Author Archives: William Morse

Initiation

Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Performance Date: 4/29/22
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Context: The school in question here is The Cate School, which is a boarding school located in Carpinteria California. The sophomores and the freshmen at this school would live in the same building. 

Text:

 “It’s an initiation that a lot of students participated in, especially the freshmen members. I remember, my friends and I, would go into freshmen rooms and basically spook them a little bit. We’d turn off all the lights, and hold brooms and question them. Some got a little scared, hahaha some ran. But those who stayed, we would basically tap them on the shoulders with the broom and say they got initiated. It’s something the older students always do”. 

Analysis: 

With schools themselves being strong with folklore, boarding schools are even more riddled with folklore of its own. Having kids from all over the world living together as they are still becoming who they are is an incredibly unique environment and one that spawns its fair share of folklore. Additionally, activities revolving around the older and younger student dynamic are also quite common. 

Doce Uvas

Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: North Carolina
Performance Date: 4/29/22
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Context: Subject is from New York City. 

Text:

“With my family, we have doce uvas, or twelve grapes, which is a tradition in Latin American households. So basically, households will set up a cup of twelve grapes for each member of the household, and once it’s officially New Years we celebrate and eat 12 grapes. Each grape represents a wish for next year, so it’s sort of like a good luck thing. But also, the reason it’s twelve grapes, is because you know twelve months in the year, which is important to keep in mind with this tradition”. 

Analysis:

This piece of folklore points out a commonality amongst many rituals, specifically them taking place at these liminal spaces in time. In this case, the grapes are eaten right in between one year and another, a perfect opportunity to get in touch with the supernatural in a sense. New Years in general is a ripe time for ritual and folkloric activities, with a new year representing endless amounts of opportunity and excitement, that obviously everything would be done to ensure it goes well. 

El Cuco

Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Performance Date: 4/29/22
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Context: Subject grew up in New York City, but spent his high school education in California. 

Text:

“So El Cuco, which is basically like the boogeyman in Latin households. It started in Latin America basically. So my parents grew up with it and they passed it down to me. What it basically is is that it’s a boogeyman for children who misbehave so parents can say oh you better behave or el cuco will take you away. It’s basically just like a way to prevent children from acting up, because the way they describe the figure is sort of a demon-like figure. So it makes children afraid, also because he’s always watching you. He’s like the anti-santa clause. He knows when you misbehaving and at any moment he can take you away”.

Analysis: 

This piece of folklore here clearly aligns itself with the pieces of folklore created for the sole purpose of teaching children how the world works. The harmless white lies told to children in order to indoctrinate them into society, teaching them lessons of empathy and responsibility, are best done through stories such as this. 

Pregame Prayer

Nationality: American
Age: 52
Occupation: banker
Residence: singapore
Performance Date: 4/29/22
Primary Language: English

Context: La Salle Academy is the school in question and is a catholic high school located in Providence Rhode Island. The subject played football in high school. 

Text:

“Pregame rituals were a big tradition. We had what is called a grotto outside, which is a statue of Mary with candles lit. For a hundred plus years, it was a tradition to go out, as a football team, with the captains leading these pregame prayers in front of the statue of Mary at the grotto. Captains would do it, and some select seniors would speak. It was a hundred plus year tration” 

Analysis:

This piece of folklore is one of countless examples of sports traditions and superstitions. What’s interesting about this particular case, however, is its inclusion of a religious element with the statue of Mary. Introducing this religious tilt into what otherwise is just another pregame ritual recontextualizes what sports truly means in this context. Clearly in this setting sports has exceeded its status as merely just a game. The value’s it imparts on those participating, such as a good work ethic and leadership, have clearly warranted sports being perceived as vital in this community, thus validating its cross over with religion in this context.   

The Cardinal

Nationality: American
Age: 52
Occupation: Banker
Residence: Singapore
Performance Date: 4/29/22
Primary Language: English

Context:  Subject of the interview’s mother passed away recently. Subject grew up in Rhode Island. 

Text:

“So my mother always kinda had an appreciation for death you know and the next life. She would always try to be somewhat funny but sentimental about it. She always said when she passed away she’d come back as a cardinal and that everytime someone in the family saw a cardinal they’d think of her.”

Analysis:

This is one piece of folklore that I found particularly touching and had me thinking about folklore related to death. Death is a concept that is impossible to truly understand, besides the literal emotional toll it takes on the people still living. It would make sense that, in order to ease that transition, the people who are in mourning to develop signs in remembrance of that person, to see a piece of their soul continue to live on in the world.