Author Archives: Stacey Badger

Fish for New Year

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: California
Performance Date: 4/29/14
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin

Fish for New Year

Personal Background:

Roger is a sophomore at the University of Southern California studying Inernational Relations. He has grown up with mostly Taiwanese traditions. He is living in Los Angeles right now, but is originally from Huntington Beach, California. He lives with his mother, who was born in Taiwan. His mother and him speak Mandarin at home. As much as Roger loves living in California, he still follows certain traditions that make him closer to Taiwan.

 Tradition:

Chinese New Year is a very important time of the year  no matter where someone is in the world. People who are not even asian seem to be getting into it. There are a lot of different traditions and festivals that go on with this changing of the year, but there was one in particular Roger explained that I had never heard of before. Apparently, everyone participating in Chinese New Year must eat fish during this time of year, but one must not finish the fish.

The reason for this has to do with the Chinese character for fish in Mandarin.  It is very similar to that of wealth. When they eat it, it is as if they are eating some of their wealth. But they need to make sure they do not finish the fish, because if they eat it all they are eating all of their wealth. They leave pieces in hope for wealth for next year.

Even though this is something everyone does, and it is something people do to celebrate together, Roger does not believe it it actually gives wealth. He has been doing this for as long as he can remember, but he does not think of it as a tradition he is able to do with this family and friends during their celebrations.

Analysis:

This is a type of tradition that also brings in some folk beliefs as well. They ones who are eating the fish are hoping there is some form of magic from the fish, and they hope the power from it will rub off on them, giving them wealth. What makes it a tradition is the fact that it is an activity family and friends can do together. It links them to their past and to their ancestors who also did this same thing. The fact that is something that people need to do in order to get their wealth, makes it a tradition.

To me, this tradition is a way to bring family and friends together as they remember the past year and look forward to the new one. It is also a way to give people hope about their year. If someone has had a hard year, leaving the bits of fish may be exactly what they need in order to look forward to the next year. It is very similar in American new year. People want something to look forward to for the next year, so they kiss someone at midnight in hope of having love in the next year. Even though Chinese New Year and New Year in America are very different, there are some pieces that cross over between both cultures.

An Armenian Greeting

Nationality: Armenian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/29/14
Primary Language: English
Language: Armenian

An Armenian Greeting

Personal Background:

Arthur is a freshman at the University of Southern California studying applied math. He has grown up in Los Angeles with major Armenian influences. He is fluent in the language, and he speaks it at home with both parents. With a decent Armenian population in Los Angeles, he is able to practice some of his traditions more frequently.

Traditional Greeting:

One very specific rule one must follow in Armenian culture is to respect elders. One way of doing this is the traditional greeting Armenians do. They shake hands, as well as kiss each other on both cheeks. Kids must start doing this when they turn about 14. When they do not, it means whoever is the younger party is, is disrespecting their elder.

The greeting is also a way to show closeness with someone. When it comes to the people who are closer in age, they do not actually kiss each other on the cheek. It is as if they “fake-it.” They only touch cheeks and kiss the air. Arthur says he will only greet Armenians this way, and not people of other ethnicities. He also says he does not need to greet his younger cousins this way, unless they are close in age. It is something that has made him feel close to his roots. He loves being able to use his traditions that are not ones he uses every day.

Analysis:

This greeting is a ritual. It shows respect when it is done, as well as it is something that meant to be special. It is something only Armenians do with other Armenians. It is something that comes with age, and it is not meant to be taken lightly.

To me, this is a way to connect as a culture. Armenians have this greeting nobody else has. Other countries do have other greetings, but they do not have the same ones. It is a way to feel one is part of a heritage.

Time to Investigate

Nationality: Japanese American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Huntington Beach, CA
Performance Date: 4/28/14
Primary Language: English

Time to Investigate

Personal Background:

Tiara is sophomore at California State University, Long Beach and she is studying accounting. She has grown up with Japanese and German influences since she has a mother from Japan, and a father who grew up in a German household. Even with her diverse family, she loves being part of American culture.

Joke:

Tiara loves telling jokes that have a pun involved. She works with children, so a lot of the jokes she hears are from kids.

Tiara: What do you call an alligator in a vest?

Me: What?

Tiara: An investigator!

She loves being able to tell this joke. She had heard it from one of the kids she works with, and she decided to tell the joke to a group of her friends when they went to a reptile museum. She thought the timing was right since there was an alligator in the museum. All of her friends gave her really good feedback from the joke. When asked about the connection with the joke, she said she really liked the little girl she heard it from, but the day Tiara used it herself was a day her friend was able to conquer her fear of snakes and hold one. She feels really happy when she thinks about it because it reminds her of a day she was able to make her friends feel good.

Analysis:

This joke is part of folklore because of the way it uses its words. Jokes are a way to use the power of words and how they can affect the punchline. Jokes usually involve using words that sound similar to get something different for an outcome.

To me, this joke is bringing childhood into adult world. We are still able to laugh at jokes from younger kids. They are always coming up with new ones, and they are always going to be changing.

Deer Crossing

Nationality: White
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Huntington Beach, CA
Performance Date: 4/29/14
Primary Language: English

Deer Crossing

Personal Background:

My sister, Katie, is a senior in high school in Huntington Beach, California. She has been very involved with cross country and track and field in her school. She will be graduating this year, 2014, and will be studying art when she gets to college.

Joke:

There is one joke Katie uses whenever people ask for jokes.

Katie: What do you call a deer with no eyes?

Me: What?

Katie: No eye deer!

What makes this joke so important to my sister is that she heard it from my brother a few years ago, and she thought it was hilarious. She is not sure where he heard it, but it may have been on TV for from a little kid. What made it great was the fact that three of us would try to make each other laugh by saying the punch line in a new and funny ways. The more someone sounded like they were from the south, the better it was. The goal was to see who could be the funniest. They now use it as an inside joke or say it during awkward situations.

Analysis:

Jokes are a great way to spread folklore. They are all about speech, and how speech can be changed in order to get a different answer than what was originally thought. They are very similar to riddles in that sense.

To me, this joke is a way to keep the family connected. It keeps my brother, sister, and me close, even when we are all living in different places.

 

Girl Scout Memories

Nationality: Hispanic/White
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Huntington Beach, CA
Performance Date: 4/29/14
Primary Language: English

Girl Scout Memories

Personal Background:

My sister is a senior in high school in Huntington Beach, California. She has been very involved with cross country and track and field in her school. She will be graduating this year, 2014, and will be studying art when she gets to college.

Folk Song:

When Katie was in girl scouts in elementary school, there were songs all the girls sang when all the meetings were finished.

“Make new friends but keep the old/ One is silver and the other gold/ A circle is round, it has no end/ That’s how long I want to be your friend.”

This is sometimes repeated a few times, depending on who is leading the group. While the girls sing this song, they are holding hands. One of the girls starts a trend of squeezing one of the hands from a girl next to her. It then goes around the circle until everyone’s hand has been squeezed. It was a way to make sure everyone there knew they were friends. Katie was able to feel a connection with the rest of the girls after all of this was done. She said she does not really remember being taught the song, it was just something everyone knew. The leaders started it and the girls just started catching on. It definitely had an impact on her life since she is still able to remember it about ten years later.

Analysis:

This is a folk song because it is not something that is copyrighted. It is a simple song for young girls to remember, and it is filled in with small rituals to end the meetings. It is only a song a girl scout would know, making it very exclusive to be part of the group.

To me, this is a way to show important friendship can be to young girls. It can inspire them to really help their community. I feel it is also important to let them know as they change, keep some things the same.