Category Archives: general

年年有余 (nian nian you yu)- Chinese Proverb

Text: 年年有余 (nian nian you yu)- which translates to “year after year, may you have abundance in your life”

Informant: “I know this proverb because my mom said it my whole life, it’s like a blessing and we say it for lunar new year. You eat fish when it’s the new year because of the play on words of “yu.” Fish and surplus are both pronounced the same. There’s also rules on how you eat the fish too, you’re not supposed to flip the fish over, if you flip it over, it’s like your ship capsizes. So you eat the top half and then you pull out the bones and then you eat the bottom half.”

Context:

The informant learned this proverb from their mother while growing up in a Chinese household. Their family would say it during Lunar New Year as a blessing for abundance and prosperity, often when serving the traditional New Year fish dish.

Analysis:

This proverb reflects a culture that places deep value on longevity and stability, prioritizing sustained fortune over short-term success. What makes the proverb unique is its wordplay, which allows it to function as a spoken blessing, pun, and ritual. Folk speech and verbal folklore like this is especially common in Chinese culture because the language contains many homophones, so different characters can share the same pronunciation but carry drastically different meanings. Thus, meaning is not only conveyed through definition, but through sound, and language itself can hold symbolic power.

Burning Paper Money- Chinese Ritual

Text:
Informant: “During the New Year or Qingming Jie or the Ghost festival on 7/15, on these three dates we remember our ancestors. When I was young I did this for many years and I still like to do it, although not everyone does it now. We would take yellow paper and hammer coins onto it to make it look like money. My brother and I would go outside into the street and draw a circle on the ground. We put the yellow paper money inside the circle and burn it to memorialize our ancestors and give the money to them. At the end we take one piece of the paper money and put it outside the circle. That is for the little ghosts around, the people who don’t have families. While burning the paper we also say things like, ‘Grandma, Grandpa, we miss you. We hope you have a good life in another world. Hopefully this money can support you.’ And we also say something to the ghost friends so they can enjoy the money too.” My father and mother taught me to do this.”

Interviewer: “Do you still do this?”
Informant: “When I got older people started using printed versions of fake money instead of making it. I did it once in America by the beach but then realized it was against the law. In China, in the south people still do this today, but in the north many places moved the burning to cemeteries because of regulations.”

Interviewer: “Is this something that only kids usually do?”
Informant: “Yes, young kids do it. It’s kind of like a job and part of the culture.”

Context:

The informant learned this ritual from their parents while growing up in China in the 80s and participated in it with their brother during holidays associated with remembering ancestors, including Lunar New Year, Qingming Jie, and the Ghost Festival on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. The informant remembers that during these times it was common to see many families in the neighborhood performing the same practice.

Analysis:

This example is a form of ritual folklore, since it involves a repeated set of symbolic actions performed during specific calendar events. The ritual follows several steps, such as making the paper money, drawing a circle, burning the money inside the circle, and placing one piece outside the circle for wandering spirits. These actions are believed to send resources to ancestors in the spirit world and to acknowledge spirits who do not have families to remember them.

The ritual also reflects cultural values related to ancestor respect and family continuity. Speaking to ancestors while the paper burns creates a moment where the living symbolically communicate with the dead, reinforcing family memory and responsibility across generations. At the same time, the practice shows multiplicity and variation. While the central idea of burning money for ancestors remains consistent, the informant notes that some people now use printed paper money or perform the ritual in different locations due to regulations. Despite these changes, the ritual continues to circulate and remains an important cultural practice for remembering those who have passed.

Paper Stars- Material Culture

Text:

Informant: “I learned how to make paper stars in middle school. You just need a long strip of paper and you create a knot with it, then fold the paper in a specific way following the edges of the knot. Eventually you run out of paper and tuck the end in, and then you puff up the star, which is the most fun part in my opinion. My friend taught me how to make them in my after-school Chinese school class, and she showed everyone there. I still make them occasionally in class or while watching a movie because it gives me something to do with my hands. They’re pretty easy to make and all you need is strips of paper, so it’s very accessible.”

Context: The informant learned how to make these paper stars from a friend during an after-school Chinese school class in middle school. The friend demonstrated the process to multiple students, and the technique spread informally among classmates.

Analysis:

Material folklore like paper stars are often learned and shared within a social group rather than created by a single individual. In this case, the informant learned how to make the stars from a friend in an after-school Chinese school class, and that friend taught the rest of the group as well. This shows how small crafts like this spread through communal creativity, where people learn by watching and teaching each other. The stars are also an example of bricolage, since they are made using simple materials that are already available. Because the craft is easy to learn, requires almost no materials, and can be done casually while sitting in class or watching a movie, it continues to circulate informally as people pass the skill along to others.

Star light, star bright….- Verbal Folklore/Ritual

Text: “Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish, I wish tonight”

Informant: “So mine was about how to make a wish by wishing on the first star. You’d say, ‘Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight,’ and then you’d say the wish in your head. You couldn’t tell anyone what it was or it wouldn’t come true. I honestly don’t know how I learned it. It might have been from preschool or from my mom, but I remember doing it when I was really young. Whenever I saw a star, I’d say the little chant or rhyme out loud and then make the wish.”

Interviewer: “Would you go out of your way to do this, or was it just whenever you happened to see a star?”

Informant: “It was usually just whenever I saw a star, and it had to be the first star I saw that night. Then I’d make the wish. But if I had a really important wish, I might try to look for a star. Usually though I wouldn’t remember to do that, so it was mostly just if I happened to see one. I’d think, ‘Oh, the first star I see tonight,’ and then say the rhyme.”

Interviewer: “Were you alone when you did this?”

Informant: “No. I vividly remember one time I was at a grocery store with my mom and we were walking in. I saw a star and said the rhyme right there. That’s the one time I clearly remember doing it. Maybe you were supposed to do it alone, but I never really did. My mom mostly looked at me like I was crazy when I did it, like ‘What are you doing?’ But I think I ended up teaching it to my little sister.”

Context:

The informant remembers learning this wishing rhyme when they were very young, possibly from preschool or from their mother. They recalled using the rhyme during childhood whenever they happened to see the first star at night and later teaching it to their younger sister.

Analysis:

The rhyme reflects a common cultural belief that wishes can be influenced by specific actions or conditions. The requirement to see the first star, speak the rhyme, and keep the wish secret creates a small ritual that gives structure to the act of wishing. For children especially, these steps make the wish feel more meaningful and possible, providing a sense of hope and imagination. The informant later teaching the rhyme to their younger sister demonstrates how these traditions are passed through families, showing how folklore helps preserve small moments of childhood belief and wonder across generations.

Breaking a coconut for new beginnings- Superstition

Text:
Informant: “If you get a new car or you’re starting something new, you’re supposed to crack a coconut in front of it. For example, when my brother opened a new office he broke a coconut in front of the building. The shell is supposed to represent your ego and past karma, and the white part inside represents purity and your inner self, so then breaking the coconut represents breaking the ego and starting fresh. It’s symbolic, like a sacrifice. In India the coconut is also known as God’s fruit.”

Interviewer: “When was the first time you saw this done?”
Informant: “The first time was when we got a new car when I was seven or eight. My dad broke a coconut in front of the car. After that we did it for every car we’ve gotten.”

Interviewer: “Is this common where you’re from?”
Informant: “Yes, everyone I know back home in India does it. It’s very common. Even people who move abroad still do it usually when buying something important or starting something new, like a car, a business, or another new beginning.”

Context:

The informant is from India and first witnessed the ritual when their father broke a coconut in front of their family’s new car when the informant was about seven or eight years old. Since then, the informant’s family has repeated the practice whenever they purchase a new car. The informant explained that the ritual is widely practiced in India and is still performed by many people who move abroad, especially when starting something significant like a business or purchasing a vehicle.

Analysis:

This example reflects a superstitious ritual connected to ideas of luck, protection, and new beginnings. The act of breaking the coconut is believed to symbolically remove obstacles or negative karma before starting something important. Like many superstitions, the practice is performed at specific moments of transition, such as purchasing a car or opening a business.

While the specific practice described here involves breaking a coconut in India, many cultures have similar rituals that serve the same symbolic purpose of blessing a new beginning. For example, ships are often christened by breaking a bottle of champagne on the hull before their first voyage, and in Chinese traditions there are various house-blessing practices, such as boiling water when moving into a new home. The specific actions vary across cultures, but the underlying idea remain the same. Taking a functionalist lens, we can interpret these moments as uncertain and carrying a lot of anxiety and tension, so ritual actions help people feel that they are beginning a new venture with good fortune/protection.