taught to share the legend with each other and visitors, keeping the stories alive. It also has a supernatural element being that it involved multiple ghosts.