Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

Japanese Monkey Proverb

Nationality: Chinese, Japanese
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: April 2, 2017
Primary Language: Japanese
Language: English

My friend and I got to one of our classes early. While we waited I asked her if she knew any folklore. She happily gave me a legend about the Mid-Autumn Festival. She also gave me two proverbs. Here is the first:

“さるも　き　から　おちる (saru mo ki kara ochiru).” translates to “Even monkeys fall from trees.”

I asked her what the proverb meant, here is what she said:

“Well, ‘Even monkeys fall from trees’ is a really famous Japanese proverb. I’ve heard it from pretty much every person of my dad’s side of the family… its like basically saying even the best will fail. So like during my family game nights, my mom usually dominates trivia but sometimes if my dad wins, which rarely happens, he’ll say the proverb to my mom just as a reminder that she’s still better than him at trivia, it was probably just an off day. So, yeah… its kind of similar to ‘everyone makes mistakes’ but not quite. I think this proverb is more specific because its like no matter how good you are at something, you can slip, and that’s okay.”

Collector Analysis:

I thought this was a very beautiful proverb. The message of accepting failure is so important and I think it is a beneficial proverb to grow up hearing because it teaches not to fear failure because it is only natural. So many people think that to be successful means to never fail, but success is measured in the amount of times someone failed and got right back up to try again. This proverb really gets the point across about how natural failing is. I really wish I had grown up hearing this proverb because coming from a family member this proverb is endearing and uplifting. I wonder if other cultures have a similar proverb.

Japanese Frog Proverb

Nationality: Chinese, Japanese
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: April 2, 2017
Primary Language: Japanese
Language: English

My friend and I got to one of our classes early. While we waited I asked her if she knew any folklore. She happily gave me a legend about the Mid-Autumn Festival. She also gave me two proverbs. Here is the second:

“井の中の蛙大海を知らず (I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu)  translates to “A frog in the well doesn’t know the great sea.”

I asked her what the proverb meant, here is what she said:

“I don’t like this one as much as the monkey proverb. I’ve also heard this one less from my dad because I feel like this is a more specific proverb. Like it can only be used in so many different ways. My dad can literally work the Moneky proverb into basically anything. But this proverb is a little harder. I call this one the Frog Proverb, for obvious reasons. Basically, it means you shouldn’t judge because we each have our own narrow experience of the world. The well is the way we see and perceive the world. As much as we like to think we know the great sea because all of our experiences are limited we can’t ever fully perceive and understand the world like others do. Like I said, I’ve only heard it a few times though.”

Collector Analysis:

Firstly, I found it funny that both the proverbs my friend provided for me had to deal with animals. I’m sure Japanese culture is flooded with proverbs, but I find it beyond coincidental that the two Japanese proverbs I collected were animal based. This probably speaks to the emphasis traditional Japanese culture places on nature. Secondly, this proverb has a completely different feel from the monkey proverb. I feel like the monkey proverb is playful, but this proverb sounds more along the lines of sacred knowledge. To me, the frog proverb is depressing. I interpret the frog proverb in the sense that the frog believes he is in the great sea as he only knows the well. He knows no different and he doesn’t know that beyond the horizon lies a vast ocean. So I feel like the frog proverb basically points out everyone’s ignorance by telling us that our idea of the world isn’t close to the actual world at all.

Remedy for Indigestion

Nationality: Hispanic
Age: 52
Occupation: High School Principal
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: April 9, 2017
Primary Language: English

My aunt was helping me learn to drive. During one of our lessons, I remembered what my grandma had done when my younger cousin got sick. I asked my aunt about the remedy and this is what she had to say:

“Do you mean ‘La sobada para el empacho’ (The Remedy for Indigestion)? Your grandma did that on all of us all the time while we were growing up. It really does work, just look at Alex (my younger cousin), he got better didn’t he? What you have to do is… let me think… your grandma will take castor oil and mix it with a spice called ‘brassica nigra’. She place it on a fire and let it sizzle for a while, then she’ll move it onto a pot and let it boil. Then, she’ll add water. Before it begins to boil, she removes the pot from the fire and begins to grind the mixture. She’ll place the pot  back on the fire until the mixture boils, and the water turns as black as coffee. After that’s happened, she’ll add milk to help it cool down. She begins by rubbing castor oil on the hands, elbows, knees, and feet on whoever she’s trying to cure. After she’ll take the mixture and feed the person a spoonful. The rest is used to massage the stomach and intestine area. You let the oils sink in and they should get better. I always did.”

Collector Analysis:

According to my aunt, this is a genuine remedy. She has personally experienced the healing qualities of this remedy. She says that the remedy is for indigestion but also food poisoning, as it helps children release everything they’ve recently eaten. Folk medicine is an interesting category because even modern medicine is based in folklore. I wonder what kind of characteristics the ingredients in this remedy have to offer, or why the remedy even works.  I, personally, have not experienced the remedy because my mother does not believe in it. However, I will say that my younger cousin did get better after my grandma had finished. Coincidence?

Japanese Paper Doll

Nationality: Chinese, Japanese
Age: 18
Occupation: Los Angeles
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: April 2, 2017
Primary Language: English

My friend and I got to one of our classes early. While we waited I asked her if she knew any folklore. She happily gave me a legend about the Mid-Autumn Festival. She also gave me two proverbs. The last piece of folklore she gave me was a tradition she would do with her grandmother:

E: “I remember when I was younger my family and I took frequent trips to Japan. My grandma, who lived in Japan, would take me to a river about 20 minutes from where she lived. We would walk the entire way and talk, it was really nice. She would tell me about how in ancient japan, young girls would fold paper dolls called ‘ohinasama’.  The doll would collect all their bad luck as it would flow into the doll. The girls would then place the dolls in the river and let them float away. With the dolls, the bad luck would flow away too, letting the girls grow healthy and strong. Every time I visited my grandma in Japan, she would take me to do this. She stopped when I was about thirteen.”

Collector Analysis:

My friend expressed that this folk belief was essential for her grandmother’s state of mind. She explained to me how her grandmother had been raised in this tradition, so it was essential that my friend also participate in it. If my friend hadn’t, she said that her grandma would have constantly been worrying over whether or not my friend would grow to be strong and healthy. This tradition was a way of her grandma ensuring that my friend remained strong, healthy, and happy. As superstitious as the tradition may be, I enjoy the meaning behind it. This is a way for mothers or grandmothers to have some peace of mind because to them this is a way of making sure their kids will prosper.

The Rain Song

Nationality: Hispanic
Age: 48
Occupation: Payroll Administrator
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: March 26, 2017
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

At a family dinner, I asked my mom if she could tell me any folklore. She told me the following:

M: “Que llueva, que llueva

La virgen de la cueva,

los pajaritos cantan,

la luna se levanta,

Que si, que no,

Que caiga un chaparrón.”

which translates to:

“Let it rain, let it rain,

The virgin of the cave,

The little birds sing,

The moon rises,

What if, what not,

Let a shower go down.”

Collector Analysis:

The rain song was a song my mom used to sing when she was a little girl. She sang it with a hint of nostalgia in her voice. I’ve heard her sing this song before. Growing up in Los Angeles, I didn’t experience much rain but whenever it rained a lot my mom was always by the window singing this song. It was her way of calling for more rain. As a little girl, she sang this song with her friends from her neighborhood and school. They would hold hands and spin in a circle, very similar to how young kids sing ‘ring around the rosie’. However now, my mom sings this song in an attempt to call down more rain because it reminds her of El Salvador.

I cannot even imagine my mom singing this as a little girl, but at the same time she is very fond of this song. She has taught it to several of the younger kids in our family. I found it interesting how the song incorporates nature, because El Salvador is very rural, as well as including christian images, like the virgin Mary. Even the songs my mom sang as a child were influenced by Christianity in one way or another.