Category Archives: general

The Woman with the Braid

Age: 19

Background: As we sat in the middle of McDonald’s on Figueroa, I turned to my friend and asked if she had any ghost stories of her own. She let me know she had multiple, so I asked for the one she deemed most interesting, which led to this conversation.

ES: One night I’m walking down the hall of my house, and I pointed out to the end of the hall and asked my mom, “Who’s that?”

And my mom asked, “What are you talking about?”

And I was like “Who is the lady at the end of the hall?”

And my mom was like, “There’s nobody there,” and asked, “Describe her to me.”

And I said, “It’s a lady with long gray hair and a braid, and she’s saying hi to me.” And obviously, my mom freaked out because there was nobody there. She tried to figure out who it could’ve possibly been and then the next morning my dad got a phone call that his grandma had passed away in her sleep, and she always wore her hair down but when she slept, she put her hair in a braid. And so then my mom realized that was her. Coming to visit us…

Interviewer: Before she passed away?

ES: No, after she passed away.

Interviewer: But you guys weren’t aware that she had passed away when she visited?

ES: No, we didn’t know.

Interviewer: That’s interesting. Do you think that strengthened your belief or was your belief already there? Like how did that affect your belief?

ES: I was too young, but I think hearing that story as I grew up and hearing my mom say [I”ve] always had a strong connection to [my] loved ones who have passed has definitely strengthened my belief and understanding of…

Interviewer: Ghosts? Spirits?

ES: Yeah.

My thoughts: I’m still not convinced that ghosts are real; however, there didn’t seem to be a reasonable explanation for what she saw other than her great-grandma. Also, the fact that she received this information the day after, and the detail of the braid, do grant this story some credibility.

The mysterious arm

Age: 19
Language: Spanish and English

Background: I went to McDonald’s with two of my friends and asked them both if they had any ghost stories to share. AH told me that coming from a Mexican background, she was raised very in tune with ghost culture, and personal experiences only strengthened her belief. I asked her to share the one she considered most influential in her beliefs.

AH: So when I was a little girl, I always felt like very superstitious about stuff. I don’t know why, like, paranormal activity, but specifically, there’s one thing I felt, like, really creepy … I had never felt something like that in my life before.

So I used to live in, like, the back of, like, this house in the studio, so it was just one bedroom, one living room, and the kitchen and bathroom, which were, like, the tiniest little things ever. 
And then me and my brother slept in the, in the bedroom, but it was like the front door. So where the bedroom was, the front door was. And then the living room was where my parents slept.

I always had my mom sleep with me because I was so scared of, like, living there. I always thought something was outside the house, because you could hear everything, like, it was so creepy. I was, like, 7 years old, so I was still a grown ass kid, sleeping with my mother. because I was scared. 
But then one night, I was, like, having this dream. About, like, my dead great grandparents for some reason. And then I woke up and I was like, what the fuck?

Like, I had never met them in my whole entire life, ever. I don’t know what they look like. I don’t know anything. But I knew it was them because they were with my, like, my grandpa and grandma. 
And then I wake up like, what the fuck? And then I noticed it was just my brother next to me and I was okay. So I went back to sleep, and as I was sleeping, I felt like something, like grab me, like hold me. It was like freaky. Like [as] if it was hugging me. I don’t know, but then [] I woke up and nobody was near me. Like, my brother had gone on top of the bed because we used to sleep on the floor.

So our brother had gone to on the bed at some point in the night. 
So…it just felt like this [] pressure feeling, like, going all around me and I couldn’t move. It was crazy, and I was like, Ghost? But I don’t know. 
But I think it was my great, my great grandparents, like, specifically my grandma, ’cause it was, like, during the anniversary of her upper death.

Interviewer: When did this happen?

AH: …Near the anniversary of when my grandmother died. It was around my brother’s birthday so somewhere in January. That’s pretty much it, but there’s so much more stories I can tell you, but they’re not my personal stories.

Interviewer’s Thoughts: I’m not sure if I believe in ghosts yet, especially since this could’ve been caused by sleep paralysis or other sleep conditions. However, I do think the timing that this occured in is interesting. Seeing her great grandparents in the dream before later realizing it was the anniversary of her grandmother’s death does lean in favor of this being a potential ghost.

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.