Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Sana, Sana, Colita de Rana

Age: 20

AGE: 20
Date of performance: Feb 20
Informant Name: AM
Language: Spanish
Occupation: Student
Primary Language: English
Residence: Santa Ana

Text:

“Sana, sana, colito de rana. Si no sana hoy, sanara mañana”

Context:

According to the teller, it translates to: “Heal, heal, tail of frog. If you don’t heal today, you’ll heal tomorrow.” It is a phrase that parents tell their children whenever they got hurt, essentially wishing them a faster healing. They learned it from their parents, specifically their mother, who would “rub her hand over the cut or scratch” whenever they got minorly injured.

Analysis

Although this quote is one of many variants, they all follow the same strand of silliness and nonsense. When I heard this phrase, I thought it was silly and funny, and wondered why adults would say this to their children. Then I thought that perhaps that was exactly why they said this phrase. It is so nonsensical and lighthearted that the child who got hurt could perhaps laugh and forget their pain for a little. This goes hand in hand with the practice of distracting little kids with a more engaging, eye-catching stimulant to take their attention off of more serious, dire matters. Furthermore, frogs are known for their regenerative abilities, thus signifying the manifestation of quick healing. By saying this phrase, the parents are reassuring their child that no matter what, it will heal.

“Hard work pays off”

Nationality: American
Language: English

MAIN DESCRIPTION 1:

CL: “My dad was a huge role model to me growing up.He instilled a lot of quotes along the way that really stuck with me. One of the quotes was, ‘Hard work pays off.’ He felt strongly that you might have good luck at certain stages along the way, but your true success comes from working hard, setting goals for yourself and pushing yourself to do the best you can.  My dad always worked very hard in his job and his personal passions, and he instilled the same in us. We could decide what passions we wanted to pursue, but once we committed, then there was no quitting. For example, it was up to me if I wanted to play tennis a particular year or be on the debate team, but once I committed I was committed. There was no quitting at that point.  He never pushed us too hard, but he felt it was important for us to try our best and not look back and wish we had tried harder.”

INFORMANT’S OPINION 1:

JL: What do you think this phrase means?

CL: “He thought kids should be curious and go out of their way to entertain themselves, read, explore, etc., in their free time. To sit back and wait for others to entertain you and have a plan and decide that you are bored is only a sign of a boring person and nobody wants to be boring!”

PERSONAL INTERPRETATION 1:

I grew up with the same values and ideals and now I see how much they shaped how I approach challenges. As a child I sometimes felt discouraged by tough challenges but these sayings always reminded me that my hard work would eventually be worth it. I discovered that hard work is not only about the results you see right away. “It’s about what you create as you go on your journey.” These sayings still help me today and I understand them better as I get older. I work hard stay curious and don’t expect things to be easy. The amount of effort you put into your life will decide how successful you become in the end.

Santa Ana Winds

Fields:

AGE: 24
Date_of_performance: 02/20/25
Language: English
Nationality: United States of America
Occupation: 8th Grade teacher
Primary Language: English
Residence: Pasadena, California

A friend commented on the winds that impacted the LA fires early this january. she said that she was able to “smell the Santa Ana winds.’ she claimed that people who grew up around LA are able to smell when the santa ana winds are going to come in. the context of this quote was she was commenting on the winds were going to blow in and change the fire distribution.

Quote: “i can smell when the wind changes, like the day before it just smells different.”

Due to the extreme weather that surrounds this area in southerjn california its very lickly that some residents can detect slight changes inb the atmosphere when the strong santa ana winds blow. it creates a cultural identity of being local to LA and makes one feel more connected to the land even though it is a concrete heavy city.

Cold remedy

fields:
AGE: 45
Date_of_performance: 2001-2017
Language: English
Nationality: Canadian ( learned from china)
Occupation: artist/ retail
Primary Language: Enlish
Residence: Toronto Canada

When we were suffering with a cold as a child our mother would boil Coke-cola with ginger and starniese a trick she had learned when she lived at 北大University, from a classmate. the ginger and staraniese act as healing remedy; thought to heat up the body and help healing. the Coke was used like honey as electrolytes but also has some licorice in it so it is known for helping with nausea, and finally boiling it because in chinese culture people really drink cold water or things. it is believed that drinking hot drinks even in the summer keeps one healthy.

Recipe:

coke, ginger, staraniese boiled for 10 minuets.

I think like many people coke is a miracle cure; it is no different to my mother, when we were ill we were given coke; stomach ache coke, sick coke. many people have miracle cures and coke happened to be ours.

La Befana

fields:
AGE:23
Date_of_performance: 13 century – present
Language: Italian + English
Nationality: Italian
Occupation: USC Masters Student
Primary Language: English, Italien
Residence: Los Angeles

Quote: ““Okay, so in Italy, we have this super cool tradition on January 6th called La Befana. Basically, she’s like Santa, but make it a broomstick-riding grandma witch. She sneaks into houses at night and leaves candy for good kids and ‘coal’ (which is usually just black sugar candy) for the naughty ones. Legend has it, she was invited by the Three Wise Men to see baby Jesus, said ‘nah, I’m good,’ and then regretted it forever—so now she flies around looking for him and dropping off presents. It’s chaotic but iconic.”

Historical context: this has been around in italy since the 13 centuary, in some tuscan villages they burn large statues of la befana; it is both a pagan and christian tradition; thus very italian folkloric. it is a custum entrenched in the national identity of italians local and abroad like my friend who grew up in the bronx in new york city. But his grandmother who immagrated to the US. Italian-American families keep La Befana alive by adapting the tradition to city life. Instead of chimneys, stockings are hung by windows or doors, and in the morning, kids find a mix of Italian treats like panettone and torrone alongside American candies. Some families tell the legend of La Befana the night before, while others celebrate with a big meal on Epiphany. Though it’s not as widely recognized as Christmas, it remains a special way for the community to stay connected to their Italian roots while blending in with New York’s diverse culture.