Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Folk Belief – Hawaii

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Honolulu, HI
Performance Date: March 10, 2007
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

You can’t have pork in the car while driving down the Pali highway.

Katie Tamai first learned this superstition from her mother when she was a child.  She was driving towards the Pali highway with her mom when her mom stopped the car and placed the box of leftover pork on the side of the road.  Though Katie didn’t understand this action at first, she learned that according to Hawaiian superstition, it is unlucky to drive along the Pali highway with pork in the car.  If a person does not surrender their pork on the road, his car will break down in the middle of the highway.  Therefore, individuals in Hawaii, including Katie, do not drive along the highway with pork in the car.

From the beliefs of many Hawaiians, having pork in the car while driving on the Pali highway is disrespectful to an ancestral spirit and can cause the car to shut down.  This superstition, however, may also have a more functional purpose behind it.  In Hawaii, this mountainous highway is known to have a high rate of car accidents each year as a result of speeding.  Many individuals die from unexplainable deaths on the highway.  Therefore, the superstition may have been created to promote safe driving in this region.  Not only would individuals not be eating while driving but they would also be more cautious because of the superstition.  As a result, not only would individuals be pleasing the supernatural spirits roaming the highway but they would also be keeping themselves safe.

Folk Belief – Hawaii

Nationality: Korean
Age: 83
Occupation: Doctor
Residence: Gardena, CA
Performance Date: March 12, 2007
Primary Language: Korean
Language: English

Do not buy shoes for your boyfriend/girlfriend as a present.

My grandma, Kum Soon Youn, first heard this superstition when she was dating a boy in high school.  She was trying to find a present to buy for him when she came upon a pair of shoes.  As she was standing in line to purchase the shoes, her mother stopped her and warned her against buying them.  According to Korean superstition, if a person buys his/her girlfriend/boyfriend a pair of shoes, she/ he will run away from them.  They will wear the shoes that they received and escape from their partners.  Therefore, giving shoes to the person would not only be encouraging the receivers but also providing them with the means to run away.

When my grandma heard this superstition, it reminded her of the Chinese custom to bind women’s feet in the older days.  The elders would bend the feet of girls at a young age to keep them small and petite.  It is often thought that this method was used to confine women and to prevent them from running away from home.  The superstition reminded my grandmother of this tradition because of the idea that men tried to prevent women from running away by binding their feet.  She believes that this superstition is based upon the same idea.  It seems to be targeted at women, indicating that they should not be given shoes or that they will run away.  She therefore thinks that the phrase does not pertain to both men and women but rather serves as a warning to the men not to provide their wives or girlfriends with any means by which they can run away.

When I heard the superstition, I had a different response than my grandma did.  I did not think that it was oppressive to women but rather thought it served as a reminder to both genders that people aren’t always faithful.  It seemed to claim that, when provided with the means to run away, or escape from a relationship, people will run away.  It remarks at people’s fear of commitment and their desire to seek quick and easy pleasure rather than to make an effort to create a long lasting relationship.  Therefore the proverb appears to serve the purpose of reminding those in relationships that their significant other may not always be faithful.

Folk Belief – Japan

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Norwalk, CA
Performance Date: April 17, 2007
Primary Language: Korean
Language: English

“If you make 1000 cranes, you can make a wish”

When I first heard this statement, I was taking an origami class at my church with my friends in second grade.  We were learning how to make paper cranes one week when the teacher told us of the story of paper cranes.  It was believed that whoever folded a thousand cranes would be granted a wish by the gods.  According to the Japanese legend, whenever a person takes the time and effort to fold a thousand cranes, the gods become pleased, and as a reward for the folder’s hard work, the gods grant the folder one wish.  Therefore, the wish serves as an award to the folder for his dedication and devotion to the project.

Folding a thousand cranes appears to be an impossible task, but with a lot of hard work and devotion, it can be accomplished.  Because it is such a long commitment, it teaches the folder patience and the perseverance to continue making the cranes.  Therefore, in the end, it is not only the wish granted by the gods that gives the folder a sense of satisfaction but also the feeling of accomplishment from folding an entire set of one thousand cranes.  It reveals to the folders the fact that they are capable of accomplishing such a task and teaches them that anything can be achieved through a lot of hard work.

The paper crane also affects the individuals receiving the cranes as gifts.  Cranes are often seen as a symbol of good luck and hope that provides the receiver with long life and happiness.  An individual is very fortunate to receive such a gift for the cranes are folded from hours of hard work and care.  The cranes represent the love and affection the maker has for the person receiving the gift.  Therefore, receiving a wish from the gods is only one of the many benefits of folding cranes for a loved one.

Folk Belief

Nationality: Japanese-American
Occupation: Housewife
Residence: Long Beach, CA
Performance Date: March 6, 2007

If you beg for three days, you will make so much money you will never go back to your regular job

Kathy heard this belief from her mother, a Japanese citizen.  It is common for people in the Japanese culture to believe that if a person takes three days off from their job and begs for money on the street they will make such a good living that they will never go back to their old job.

Kathy heard this belief when she was very young, circa 1960.  Because she grew up with this saying, it accounted for her initial and lasting impression of homeless beggars.  Her mom originally told her this belief because she was going to give money to a beggar on the street.  Her mom explained that with few exceptions, many beggars are completely capable of working, however they choose to be lazy and sit while collecting money.  This belief stuck with my informant.  She believes that “many times it is just a lazy convenience and they put on an act of being destitute or unable to work, when in fact they are making a darn good living.”  Kathy does not believe it is fair to the rest of the population that works very hard for their money.  She believes that it is easy money in some aspects; however, in other ways it is not.  Beggars on the street cannot have any sense of pride.  They cannot be proud of themselves in front of their children if they need to beg for income.  As soon as a beggar is able to swallow their pride, and decide to reach incredible lows, their “job” is easy.  Kathy feels as if they are preying on people that are sensitive and sympathetic, which is wrong.

I found this belief very strange.  I am a very sympathetic person and often give money to those in need.  I personally don’t mind what they do with the money; I just want to be able to think I have contributed to any amount of happiness to another person.  If they are indeed capable of working and they want to beg on the streets, I still sympathize for their state of mind.  I also don’t believe that someone can make a substantial living begging for money on the street.

Joke

Nationality: Japanese-American
Occupation: Housewife
Residence: Long Beach, CA
Performance Date: February 6, 2007

Question: How many Poles does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Answer:  One to hold the bulb, and 2 to turn the ladder

My informant told this joke at a social gathering.  She and her culturally diverse friends were all hanging out and telling racist jokes.  Kathy told this one to her friend of Polish descent because everyone jokingly ridicules him for being a “stupid Pole.”  My informant does not remember where she first heard the joke, but decides to continually use it because she always gets a good response from her audience.

Kathy says that it has become a social norm to make fun of Polish people for being stupid.  She is not sure why this is their stereotype, but guesses that it may be due to historical events.  She says, “They lost very horribly to the Germans in the war sooo maybe because they were completely defeated they were coined the “stupid ones?  I really have no idea!”  My informant says that this “light-bulb” joke is one of many Polish jokes.  Literally, it means that Polish people are too stupid to figure out that you can screw in a light bulb by twisting it with your hand. They think you need 2 more people to turn the ladder that the light bulb holder is standing on.

Our population is so culturally diverse.  We are a generation of mutts, with people from all descents.  Because of this, racial jokes have become very popular.  They always exaggerate an ethnicities stereotype, and the reason they are funny and not taken too seriously is because usually, the person of that descent hardly identifies with their heritage.  Most people live very Americanized lifestyles, so most do not very much offense to the joke.

In The Journal of American Folklore, Judith Kerman explains her take on Polish jokes.  She talks about how the joke has spread, resulting lots of versions.  Such as, “How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?  Only one, but the light bulb must want to change.”  The joke has evolved from being purely ethnic to making fun of the way any group may decide to do something.

I think this is a funny joke, and I find it interesting that folklore such as this spread so rapidly and changes so readily.

Annotation:  Kerman, Judith B.  The Light-Bulb Jokes: American Look at Social Action Processes.  The Journal of American Folklore, Vol.93, No. 370.  Retrieved April 18, 2007 from www.Jstore.com.