Category Archives: general

Ukrainian WW2 Joke

Nationality: Canadian
Age: 70
Occupation: CEO
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 05/2/2021
Primary Language: English

Informant’s Background:

The informant, in this case, is my father, F, who was a first generation immigrant born to an Ukrainian/Scottish family in Canada in 1950. His family was poor and working class, and he lived in Canada for many years before attending schools in England, and eventually moving back to Canada before moving with my mother to Los Angeles, in the United States, so she could take a job as a university professor. My brother and I were born a few years after.

Context:

My father told me this joke at dinner once. He asked me if I wanted to hear a Ukrainian joke and I said sure.

Performance:

F: “You are a Ukrainian soldier in the trenches, the Germans coming from one side, the Russians from the other. Who do you shoot first?
Answer:  The German.  Business before pleasure.”

Thoughts:

I think this is probably considered an offensive joke. It has a certain historical context, I suppose, but my father never provided any of his own thoughts on the joke, so all I can really do is to provide the joke in it’s original form. I do not think my father learned this joke from his father, I think he probably picked it up somewhere later in life. I tried to search online for traces of this joke, and I was able to find it but with the Ukrainian soldier replaced with a Polish one, so I guess it is re-told in that way and adopted by different cultures with a similar wartime history.

“Ära hõiska enne õhtut.” – Estonian Proverb

Nationality: Estonian/Canadian
Age: 68
Occupation: University Professor
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 5/2/2021
Primary Language: English
Language: Estonian

Informant’s Background:

The informant, in this case, is my mother, M, who was a first generation immigrant born to an Estonian family in the North-East of Canada. Her family had escaped from occupied Estonia, and had settled in Canada before she was born. She moved with my father to Los Angeles, in the United States, to take a job as a university professor. My brother and I were born a few years after.

Context:

I mentioned collecting folklore to my mother, who I regularly call on the phone now that I have moved out of our house, and she told me that she wanted to help. I told her yes, and she emailed me the following.

Translation:

  • Original: “Ära hõiska enne õhtut.”
  • Translation: Don’t shout for joy before night.

Informant’s Explanation:

M: “This means not to celebrate good fortune too soon; there are many ways things can go wrong; wait until you are sure. Until then, keep that icy face.”

Informant’s Thoughts: 

M: “This speaks to the Estonian temperament, which is the product of centuries of hardship and a cold northern climate. Estonians are a “glass half-full” kind of people; they are naturally pessimistic, always seeing or fearing trouble on the horizon. This is understandable, but I disagree. When you have good fortune, you should rejoice. You can rejoice without taking it for granted, without counting your chickens before they hatch (to quote another proverb). “

Thoughts:

I think my mother did a good job of explaining this one. Her comparison to the English proverb “don’t count your chickens before they hatch”, is a very good comparison as the two proverbs essentially carry the same meaning, although the message is conveyed through different imagery. Furthermore, I think that the night takes on a different meaning in colder climates, such as that of Estonia, where nightfall can actually be a dangerous and bleak time due to the cold.

Persian Sugar Rubbing Ceremony

Nationality: Persian
Age: 42
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Residence: Vancouver, Canada
Performance Date: 3/12/2021
Primary Language: English
Language: Farsi

Informant’s Background:

The informant is my (not-blood-related) aunt, who married my uncle on my Dad’s side. She is from Iran, and moved to Canada a few years before marrying my uncle. They had a traditional Persian wedding.

Context:

My uncle and aunt were visiting us, and so I asked my aunt about a particular tradition I saw practiced at their wedding.

Performance:

AN: “Ah, yes. At the wedding we grind sugar cones together and put it over the white sheet that’s held over the bride and groom’s head as a symbol of them having a sweet life together for the rest of their lives.”

Thoughts:

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to ask many questions as it was a busy day, but the ritual seems in-line with many wedding rituals, in that it is good-spirited, and intended to bring joy and happiness to the newly wedded couple.

The Archer and the Oil Merchant – Chinese Tale

Nationality: Asian American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Jose, California
Performance Date: 04/20/2021
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin, Spanish

Context: I call my best friend from high school (AL) almost every day. We are really close since we are both going to the same college and share many interests. I collected this tale from one of our calls when I asked him if he knew any Chinese tales. 

Story: 

AL: “This tale is one that my mom used to tell me all the time when I was young. There once was a very famous archer in China, who could consistently land nine out of ten shots on target. His skill with the bow drew the attention of the emperor, who was very impressed and made him a high-ranking General. People would come to see him practice all the time, and the crowd would clap and cheer him on. One day, he noticed that an old oil merchant did not cheer or clap for him, and was the only one that remained indifferent in the crowd. Curious and a little insulted, he confronted the old man and asked him why he did not clap for him and find his skills impressive. The old man replied and said that there was nothing very impressive about the archer’s skills. To prove his point, the old man brought out a Calabash and placed a copper coin over it, aligning the hole of the gourd with the hole in the center of the coin. He began to pour a whole jar of oil into the Cabalash without spilling a single drop. The archer was impressed and humbled, and the oil merchant said that there was nothing impressive about the skills gained from hard work because every person is able to work hard.”

Background: My friend heard this story from his mom, who used it to tell him that everyone works hard and that there will always be someone out there who is more skilled than you are. My friend thinks of the tale as a reminder to stay modest and uses it to remind himself that anything can be achieved if he works hard. The Cabalash is a Chinese gourd that has a very small opening, and Ancient Chinese copper coins had a hole in the middle, so the part about the old man serves to show that he is just as skilled, if not more skilled, than the archer.

Thoughts: I thought the lesson that the tale aims to teach was very similar to other Chinese stories. One example can be seen from the legend my mom told me about Li Bai where he sees an old woman grinding a metal rod into a sewing needle, and learns the lesson of anything being possible through perseverance. This also offers insight into Chinese values as traditionally they believe that being hardworking is something that everyone should strive towards. 

Vampire’s Favorite Drink – Korean Joke

Nationality: Asian American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Santa Barbara, California
Performance Date: 03/24/2021
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin, Korean

Context: I went over to my friend, JK’s, place in Santa Barbara, and we went out for lunch and talked about what we did over Chinese New Year. I asked him if he knew why people wear red and make so much noise over Chinese New Year, and he told me a myth explaining the reasoning behind these things. I also asked him if he knew any jokes, and he told me a joke that his Dad likes to tell people.  

Story: 

JK: “What is a vampire’s favorite drink in the morning?”

Me: “What is it?”

JK: “코피 (Kopi)” *grins*

Background: This joke is one that JK says is a dad joke and one that his own father uses frequently on people. The word for “blood” in Korean is 피 (pi), and 코 (ko) in Korean means “nose”. Since vampires drink blood, their favorite drink would be from a bloody nose. However, when you put 코 (nose) and 피 (blood) together in Korean, it sounds like kopi (coffee) in English, which is the punchline of the joke.