Category Archives: Material

Birthday Cake Tradition

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“In my family, we take birthdays seriously. One of the birthday traditions we never break, is that the birthday person must always take the first slice of cake. If they don’t, they will get bad luck. I don’t believe this is just a tradition within my own family however we never break it. When I overhear the birthday person say “I dont want cake”, I always make sure to explain to them that they have to take the first bite. I really don’t know how much I believe in that rule, but it is easier to take a bite of the first slice, than deal with the stress that I will get bad luck”

Context

My informant grew up in Miami in a family that takes birthdays very seriously. One unbreakable rule at every birthday is that the person celebrating has to take the first slice of cake, if they don’t, it’s bad luck. She doesn’t think the tradition is unique to her family, and she enforces it herself, stepping in to remind the birthday person of the rule whenever they try to pass on cake.

Analysis

The rule that her family practices is simple, but the logic behind it is a great representation of folk belief: the person being celebrated has to actively participate in their own celebration. The cake is symbolically for the birthday person, and refusing the first piece is a way of refusing the celebration itself, which folk belief treats as inviting bad luck for the year ahead. The informant’s role as enforcer is also very important to the passing of traditions. She doesn’t just follow the rule herself, she makes sure other people follow it too, even when they’re not part of her family. That kind of active transmission is how folk belief spreads beyond its original household. Additionally, the fact that she was unsure about whether it’s specifically her family’s tradition or a more widespread one is also typical of folklore because many people assume their family customs are universal until they encounter someone who doesn’t share them.

Russian New Year

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“My family is Russian, and every year and New Year’s we write a wish on a small piece of paper burn it with a candle. Drop the ashes into a glass of champagne and drink it while the clock strikes midnight. This has always been a tradition but I had not started doing it until I turned 18”

Context

My informant comes from a Russian family who has performed this New Year’s ritual every year for as long as she can remember. The whole family takes part. Each person writes their own wish on a small piece of paper, burns it with a candle, drops the ashes into their glass of champagne, and drinks it as the clock strikes midnight. She says it’s something everyone in Russia does, and her family has continued the practice in the U.S.

Analysis

This is aa example of Russian New Year’s folklore, and similarly to a lot of calendar customs, it compresses a symbolic action into a very short window of time. The ritual has to happen exactly at midnight and that precision is part of what gives it power. The transition from one year to the next is a liminal moment, a brief threshold when folk belief across many cultures imagines the boundary between worlds. The chimes of the clock essentially open a window, and the ritual has to be completed while that window is open.

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

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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

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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.