Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Sleep with Jesus and the Angels

Nationality: Mexican-American
Occupation: Student, Business
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Language: English

Informant: “My mom would say ‘sleep with Jesus and the angels’ ever since I was a kid. It definitely has roots in Christianity; my mom is pretty religious. I think it made her feel better having put us to bed saying that. But also to get us to think about god and have it on our minds when we go to bed. She used to always say the first thing you should do in the morning and the last thing at night is pray. The Jesus and the angels part, I guess, has to do with the guardian angels watching over us. Knowing that we’re protected and taken care of.”

Context: The informant’s mother would say this to him when tucking him into bed. Both the informant and his mother are Christians, and his mom is fairly devout. He interprets it as his mom’s way of blessing him before bed and getting him to become closer to God. He also believes that a piece of this was rooted in his mom’s own worry. She wanted to ensure their safety and entrusted it to God.

Analysis: This seems to be a religious saying that the informant’s mother would use to bless their child before bed. However, this saying also serves the purpose of teaching children that they can trust God to watch over them and put their faith in him for protection. It lovingly solidifies the family’s belief system.

A Social Curse – “The Cheese Touch”

Taken from audio recording:

“Informant:
Yeah, that makes sense. I know you mentioned this earlier, but the “cheese touch” was a huge thing at my school because Diary of a Wimpy Kid was filmed at my middle school.

Pearson:
No way.

Informant:
Yeah! So in middle school, the “cheese touch” was a real thing. It wasn’t even actual cheese, but more like the cooties thing—someone would “have” the cheese touch, and everyone would avoid them. The kid who played Greg Heffley, I think he actually went to my middle school, and his dad worked in the school system. So it was an even bigger deal for us.”

Analysis:

I experienced the “cheese touch” as “cooties” when I was in elementary school and some of middle school. I think it’s super interesting how this movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid had such a big impact on so many schools, especially the one my informant went to because the movie was filmed at their middle school. I’m sure it felt way more real for them. I think the idea is really interesting. Honestly, I don’t really understand it and didn’t really back then either. I guess “cooties” and the “cheese touch” are a little different. “cooties” was more of a gender vs. gender thing at my school versus the “cheese touch” being more about socially isolating someone for whatever reason. The “cool kids” in school wouldn’t be the ones getting the “cheese touch” while “cooties” in my school didn’t have that kind of social hierarchy restriction. I feel like the “cheese touch” is used more as a way to even further alienate kids that aren’t very popular and that’s a horrible thing. It, to me, is like another form of bullying and that’s really sad.

Age: 20

Date of performance: Told to me on February 13, 2025. Popularized after the 2007 “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student at USC

Primary Language: English

Residence: From California, lives somewhere in the Los Angeles area

seasonal omen or a weather-related folk saying – “June Gloom”

Pulled from audio recording:

“Informant:
Okay, I’m from California. I wonder if you’ve heard of this one—“June gloom.”

Pearson:
No, what’s that?

Informant:
It’s a thing on the California coast where, in June, there’s this weird period of overcast skies in the middle of summer. It happens every year. Growing up, people would always say “June gloom,” especially when planning beach trips. Like, we’d want to go, but then someone would say, “Oh no, June gloom.””

Analysis:

“June Gloom” refers to June in California where the skies are overcast and a haze or a Gloom lingers over the coast. In my mind it can be used literally and figuratively. Literally because it’s a real weather-related phenomenon and figuratively as a sort of saying. Someone could ask you to go somewhere to do something with them and you could reply “oh no I don’t wanna go. June Gloom”. It’s used as a way to describe a state of being almost. It reminds me of the idea of not wanting to go outside because it’s raining if that makes sense.

Age: 20


Date_of_performance: Told to me on February 14, 2025. A thing they’ve heard throughout their life


Language: English


Nationality: American


Occupation: Student at USC


Primary Language: English


Residence: Somewhere in the Los Angeles area

Onions for fevers

Nationality: American, Mexican (dual)
Occupation: Stay at home parent
Residence: Concord, CA
Language: Spanish

I actually interviewed my mother because I’ve honestly never thought that some of the things we do may be considered folklore. I remember in class we talked about remedies and in my family if someone has a fever then we put onions on their feet. Specifically purple onions that are cut in half. The onion halves go on the soles of your feet and “pull out” the heat from you. She says that my grandma (her mother) would do that with them as children so she has continued the tradition.

Now, I have been on the receiving end on this and admittedly I am skeptical. I feel like it has worked to bring my fever down, but at the same time we used rags that are wet with the onions so I’m not sure if it’s the rags or the onions (my guess is it’s the rags). Nonetheless, I continue to do it because it’s tradition.

Snow Day Wishes

Age: 19

Date: 2/27/24

Major: Media Arts and Practice and Game Development in Interactive Design

Year: Sophomore

Primary Language: English

Place of Origin: District of Columbia

INTERVIEWER: Okay. so what is a superstition that you know of and practice and where did you learn it from? 

STUDENT: Um. I don’t know, actually, I don’t know if I have any superstitions. Is that..? 

INTERVIEWER: I mean, do you know of like the one you’ve seen a lot? 

STUDENT: Well, yeah. I like know some. There’s not but I that I practice. Like the first one that came to mind was like on like snow days where you were supposed to like flush an ice cube down the toilet to like wish for snow. or like put your pajamas on backwards to like wish for snow.

INTERVIEWER: And who did you learn that from?

STUDENT: I feel like just my elementary school community I don’t know if it was like my teachers or I feel like it wasn’t my teachers that like, I first heard it from. 

INTERVIEWER: Would you you still do this today? 

STUDENT: No No, I don’t. I don’t practice any. It was it was more just like as a kid. I didn’t practice it. I don’t. I just heard of it.