Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

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.

Tiger’s Wedding Day

AGE: 53

DATE OF PERFORMANCE: 02/19/2025

LANGUAGE: English 

NATIONALITY: American 

OCCUPATION: Attorney

PRIMARY LANGUAGE: English 

RESIDENCE: New York 

INTERVIEW SUMMARY:

When asking my mother of any proverbs she grew up on she told the story of the Tiger’s Wedding Day. Whenever it was raining on a sunny day, her mother [my grandmother] would say “it’s tiger’s wedding day,” referencing the tale. While my mother does not remember the exact story of it, this is the basic premise of how the story goes:

The Tiger, the King of the Mountain, was getting married to the Fox. During the wedding ceremony, the Cloud fell in love with the Fox, causing it to weep.

This story comes directly from the translation of sun shower from Korean to English. In Korean, the term for sun showers is yeowoo bi (여우비), which directly translates to “fox rain” in English.

PERSONAL INTERPRETATION:

I think it’s interesting how our culture can weave into parts of the proverbs and phrases we use and pass down generations. Even though my mother didn’t remember the actual story itself, she remembered the phrase that her mother would say every time there was a sun shower. Storytelling is such a deep part of Korean culture (and especially culture as a whole), so there is no surprise that it shows up in the every day phrases my family uses.

Shaking the luck out of your leg

AGE: 53

DATE OF PERFORMANCE: 02/19/2025

LANGUAGE: English 

NATIONALITY: American 

OCCUPATION: Attorney

PRIMARY LANGUAGE: English 

RESIDENCE: New York 

Interviewer: Are there any superstitions or other phrases you remember being used around your family growing up?

TL: “Well there’s not anything distinct that I remember people saying, but my grandma was a very superstitious woman. There’s a saying in Korean that when you shake your leg [like a habit], all the luck will come out. When my grandma first met your dad, she saw the dent in his forehead and lost her mind. She thought all the luck was about to come out of his head.”

PERSONAL INTERPRETATION:

This superstition of “losing your luck” reminds me a lot of when parents will tell their kids scary stories to prevent them from going out and causing trouble. For example, the story of La Llorona or of skin walkers. In East Asian cultures, there’s a lot of superstitions and phrases surrounding luck. Such as, in Chinese culture, having an “auspicious nose” means you have a lucky nose and you’re bound for success and wealth. In this case, I guess my great grandmother saw my dad’s “deformity” (for lack of better terms) and deemed it as unlucky. Although he wasn’t born with the dent, but was just dropped as a baby, there is some tie between body parts and the luck they hold. Could breaking a bone cause luck to pour out of me then? And would there be a way to earn it back or is it gone forever? These are some questions I have about this concept.