Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

El Raton

Nationality: Honduras
Age: 48

Fairy Tale

 

Nationality- Honduras

Primary Language- Spanish

Occupation- Factory Worker

Residence- Los Angeles, CA

Date of Performance- 3/19/16

El raton

Translation-The rat

One day, when i was 6 years old and my first tooth started to wiggle. I told my mom and she said that i have to keep shaking it each day so it can fall off smoothly. And that once it came off nicely, I should put it under my pillow and “the raton” would come and get it and once it was gone, he would leave me some coins as a thank you. The first day I did, when I woke up i found 4 coins under my pillow and kept doing it until i was 13. Every time I would put it in my pillow i would get money and wondered how a rat was able to do that. I believed it had to be a magical rat. After i turned 13, I realized that it was my mom the whole time because I saw her putting money under my sister’s pillow when she was sleeping. My sister had just took out one of her tooths and put it under her pillow. Even though I figured that out, I still never told my sister because I thought she would enjoy the fact that the magical rat still comes to give her money, especially since she was 6. I told my mother about it and she was surprised when I told her i know but knew it would happen eventually. She also told me not to tell my sister and I agreed with her because I too still wanted my sister to believe in it.

Reina Centeno is from Honduras. She has lived there till she was about 20 and then moved to the United States. Her mother was the one who told her about the raton and made her believe in it. She loved believing in the raton because removing her teeth was one of the worst things she had to go through but knowing that she was going to get money and a visit from a magical creature made it worth it and try to remove her tooth as fast as possible. Having better teeth was a plus as well. She learned this fairy tale from her mother who learned it from her mother. It has been passed down two generations and she also told her son about it.

When Reina told me the story, she said it with a big grin on her face because it reminded her of the good times she had as a child and her time in Honduras. She has not been there in over 30 years yet still remembers everything perfectly. She tells the story with happiness and laughs at how gullible she was as a child. Along with the fact that she got her own son into believing it.

Hearing Reina tell me her story was delightful because my mother also told me the same tale when I was a child. Reina Centeno and my mother are sisters and maybe it was because of her not telling my mother that the raton was fake at an early age was the reason my mother passed it on to me. It is such a great tale since it really does make going through the teeth removal process worth it. In Honduras, many can not afford to go to a dentist so they have to tough it out and remove the teeth themselves. El raton is basically the same thing as a tooth fairy that is very popular in America considering there are a multitude of movies, books, and stories about it. Fairies are not very popular in countries like Honduras so they had to make another version which so happened to involve a rat. Obviously not as popular as a fairy which is why there are not any famous films abou it. But in spanish culture, he is very popular as “El Ratoncito Perez” or “El Ratoncito”. El raton had originated from Madrid in the 19th century and is still spread to this day. People who immigrate to the United States have only helped spread the folklore. It is amazing how a few stories can shape the way a culture thinks about certain aspects of life.

 

Happy Birthday

Age: 48

Happy Birthday Ritual

 

Primary Language- Spanish

Occupation- Factory Worker

Residence- Los Angeles, CA

Date of Performance- 3/19/16

Every Time it is someone’s birthday, you have to sing Haaaappy Birthday to you, Haaaaappy Birthday to you, Haaaaapppy Birthday to Anthony, Happy Birthday to you. Ya queremos pastel! (Translation- We want cake now!) Shortly after you blow the candles, everyone chants, que lo muerda, que lo muerda (Translation- bite the cake) and when they go in for a bite, you grab the back of the person’s head and slam their head into the cake. After that, we start to cut pieces off the cake where the face did not touch and give a slice to everyone. In Honduras, it was the same tradition except we said feliz cumplanos which is just happy birthday but in spanish.

The happy birthday song alway brings a smile on anyone’s face because it is the time of the year where you celebrate the day you were born. Reina loves to go birthday parties and sing happy birthday, especially the recording of when their faces get plastered on the cake. She learned the song when she was in Honduras from her mother who would sing happy birthday to her along with her other relatives and bought a cake to eat as well. The song means a lot to her because in Honduras, they did not have the money to throw any parties but they had enough to buy a cake so to be able to do the same here and much more makes her feel happy and remember the celebrations she had with her mother.

When performing the happy birthday song, you must say it with a group a people while the birthday person sits in front of the birthday cake. While the candles are lit on the cake, before they blow it, you must sing the song, let them blow the candles, and tell them to bite the cake. Even if they do bite the cake, it’s tradition to just smash their face on the cake either way. Then everyone screams from laughter, takes pictures, and eats the cake that does not have any face on it.

I have had a lot of experience from this birthday celebration since my aunt Reina has celebrated almost every birthday with me. Her husband has usually been the one who bought the cake for us. I have also had an enormous amount of cake in my face. My mother also sings the same song and everyone does the same performance at any hispanic birthday party. It even happens for grown people because the tradition will most likely never change. There are a couple alterations such as saying cha cha cha after you say happy birthday in the song, but in our family, we just clap three times instead. One thing that will most likely never change is the fact that the birthday person must get cake on their face somehow. Finding the root for the tradition through history would be difficult, there is also no particular reason for why it happens. It is all in good fun and just keeps the party going. The face smashing also creates memories in which tons of pictures are taken. The singing is also very special because everyone can have a meaningful birthday celebration despite their income with the song and a cake. The photo uploaded is a picture of my last birthday party where my family and friends completely masked my face with cake. There is almost no chance of escaping so sometimes it is best to just take it in and laugh at it later. This long simple tradition will be maintained in my family for generations to come.

 

Feast of 7 Fishes

Age: 19

Christmas Tradition

 

Primary Language- English

Occupation- USC Student

Residence- Virginia

Date of Performance- 4/15/16

At home, we have an italian tradition that we partake in each year during christmas eve. Everyone in our family has to eat 7 types of seafood in one day. We call it the Feast of 7 Fishes. I have done it almost my entire life and will continue to do it. I have always believed that if we do not eat the 7 types of seafood during christmas eve, it would be bad luck. I do not really know why but I just know that bad things will happen if we don’t do it one year.

Mark is from Virginia and has lived there his entire life. His great grandparents are from Italy but his parents are also from Virginia. His parents and grandparents have also partaken in this long tradition so naturally, he has too. Besides eating the delicious food, he likes it because its something special to his family and he would not do it a year, there would be bad luck and it would not feel right

When you partake in the tradition, it has to be during christmas eve and the entire family or members you are gathered with must be present. The family gives thanks, then feast on seven types of seafoods. The food is typically gathered very recently. If seven foods are not eaten or it is after christmas eve, many also believe it is bad luck.

I think this tradition is very interesting because a lot of cultures have different types of food they like to eat during the same day of the year. In my family, we typically eat tamales and posole for christmas eve, but we make so much that we end up eating them for another two weeks. We have no superstition along with it except that the food is just made during that time of year in excess because it is delicious and perfect for the time and vibe set. The feast that italian americans do during christmas eve is slightly different than the one in Italy. It originated from the celebration of the birth of jesus. The Feast of 7 Fishes is called the Vigil in Italy and was started in Southern Italy. This tradition also comes from not eating any meat before christmas eve which is lent in other traditions.

 

Bad comes in 3’s

Age: 19

Superstition

 

Primary Language- English

Occupation- USC Student

Residence- Los Angeles, CA

Date of Performance- 4/16/16

Everytime my family hears bad news, they believe it comes in three’s. The side of the family that usually believes that are the females like my sister, mom, and aunt. Say if somebody gets in a car crash that we know, my family then believes that three other bad things are going to happen. So after the crash, something like losing money, or even stubbing someone’s toe can happen and my family will believe it’s because three bad things was meant to happen. I don’t know why they stick to that superstition but it makes them feel at ease when they think they are ready for it.

Justin has heard about this piece of superstition from his family. They have always warned him about the dangers of the threes. After on bad news arrives, he has to be ready for two others. He does not really believe in that superstition but his family really does. The superstition is still interesting to him because he thinks it is funny how strong their belief is.

Whenever you experience something bad, you should always be cautious of the two other bad things that will happen to you, at least according to Justin’s family. When Justin told the superstition, he thought it sounded ridiculous that his family believed it in so he laughed while telling it. Real or not, his family becomes very cautious once they hear or are stricken with bad news.

The mystical three’s have struck again. Bad news in three sounds like a lot of other folklore that so happens to also come in threes yet most people do not know why. It is believed that it is an ancient superstition and originated from the men’s genitalia for some reason. But the theory behind the three cycles brings up the idea that the cycle will end eventually. It just so happens that it will be after the third bad news. In other cultures, things come in fours and fives but many in America have been buried with the idea that everything comes in threes.

 

Ears Ringing

Age: 19

Superstition

 

Primary Language- English

Occupation- USC Student

Residence- Los Angeles, CA

Date of Performance- 4/16/16

If your ears begin to ring, that means that someone is thinking about you. My mother once told me a story about how her ears kept constantly ringing one day, she did not know why but at the end of the day her friend had came to her house saying that she was trying to get in contact with her because she found an amazing job opportunity for her. Ever since then, she believes that when her ear rings, it is because someone is thinking about you.

Justin’s parents were born in America as well as him. He learned this story from his mother when Justin’s ear kept ringing one day. He does not believe it but he knows it well because his mother firmly has faith that when her earn rings, it is because someone is thinking of her. To Justin, it is just a way to remember his mother when he is in college so he like to tell or smile whenever he hears someone’s ears ring.

This short folklore is quite simple, does not matter when or where you are but when your ear rings, someone is thinking about you. Telling someone else about it is just like passing down information because those who believe in it have had personal experience with the ringing.

This folklore piece is interesting due to the fact that I have had my ear ring, but I never knew why or bothered to find out. So to hear a friend whose mother supposedly knows the reason is intriguing. Ear ringing meaning something more has been around for quite a long time. The common superstition is based on which ear rings. If the left ear rings, it means somebody is thinking positive thought about you, and if it rings on your right ear, then it means that somebody. This is the most common belief but there are multiple alterations such as when your left ear rings, a loved one is thinking about you. They are similar but slightly different.