Category Archives: general

Escape Room Riddle

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: WN
Performance Date: 4/22/20
Primary Language: English

O: You’re in a room with no escapes. There’s a mirror and a table… What do you do?

A: You use the table to break the window.

O: But there is no window.

A: Then what do you do?

O: You look in the mirror, you see what you saw, you take the saw, cut the table in half, two halves make a whole. You can escape through the hole.

This is definitely one of those riddles where if you know it, you know it. But if you don’t, you’d never guess the right answer even if you tried. You have to have heard the full riddle before to answer it correctly. The solution is not logical at all. It’s filled with double entendres to confuse the other. Which, in turn, determines who “the other” is. Unlike most riddles, this is one that simply cannot be answered. It leaves the audience forever puzzled.

E-Y-E-S Riddle

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: student
Residence: MN
Performance Date: 4/22/20
Primary Language: English

O: What does Y-E-S spell?

A: Yes

O: What does E-Y-E-S spell?

A: Eyes

O: Dammit, you were supposed to say “E-Yes”!
According to the informant, this is one of those riddles that is meant to give the performer a good laugh. From my understanding, the setup is designed to detect the fool. “Eyes” is a seemingly easy word but the moment it’s spelled out for you in the riddle, logic usually goes out of the window. This can make a fool out of even the smartest of us because it’s not really about intellect, it’s about listening.

The Red Paper

Nationality: French
Age: 59
Occupation: n/a
Residence: Guadeloupe
Performance Date: 04/19/20
Primary Language: French
Language: English

There is an old Caribbean myth that says if you write a person’s name on a red paper and stick it in your shoe, they’ll stop giving you trouble.

H: “When someone is causing you trouble you can write their name on a red paper and put it in your shoes. In red ink pen because red represents victory and the blood of Jesus.

H: “Because his blood was shed it symbolizes victory. You walk on the paper and it breaks down negativity. You do this until you see results.”

It’s a way to manipulate the problem in your favor so you can get back on your feet. According to the informant, this myth was passed down from Great grandmothers and Elders and it gives them a sense of protection. This practice is also clearly rooted in religion (Catholicism) which, in itself, provides a sense of security for those who practice it. The red ink and red pen symbolize Jesus’ sacrifice and the victory that followed. But perhaps, this myth compels people to give their problems time to digress which teaches us to pick our battles wisely.

Gaded Zafè

Nationality: French
Age: 59
Occupation: n/a
Residence: Guadeloupe
Performance Date: 04/19/20
Primary Language: French
Language: English

The Caribbean folk custom of seeking guidance with a “Gaded Zafe” has been alive for centuries. The literal translation of the creole term is the “see-er of affairs”. In other words, a clairvoyant. Clairvoyants can see into the lives of their subjects. They are very popular in French Caribes like Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Guyane. It is believed that they can see everything that has happened to you or will happen. During their session, they tend to read cards for their subjects. This is sometimes done with either Tarot cards or playing cards like the ones used in poker.

H: “Gaded zafe tells you about your life. All kinds of life. Love life, future, common life, and past life. You sit in front of them and they get in communication with the spirit world. ”

They are believed to be contacting a Saint. This aligns with catholic religion.

H: “Depending on what is going on, they give you what baths, chapels, and prayers to say and candles to light. These are common people who can be often found at Church.”

The informant mentioned during our interview that most of the time, Clairvoyants are seen by those they know from church. The French Caribbean community is heavily rooted in religion. More specifically, Catholicism. Clairvoyants are believed to have a connection with celestial beings of the spirit world which allows them to have access to greater knowledge. Catholics naturally flock to them in times of need because when they are presented with new information, their guide also gives them a solution whether it be to pray or take a special bath to protect themselves from negativity. This gives the people a sense of security because it reminds them to turn to God when they are presented with situations beyond their control. If we look at the big picture here, sometimes all people need is someone to talk to that they know will actively listen.

Advent

Nationality: American
Age: 59
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Residence: Salt Lake City, UT
Performance Date: April 23, 2020
Primary Language: English
  • Context: The following informant, S, is a 59 yr. old man with three kids and a wife. Though the family does not identify as Christian, they celebrate Christmas and participate in the Christian tradition of Advent. This conversation took place when the informant was asked about any specific family traditions surrounding holidays. 
  • Text:

S: “So… for those who don’t know… Advent is a Christian celebration… uh… I think it’s tied in to the Twelve Days of Christmas too when you add it up, but I could be wrong… I don’t know about that… but, basically it’s the entire month of December it starts on December 1st and the day is December 25th… where you actually don’t get an advent… oh and each day you get a little… a little gift… sort of leading up to Christmas. But on Christmas day, you don’t get a little gift for Advent, you get your Christmas gifts. Um… and that… for me at least, started when I was… well as long as I can remember with my mom. And she would have an Advent calendar and we would open that up and… I think she had clues for us, if I’m not mistaken… and we would go find the little gift. It was was usually like a piece of chocolate for each of the three of us, I had two brothers… uh… nothing big… and maybe on the weekend a toy… but you know, nothing massive.

And that carried over when I first had, at least for me, I don’t know about my brothers, I’m sure it did, knowing my mom… but when I had my first kids, I started to get a box in November… from my mom… around Thanksgiving time… with all of the gifts and clues to go with them for the 24 days leading up to Christmas. So all I had to do was put the clues in the Advent calendar and run the process, and all my kids loved it… well of course my mom passes away a few years ago and… a couple years before that, I think actually, I started doing the clues myself and getting the gifts and what not.

Me: “What are the clues like?”

S: “Well, it’s a shame, I don’t remember what they were like as a kid. But what I do now… um… I either do a little sort of rhyming scheme sort of couplet thing… or I do a riddle… or I do something to do with the number of the day… umm or some combination of that stuff. Plays on words all the time ‘cus that’s sort of riddling. As [my kids] have gotten older I’ve tried to make it a little more challenging to figure out what it is and hidden them a little bit more… they used to be in plain sight way more often than they are now.”

Me: “And is it like each kid gets a clue or…?”

S: “One clue for the three [kids]. And [my kids] actually rotate, [they] decided to go youngest to oldest… uh [the youngest] does the first, [the middle] does the second, [the oldest] does the third and then [they] rotate through. Uhh…”

Me: “Reading the clues?”

S: “Reading the clues out loud. And then everybody… well it depends what kind of mood people are in… some days [my kids] decide to sit and not participate and sulk, but most days all three of [my kids] go and look, and of course mom, when she figures out the clue, can’t hold herself back and has to yell out where it is ‘cus she’s so proud of herself for figuring it out.”

  • Analysis: This version of Advent is similar to other versions I have heard of. Mainly, I have heard of pre-made Advent calendars with chocolates or small gifts inside each day. The main difference between this version of Advent and others is the addition of clues and hiding the presents. This type of Advent is more of a game, that includes riddles and rhyme schemes that lead to the hidden presents. This is the Advent I grew up knowing, and until I began to go over to my friends houses around the holidays I was unaware that Advent was not a game in all other households as well.