Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

One good friend is better than a thousand poor ones

Age: 18

Proverb

 

Primary Language- English

Occupation- USC Student

Residence- Kansas City, Missouri

Date of Performance- 4/25/16

One good friend is better than a thousand poor ones.

Quinn learned this proverb from his father when he was back home. He was having trouble with some of his friends and his dad gave him that advice. Growing up, Quinn thought his father made up the message to him a long time ago, but later learned that he had learned it from television and thought the quote was spot on. The quote is special to Quinn because he knows that even though he might lose friends, as long as he has some good friends who are going to stay for the long run, everything is going to be alright.

This proverb is usually said to teach a person a lesson or just give them advice on life. There is nothing complex about when or how to say at as long as the intentions are good.

This proverb can be seen as a way of life. I would agree 100% with it because in this generation, you can never know who to trust and how long people will stick around for and with you. A thousand poor friends can never give you the same satisfaction or feeling as having one good friend. The proverb can make somebody feel better in rough times as it did to Quinn and many others that pass it around. One sentence can be a huge change on how someone feels and looks at life. It is also easy to derive its meaning if you have any sort of common sense so everybody who listens or reads it can know what it means.

 

Lono

Age: 18

Myth

 

Primary Language- English

Occupation- USC Student

Residence- Kansas City, Missouri

Date of Performance- 4/25/16

When I visited Hawaii, I learned of a god they worshipped named Lono. He was the god of agriculture, fertility, rainfall, music, and peace to the Hawaiians. I saw a lot of statues, dolls, and pictures of him when I visited a hotel there. Lono and a lot of other gods have huge statues in Hawaii. It is said that Lono came to earth on  a rainbow but that he was around before earth even existed. Lono came to marry a god named Laka. He was known as a god of peace and had a festival in his honor that we wanted to attend. I do not know much about it but I do know that it is a New Year’s celebration covering four lunar periods. The people dress up with traditional clothes and dance. It seemed pretty cool online but we weren’t there during the time they celebrated it.

Quinn and his father like to visit Hawaii during the semesters spring break or summer. It gives him a time to unwind and relax. He also takes the time to learn some folklore in his travels. Some of the folklore consist of traditions he may partake in like in Hawaii or Mexico, at least in terms of the foods they eat and celebrations they may witness. He likes to remember the folklore he learns because it serves as a memory of the amazing time he has had during his trips around the world.

Lono has been commemorated in Hawaii for a very long time and has given the Hawaiian people something to look forward to on New Year’s as well. A few hundred years ago, the people who were natives to Hawaii believed that Lono was the reason for the bountiful agriculture and times of peace. Thier culture and celebrations are sometimes seen as exotic and beautiful by tourist which has created a source of income by many who reside in Hawaii.

This tradition Hawaii has held and celebrated is very interesting and makes me want to go and visit. It is folklore like this that spreads to many people and causes interest because they want to go see it themselves and experience a new culture. Quinn not only visited a new location with a different environment, but also a place that has almost a completely different culture than his own and loved it. The shows, lights, and festivities put on by Hawaiians causes a surge in tourism and no longer makes them a small country but a huge center for new experiences.

 

Don’t wash your head!

Nationality: Moldovan
Age: 28
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 27, 2016
Primary Language: Russian
Language: English, Romanian

Main piece:

You can’t wash your head on Mondays or right before exams.

 

Background information (Why does the informant know or like this piece? Where or who did they learn it from? What does it mean to them?):

I know it from school. I think my parents might have told me. I don’t know if it works. It’s kind of school related stuff. Something inside me says, “Oh what if it’s true.” I don’t want to risk it. But honestly, I’ve washed my hair a ton on mondays and it was fine! For exams, I feel like I’m washing all the knowledge out of my head.

 

Context (When or where would this be performed? Under what circumstance?):

I would think about it on Mondays and before exams. I wash my hair on Sundays- if I need to wash my hair, I’ll do it on Sunday but if it’s kind of clean I leave it to Tuesday. Even if my hair is super dirty, I’ll just put it up in a bun and leave it filthy until after my exam.

 

Personal Analysis:

This hints about the importance Ana’s culture places on academics. As she mentioned in her telling, she was worried about washing the knowledge out of her brain. I work with her, and she is constantly studying or doing work for class. Perhaps that is why she’s so concerned about losing the knowledge- she’s put in too much effort to sacrifice any of it to a shower drain! As she was telling me this saying, another co-worker mentioned she had heard the same thing from her Indian parents. It seems as though this saying may not be exclusive to Moldova, but has traveled southeast through Asia and to the Indian subcontinent.

Hair is Luck, Don’t Cut it Away

Nationality: Moldovan
Age: 28
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 27, 2016
Primary Language: Russian
Language: English, Romanian

Main piece:

You can’t cut your own hair because you’re going to cut your own luck away.

 

Background information (Why does the informant know or like this piece? Where or who did they learn it from? What does it mean to them?):

My mom I think told me. I don’t like it, I don’t care about it. I never cut my hair anyways. It doesn’t affect me anyways. I’ve had bangs all my life, and sometimes they get hard to keep up. It’s easy to look and think that you can cut just a little bit off, but I would never do that. I just make a hair appointment. I take all of this with a grain of salt but if I can avoid losing the luck, then I will avoid it. It’s not like I have no other choice.

 

Context (When or where would this be performed? Under what circumstance?):

I was told when I was little. My dad usually gave me a haircut for my bangs- which turned out awful always- but I still wouldn’t cut my own hair.

 

Personal Analysis:

This seems like a way to deter children from cutting their hair by themselves. I personally have cut my own hair more than I would like to admit, never quite succeeding in making it look professional. Then again, I was told not to cut my hair after I had already done the deed- after I found out how fun it was! Ana, who was told her luck would go away if she cut her own hair, has literally never attempted it- even with the nuisance of overgrown bangs. Either she has incredible willpower, or this mild warning was very successful in deterring her from cutting her own hair. I should have asked why someone else cutting her hair didn’t also cut the luck away, but I think I can assume the answer is no. Otherwise, she would have some pretty long hair!

Step Over, Step Back

Nationality: Indian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Libertyville, Illinois
Performance Date: April 27, 2016
Primary Language: English
Language: Hindi, French

Main piece:

If you step over somebody, they will stop growing until you step backwards over them in the same way you stepped over them in the first place.

 

Background information (Why does the informant know or like this piece? Where or who did they learn it from? What does it mean to them?):

I don’t remember why I know this, I think my parents told me at some point. Do I like it? Its cute, that’s it. I learned it at home, my parents just told me not to. It’s cool. It becomes a problem in college when people constantly step over you when you’re laying down, and you have to explain this weird Indian custom.

 

Context (When or where would this be performed? Under what circumstance?):

It would just happen if you’re stepped over. If someone steps over any part of your body, you have to do the ritual. I abide by it, oh yeah.

 

Personal Analysis:

I have been personally involved in this act of folk belief. I made the mistake of stepping over Ankur, and he chased me down until I stepped backwards over him. He is a rather tall man, over 6 feet, so he shouldn’t be too worried about not growing anymore. He doesn’t need to get any taller!

Annotation

This tradition is similar to a Russian tradition:

“It is often considered taboo to step over people, or parts of their body, who are on the ground. It is often said that it will prevent the person from growing (if they are not fully grown already). It is better to politely ask the person to move or to find a way around them. If one accidentally steps over a person (or people), it is sometimes standard to step backwards over them.”


“Russian Traditions and Superstitions.” Weird Russia. Weird Russia, 31 Aug. 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.