Category Archives: Customs

Customs, conventions, and traditions of a group

Chinese New Year’s Red Envelope

Folklore:
Giving red envelopes of money to members of the family until they get married at Chinese New Years.

Context:
The informant is a Chinese American student at USC. She described the practice and noted how the rule of marriage being the end marker of the tradition was a variation she noticed through her experience. The extra money helped with people still not married or able to comfortably give out the red envelopes by themselves. The informant noted how it tied into a larger normal of giving money as a gift on all occasions and presents were rarely specific items. Finding money is able to better support them and prevent negative outcomes such as embarrassment of not liking the gift and returning it.

Analysis:
The folklore reflects a larger value of caring and supporting the members of their greater family. The money allows for the most function to the receiver and prevent emotionally negative outcomes from lack of knowledge. The tradition of money also allows for the support of each members needs and not just the wants that giving a particular gift might not be able to address.

The Knock on the Window

One day, a girl named AM moved into a new hometown called Wasco, CA, with her family. It was the early months of 2016, and AM was about 9 years old at the time they moved. Her family did not have any previous connection to this town, so they were unaware of the stories that were talked about among the residents. This house was slightly small for this family, making AM and some of her siblings share a room. The first night in this house, AM and her siblings heard some knocking on the window. They believed it was just the house making noise, ignoring the knocking as it continued. This knocking then continued for months, making it a normal occurrence to hear in the house. One night, AM stayed alone in her room due to her siblings staying the night at a family member’s house. This night, as every other night, she heard the knocking noise on the window. Finally, after being annoyed by the noise for the night, AM went to check her window. As she opened the window up, AM saw a figure almost jump out from the window and run away. This sight filled AM with fear, and eventually caused her to tell her family. In response, the family called a priest to enter the house and preform an exorcism on the house. The following nights, AM never heard the knocking on her window again.

AM truly believes she came into contact with a spirit. Although she was slightly younger when she encountered this spirit, she holds strong on the idea that it was real. AM also believes that the spirit wasn’t necessarily an evil spirit since there was no indication it wanted to harm her. She felt more irritated by the presence than fearful.

This spirit did not seem like it was harmful in any type of way. This spirit looked as if it was maybe just trapped inside the residence and wanted a way out. Personally, I believe the story could be true, but since AM was very young, there is much skepticism. Also, AM was alone at the time, but the priest being a part of the story changes the narrative extremely. Since the knocking stopped after the priest performed the exorcism, there is an extremely large chance there may have been a spirit within the residence.

Speaking with the Dead

Age: 52

Context

This story was told to me over call while I was catching up with my family. I received it from my father, who used to live in rural Korea before moving to the US for education and work. He stated that the region was naturally superstitious and strongly spiritual, and many other ghost stories populated the area. Because it was conducted over call and not a formal interview, the story is written here more as a stream-of-thought.

The Story

When I was young, your grandfather passed away from a motorcycle accident. I was only just entering high school when it happened. In the time after, all of the members of my family had mysterious encounters, like voices and strange dreams with your grandfather. I think it was because he had an improper death because he died so young. Eventually, when I left to study abroad in Australia, your grandmother and my siblings in Korea visited some sort of mystic, I think he was a shaman. Buddhism was very strong in my village. He set up a pig’s head on a spike, and then shoved belongings of your grandfather up its nostrils. Then, he began shaking, and when he stopped, his entire demeanor had changed. He was talking differently, moving differently; I think he was channeling the ghost of my father. He said that he was cold, so cold. He asked for his coat to fight the cold and his notebook that he carried around with him everywhere in life. We threw them into the fire, and the spirit left the shaman. After that, we never had any of those strange dreams or encounters again.

The Informant’s Thoughts

My father believed that the shaman was being possessed by the ghost of his father. The fact that because the shaman’s demeanor shifted so much and that he requested very specific things from his life, there was definitely a link between the shaman and the world of the dead. He did mention that he was not there for the ritual himself, but heard of it through his relatives and vicariously experienced it.

My Thoughts

I found this to be a fascinating example of spirit possession and using mediums to speak to the dead. It reflects other Korean traditions where the spirits of great generals are invoked by shamans through ritual. In both, the shaman exhibits the personality of the person they are possessed by, seemingly transforming into another person entirely. The use of items connected to the person to connect with them also reminded me of voodoo magic, where related items can connect two disparate things. The idea of improper death also appeared, which made sense to me personally, as I remembered hearing about his passing at the time and feeling that it was all too abrupt and not a true ending.

“Sampanelli” (Family Recipe)

Age: 20

Text:

“My dad makes sampanelli, which is like an Italian dish, because my grandmother is 100% Italian. So they grew up having a lot of olive oil and vegetables and that type of stuff, but there weren’t that many recipes fully passed down.

My dad doesn’t really cook, like we don’t want him to cook, but one thing he does make is sampanelli, which is kind of disgusting—it’s raw meat, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and like a crepe. The meat is raw—like salted pork—and he makes the crepe himself.

But the funny thing is, we were doing research this year, and I think it’s actually called something else, like “sampanel,” but they just assumed it was sampanelli because they wanted to make it sound Italian.

So now whenever people come over and my dad says, ‘I think I’ll cook,’ we all know what that means.”

Context:

The informant describes a dish made by their father that is understood within the family as an “Italian” recipe connected to their grandmother’s heritage. The dish often in social situations when guests are present. It has become a recognizable and somewhat humorous tradition within the family, especially as her father isn’t much of a cook. The name “sampanelli” is the family interpretation rather than an accurate term, showing how the dish has been adapted and redefined over time. The informant now lives in the US on the east coast with her family.

Analysis:

This is an example of material culture and foodways folklore, where cultural knowledge is expressed through preparation and sharing of food. A key aspect of foodways is its nature of bricolage, where people create tradition by piecing together available ingredients, memories, and cultural influences rather than following a fixed and original recipe. So, even though this recipe may not be authentically or accurately Italian, or prepared as such, it functions as a symbol of heritage and identity within the family.

The uncertainty around the name and origin of the dish demonstrates the variation that occurs in performance and through generations. This highlights how folklore adapts overtime and this doesn’t make the recipe less valid. The family maintains a version that reflects their own understanding of their culture background. It shows that folklore doesn’t need to be historically accurate to have meaning and still functions in preserving their culture.

This dish is also a form of family humor and shared knowledge. When guests come over they are brought into the collective experience of disappointment in the father cooking and therefore join the folk group of the family while present for the event. It is a way for all the bond and constructs an identity through performance and even for those experiencing the performance.

Break a Leg

Age: 17

Text:

“I joined theater in high school because of my sister. She did it. And I learned that you should always say ‘break a leg’ instead of ‘good luck,’ because one time I said ‘good luck,’ and the person in the show got kind of, um, angry, and explained to me how that was actually really bad luck. So now I just make sure to always say good luck I guess.”

Analysis:

This example is a form of verbal folklore, specifically a superstitious/customary phrase tied to the performance settings. It reflects a broader theatrical superstition in which saying something positive (good luck) is believed to produce a negative outcome, while saying something negative (break a leg) will bring a good performance.

The moment of correction highlights how folklore is transmitted through informal social interaction, especially within a specific folk group like theatre performers. The informant’s experience shows how members outside of the folk group are socialized into the group norms, learning not just what to say, but what meanings those phrases carry within that context.

This practice also demonstrates how folklore relies on shared belief systems, even if those beliefs are not taken literally. The rule is maintained through repetition and reinforcement by the group, giving it authority within the performance space.

More broadly, this example shows how folklore helps define group boundaries. Knowing to say “break a leg” signals membership and understanding. In this way, the phrase functions not only as a superstition, but also as a marker of identity and belonging within the theatre community.