Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Blessing/Poem – Ireland

Nationality: Irish-American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: St. Paul, Minnesota
Performance Date: April 1, 2007
Primary Language: German
Language: English

Gaelic:

Go n-éirí an bóthar leat
Go raibh an ghaoth go brách ag do chúl
Go lonraí an ghrian go te ar d’aghaidh
Go dtite an bháisteach go mín ar do pháirceanna
Agus go mbuailimid le chéile arís,
Go gcoinní Dia i mbos A láimhe thú.

English translation:

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
The sun shine warm upon your face
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

The informant is third generation Irish. He heard many of these traditional Irish folklore genres from his grandmother whose mother came from Ireland, one of twelve kids that was sent to America as a result of the potato famine. He’s seen and heard this prayer “all over the place.” Usually it’d be hung up on ornaments on the door, also used for wedding blessing.

The informant interpreted this blessing within the context of Irish history. Since most of these lines refer to traveling, for example, imagery of nature, the wind, the sun, the rain and the road, he believes the blessing came about as a result of the mass exodus of Irish people from their homeland. Thus, this blessing was probably used numerous times before send offs.

I know I’ve seen this poem/blessing before somewhere, but I never knew it was Irish. This also sounds a lot like something Yeats would write; whom I also did not know was Irish until my informant brought it to my attention. After researching this blessing a bit more, I’ve also realized that a lot of Irish poems start with “may…” and that there are different versions and variations of this same blessing, thus making it Dundes’ definition of a typical folklore.

Etiquette – China

Nationality: Chinese-American
Occupation: Student
Residence: Hacienda Heights, CA
Performance Date: April 15, 2007
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

“When using chopsticks, one must never stick them in one’s bowl or food upright, so that it is perpendicular to the table. This is considered extremely disrespectful.”

I was born in China and imimigrated to the United States with my family when I was in second grade. I’ve been living in the states ever since and while I am ‘American’ in many aspects, I still retain many traditions and cultural ties which makes me uniquely Chinese-American.

As is true with most Asian cultures, respect, honor and ‘saving of face’ is closely associated with etiquette. There are etiquettes for almost everything, a ‘proper’ way to do this and that and table manners are no exception.  One particular table blasphemy I remember from childhood concerns chopstick placement.

There’s a reason why when one walks into chinese restaurants chopsticks are laid flat on the table. In the case of more ‘upscale’ Chinese dining, there are even chopstick stands where one can place their chopsticks so that the tips are slightly elevated from the table. It is considered disrespectful and wrong to stick chopsticks upright in one’s food or rice because this resembles what people would do with incense in front of graves to honor the dead.

Many Asian cultures burn incense at temples as a way to pay respect to the Gods. It is also used to honor the dead. Usually, one would take a burning incense between both palms, bow three times in front of whatever entity, be it a god or the recently deceased, then place the incense upright in a soft mount in front of either a temple, or a grave. Because the notion of sticking chopsticks upright in a ricebowl is so much like the incense procedure, that is why it is frowned upon. In fact, I’ve also heard of cases where people would literally stick chopsticks upright in food to leave food for the dead, so that the spirit can come back and use the chopsticks to eat.

Besides being disrespectful, since it’s almost like playing with food in western cultures, it is outright bad in the sense that it is morbid and associated with death. Especially if one’s dinner host is superstitious, it is best not to do anything crazy with one’s chopsticks.

Folk Belief – American

Age: 53
Occupation: Real Estate Investor
Residence: Laguna Hills, CA
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: English

It is bad luck for whomever you are making a toast if you drink from a cup containing water.

Barry explained to me that it is considered bad luck for someone if you raise your glass filled with water to make a toast on their behalf.  He said that, traditionally, toasts are made using some sort of alcoholic beverage, such as champagne, wine, or a mixed drink.  However, he said that it is perfectly fine for children or those opposed to alcohol to toast using some sort of a soft drink.  The one thing that is not considered good etiquette is to raise a glass filled with water, as many view it as bad luck that you are wishing upon the guest of honor.

Barry remembers learning this superstition from his grandfather at a wedding he attended for his cousin when he was approximately age twelve.  A toast was being made so Barry, being the minor that he was, raised his glass of water in honor of the guest.  His grandfather scolded him for the action as he said it was rude and improper to do such a thing.

Barry said he did not know where the reasoning comes from to support this superstition.  He continued to explain that this, like many superstitions, could have roots stemming back hundreds of years that help clarify the reason this superstition exists.

Doing some research after the interview, I discovered that this superstition comes from the United States of America’s Navy.  The reasoning they use to support this superstition is that toasting with a glass of water is essentially dooming the person to be honored to a watery grave.  Now after knowing this it is much more understandable.  People in the navy spend large amounts of time on the water, so it would be bad to toast with something that could end one of their lives at any moment.  I have not been able to ask Barry since the interview if his grandfather was in the Navy or not.

I found this superstition at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toast_%28honor%29#Beverage_choice

Joke – United Kingdom

Nationality: Chinese-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: England
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: English

Two Englishmen, two Welshmen, two Irishmen, and two Scotts are left stranded on an island after their cruise has crashed. After two days, the two Welshmen started a choir, the Scotts built a distiller, the two Irishmen were still fighting on the beach, and the Englishmen were still waiting to be formally introduced.

My informant is a 19-year-old boy who came here from the UK for college. After he told me this joke, I obviously did not understand it because I have lived in America for all of my life. I asked him to explain it. He said that this is actually not a great joke but that everyone who has lived in the UK would get the joke immediately. I asked him where he heard it from and he said that one of his father’s co-workers in England taught him the joke. He said the setting was during a dinner that included his father and his father’s friends. My informant had tagged along to dinner with his father and they were all just talking and socializing.

This joke is merely another reinforcement of stereotypes in Europe. The Scottish are known for drinking, the Irish are known for fighting, and the Welsh are known as sissies and the finally, the English are known as snobs. My informant says that although he did not burst out laughing at the joke, he did find it amusing. In addition, the people at the table all had a good laugh over the joke. It was told in good fun and it was a nice way to break the ice.

Superstition – Chinese

Nationality: Taiwanese-American
Age: 27
Occupation: Therapist
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: May 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Taiwanese

Not finishing every grain of rice will result in not finding a husband.

Christina’s parents and grandparents moved over from Taiwan to Los Angeles and brought over many superstitions to pass on.  Even though Christina was born in the United States, she is still acquainted with these superstitions and follows it in front of her family.  At the dinner table, she remembers that she could not leave the table until she finished every single grain of rice in her rice bowl.  If she did not, then her mother would always say that she would not be able to find a husband in the future.  Christina also recalls being a particularly picky eater; she proved her mother wrong when she got married, despite the fact that she did not always finish her rice.  Christina simply thinks that this superstition was a tactic for her parents to make her eat more and to not be wasteful with her food, but does not think that it is true.

This approach toward Chinese superstitions shows that the second-generation children do not fully understand and accept their parents’ beliefs.  This is very common with the “Americanized” children who think that the parents make up beliefs to get their way.  However, this superstition can be explained in two ways.  First, each grain of rice in the bowl can be symbolic of the selection of husbands in the future.  When one is picky about which person, then one will never find a suitable husband.  Second, the Chinese like to be frugal and to not throw away leftovers.  In this manner, the idea of wasting the rice in the bowl is equivalent to not being a good wife.  Therefore, a husband will never come.  Regardless of the origin of this superstition, this belief focuses more on the values of the Chinese culture. If one does not find a good husband, it is equivalent to having bad luck, emphasizing the value that the Chinese puts on a good husband and family.  This superstition points out that the Chinese Americans do not always accept the beliefs of their culture, as well as the importance of a husband to a young woman.