Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Folk Belief – Thailand

Nationality: Thai
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Bangkok, Thailand
Performance Date: April 21, 2008
Primary Language: Thai (laotian)
Language: English

Belief—Thailand

“People who have long earlobes live long, fulfilling lives.”

Ben told me that he first learned this belief from his aunt when he was 6 years old.  He was living in his hometown of Bangkok at the time.  He informed me that this is a very common belief amongst his friends and family.  While it may have Thai origins, the belief itself, has Buddhist roots.  Ben has extensive knowledge of Buddhism.  He is an avid Buddhist and event spent a small portion of his life studying to become a Buddhist monk.  At age 12, he studied the religion at a temple outside of Bangkok.  He lived this way for almost an entire year, abiding by a strict code of rules and conduct. He says it was a great experience and it helped him gain a more profound understanding of the religion.

The theory behind this folk belief comes from Siddhartha Gautama (a.k.a. Buddha) himself.  Because worshipping Buddha and his teachings have resulted in an abundance of statues, paintings, and other forms of decorative art, Buddhists pay particular attention to his physical appearance.  In virtually every representation, he is shown with these great big drooping earlobes.  As a result, Buddhists have come to believe that massive earlobes is an indicator that an individual is destined to have a strong, prolonged existence.  Ben informed me that there are some who believe that Buddha is depicted this way because it was and is a sign of royalty and power to wear earrings that stretch one’s earlobes.  This theory however, is not nearly as common.  Ben told me that his entire family sees earlobes as an important indicator of the length of an individual’s life.  His older brother was born with enormous earlobes so his family is always praising this physical trait and telling him to cherish the gift he was born with.  This belief is a unique example of folklore because it is extremely common amongst Buddhists—many wouldn’t know that it isn’t formally written anywhere, but has been accepted as truthful and ordinary because Buddha is constantly depicted in this manner and the theory has offered an answer to why Buddha appears the way that he does.

Tradition – New Orleans, LA

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: New Orleans, LA
Performance Date: April 6, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Japanese

Folk—Tradition

“In the city of New Orleans, a body is never buried below ground.”

Michael told me that he has been familiar with this tradition all of his life.  As he explained to me, it is customary in New Orleans for bodies never to be buried underground.  This is in part due to the fact that New Orleans is below sea level, but also in part to a tradition, and to voodoo.  Because New Orleans is located below sea level and is frequently flooded, coffins that were buried below ground would sometimes get pushed upward through the ground.  This occurs because the coffins are filled with air and science has proven that oxygen rises in water.  After a while, bodies were everywhere and a solution was needed.  The only one that worked at the time was to bury all bodies above ground.  Though most people are familiar with this reasoning, less know that the first settlers to New Orleans had a custom of burying bodies exclusively above ground.  The reason for this custom is unknown but it was a tradition among the founding fathers of New Orleans.  As if that wasn’t enough, there are all sorts of legends and stories about Marie Laveau, the alleged “Voodoo Queen” who may or may not have been buried in a New Orleans Cemetery (Cities of the Dead).  While there are all sorts of legends surrounding her life and death, no one is sure whether or not her remains are present in one of the cities’ cemeteries.  In not wanting to wake her or disrespect the “Voodoo Queen” it has become a folk tradition in New Orleans to burry bodies above ground.

I would consider this a folk tradition, but interestingly enough, the tradition has a legend (the “Voodoo Queen”) within it.  In this respect, folklore has resulted in more folklore.  Other than the physical problems with burying bodies underground, no one knows for sure why the tradition has been kept.  There are theories, but nothing is definite.  Still the tradition keeps running strong and the city has come to respect and embrace this tradition instead of continuing to look for solutions to change the burial system.

“Cities of the Dead.”  Experience New Orleans! Compucast Web Design, 1994-2002.

Custom – USA

Nationality: American
Age: 24
Occupation: Student
Residence: Scarsdale, NY
Performance Date: April 2, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Custom—USA

“The public bathroom hand washing technique…”

Alexander learned this custom from his grandfather when he was in the 7th grade.  His grandfather, a passionate and devoted doctor, often found and acquired ways of bringing some of his medical skills and habits into the world outside of medicine.  The perfect example of this comes in the form of the “public bathroom hand washing technique” as Alexander calls it.  The theory behind the custom is that bathrooms are filthy beds of bacteria.  Alexander’s grandfather believed that a sure way of getting sick or picking up germs was touching something in a public restroom.  As a result, he taught Alexander this technique as a means of avoiding skin contact with anything in a public restroom.  If you’re lucky, the bathroom operates on automatic sensor devices, in which case you don’t need to touch anything to begin with.  In the event that you do need to touch something, you begin by locating the paper towels.  If there is a fresh stack on the counter, you can pick up the top towel and use that to turn on the faucet as well as dispense soap into your hand.  In the event that there is a knob or roller that you must touch to dispense paper towels, you have to move to plan B.  If you are wearing a long sleeve shirt, you can pull you sleeve down and cover your hand with that.  If not, you can use your elbow to crank the lever (if your elbow gets bacteria on it it’s ok—your elbow doesn’t come in contact with your eyes, ears, nose, mouth very much, just be sure to wash your elbow when you get home).  After using paper towels to get soap and turn on and off the faucet, you need to perform the same operation with the door handle.  To avoid contact with it, use a paper towel to pull it open, and hold it in that position with your foot.  Throw the paper towel into the garbage and walk out.  If the garbage bin is far away, do your best to throw it in but do not sacrifice putting in the garbage by touching something.  Throw it on the floor if you have to.  If you really know what your doing, as my grandfather does, carry around paper towels or tissue at all times so you don’t have to go about the whole paper towel routine, you can just use your own in not touching anything and going about your business.

This technique was taught to Alexander’s grandfather by one of his colleagues.  While it’s a useful way of avoiding bacteria and other germs, it’s almost comical to think about someone using the technique.  His grandfather has made it a custom of his because he finds it extremely significant in maintaining good health.  The extent to which avoiding bathroom germs in a such a manner really keeps us healthy we may not know, but doctors certainly have folkloric customs such as these that they swear by.

Contemporary Legend – University of Southern California

Nationality: Japanese-American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Manhattan Beach, CA
Performance Date: April 20, 2008
Primary Language: English

There are a few legends behind why every year Tommy Trojan get wound in duct tape. I come from a family that has had a few generations go through USC and I have heard a few different reasons why Tommy is dressed in duct tape during the UCLA vs. USC football game week. I originally heard from my dad that UCLA had a few students who got a helicopter and tried to dump blue and gold paint on Tommy, but because of the rotor wash and their bad aim, they were unable to get Tommy with the paint. The other story I heard was that they tired to use cow manure, and instead got a lot of it in the helicopter because of the rotor wash. I think I even heard a variation where the helicopter crashed, but I find that hard to believe.

The fact is that this legend has become very much a part of folklore on the campus of USC. Every year the Trojan Knights camp out in front of Tommy to make sure that nothing happens to him. Also, every year he is wrapped up in duct tape. These two fact keep this legend going. The other reason that they legend is still popular is the fact that we would like to think that we are that much better than people from UCLA, and that these stupid plans and actions are signs of our superiority. The thing is I also know a few people who go to UCLA.

The way their story goes, they succeed in getting Tommy with either the paint, the manure, and in one case both, and that it was because of this success that Tommy is wrapped in duct tape every year. At USC we like to think we are taking precautions from keep this from ever working even though UCLA has failed on numerous occasions to try to do something to Tommy.

Another important fact is that the legend is popular to both people at USC, and UCLA, but probably not even know in other school that do not play either school in sports. This means that they legends around Tommy and the duct tape are continued and popular among a small group of people who go to either school.

Folk Belief

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Boise, ID
Performance Date: April 15, 2008
Primary Language: English

Every time I lost a tooth I would put it under my pillow, and in the morning the tooth fairy would leave me a note, in my mother’s handwriting,  and a sliver dollar, and give me the tooth back which I would keep in a jar.

The idea of the tooth fairy is very popular in most western cultures. The general idea is that the tooth fairy comes if you lose a tooth and put it under your pillow, and that the tooth fairy leaves you money in exchange for the tooth.

The interesting part about Stephanie’s tooth fairy tale is that they tooth fair leaves a note, in her mom’s handwriting, and gives her the tooth back. For me I got a little money, like a quarter, but I did not keep the tooth. I find it interesting that for one family the idea of keeping the tooth is expected and that in another the idea of keeping the tooth is very strange.

This is kind of a tale that would be told to young children because they are the ones that are going to be losing teeth. The other reason why the tooth fairy is popular among children is because you are getting a present for something that was yours, you get a sort of reward for losing a tooth.

The other reason why the tooth fairy persists today is because of the interactions between children at school. Many children find out that their friends have been visited by the tooth fairy and I think that may start some other parents telling their own version of the tooth fairy tale.

Annotation:

Wynbrandt, James. The Excruciating History of Dentisty. St. Martin’s Press: 1998