Category Archives: Material

Crush Spoon

Nationality: USA
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/15/21
Primary Language: English

Main Piece

CD used to go to a camp every year in the Midwest when he was in high school. He told us about a tradition at the camp:

“If you had a crush on someone you’d give them a spoon in the dining room. You’d take your spoon and if you were into someone you’d give your spoon to someone and walk away.”

He then told us about something that happened with this tradition and his younger sister:

“My sister’s boyfriend (at the time) gave her a spoon and she kept it. At some point he took it back and fashioned it into a ring or something for her.”

Informant background

CD is a student at the University of Southern California. He is from Zionsville, ID.

Performance context

This story was told during a folklore collection event that I set up with a diversity of members from the USC men’s Ultimate Frisbee team. We were in a classic folklore collection setting: sharing drinks around a campfire, in a free flowing conversation.

Analysis

As young people mature into adults, relationships are one of the most – if not the most – stressful aspects of that transition for many. Having a ritualized tradition like the “crush spoon” may be a way to relieve teenagers of some of the doubt and angst that arises when trying to figure out how to confess your feelings to another person.

Banging on Pots Invites Family Tension Superstition

Nationality: American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Thousand Oaks, CA
Performance Date: April 21, 2020
Primary Language: English

Background: 

My informant, NS, is an eighteen year old student at Tufts University. She was born and raised in Southern California. Her mother was born and raised in the Philippines, and her father is Indian but grew up in Scotland and Southern California. While her mother is the only member of her family to have moved away from the Philippines, much of her father’s family, including his father, siblings, and nieces and nephews, are also in Southern California, meaning lots of family time between NS and her extended family, especially her cousins. Her father’s side of the family continues many traditional Indian and Hindu practices in day to day life, and NS is also greatly influenced by her heritage. (I’ll be referring to myself as SW in the actual performance). 

Performance:

NS: So my mom, when she’s stirring something, a sauce or whatever, she says you should never tap the spoon on the edge of the pot or pan. Apparently it creates some sort of bad energy, like from the friction created, and it basically invites bad spirits into your food. It creates like friction between family or whoever eats it, and creates fights in the family. You’re adding friction to the food, so you’re supposed to use something else to scrape off the extra or whatever. 

SW: Do you know where she heard this?

NS: No, it’s just something she’s always done and believed.

Thoughts: 

I hadn’t heard of this superstition before, but since NS’s mother grew up in the Philippines, I suspected it was because she had picked it up there before coming to the US. I like the literal nature of the superstition, that friction causes friction. I wonder how this superstition came to be, and whether its inception was simply the result of a chef trying to reduce noise in their kitchen. NS’s mother is Catholic, as she was influenced by her surroundings in the Philippines, but things like this show a blurring of lines between religion and spirituality. 

Informant: Shut the box is a game I picked up from a friend. She just liked collecting wooden crafts and games she had in her childhood. I think she had this while in France? It’s been a while since I asked her about it.

Interviewer: Do you remember when she first told you about it?

Informant: I asked her about the game one Thanksgiving because it was out on a counter as one of those party games. It looked like a homemade set, I wanted to know if it was easy to make.

Interviewer: And then she was the one who taught you how to play?

Informant: Yes, it was a long game but a lot of fun.

Interviewer: How do you play it?

Informant: Well, you need 2 dice and the specially designed box. In the box is a row of numbers counting from 1 to 9. The object of the game, as the name suggests, is to shut the box. To accomplish this the player whose turn it is has to roll the dice and add up the dice to get a total. With that number in mind the player has to use the numbers in the box to make that same total, this is indicated by flipping the numbers in the box down. If a player rolls a total they can no longer make with the numbers in the box, that total becomes their score. If a player manages to flip all the numbers in the box down, they have won the game and have the satisfaction of shutting the box. If no one manages to shut the box, the person with the lowest score wins.

Interviewer: Is there a limit to how many people can play?

Informant: No, this game is played one person at a time so as long as everyone is patient you can have as many players as can sit ’round a table.

Background: My informant learned about and how to play this game from a friend on an unspecified Thanksgiving. It is now apparently played every year by both the informant’s friend and herself. It drew attention because it appeared homemade. When asked, the friend allegedly said that it was part of her childhood while growing up in France and wanted to share that memory with her children.

Context: It was a casual interview setting, playing games when the informant’s husband brought this specific game, prompting me to ask about its origin. This specific copy of the game was a handmade set by the informant’s husband.

Thoughts: There is something appealing about the game. There’s definite satisfaction in flipping the tiles down, and even more so when one is lucky enough to shut the box. A lot of the game seems to rely on luck and an understanding of probability.

For more instructions, please see: Allan, Sean. “How to Play Shut The Box: Games Rules, Strategy & Instructions.” SiamMandalay, 25, Sept, 2017.

The Catholic Cross and its Influence

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: California
Performance Date: 4/28/20
Primary Language: English

Abstract:  

Background: H is a student at the University of Southern California who’s experienced this traditional ceremony from her transition into womanhood. She’s lived in California her entire life and is a first-generation American and her family keeps many of their traditions from Mexico alive in her life.  She believes that the way her Quince was conducted is very traditional but also has a few twists that are uncommon to the format. The topic was brought up during lunch while discussing our family roots and how important religion is to their family. 

Interview:

H: Continuing on with the religion in my household above my bed and the bed of parents which is the holy cross which is a great symbol for us especially the religious part. Its another reminder of religion to us and we sometimes pray with them or pray while facing them. 

P: Are they blessed or have you taken them to a church? 

H: Yes, we took them to the church where I was baptized to get them blessed by the priest of the church who is a nice friend of ours, and then we hung them where we did. It’s a nice symbol because it also gives us a lot of hope when we’re down and shows us there are better days ahead, especially during this lockdown. 

Interpretation:

From this, it seems that this cross has the ability to bring families together and connect them through faith almost a magical power. This Folk Item represents the Hispanic ideals of carrying the catholic faith and continuing to practice it even in the home. The fact she mentions they blessed the cross as well shows the blending of a folk item and magic since the blessing requires an enchantment or a prayer to be said to be blessed. This folk item holds a lot of significance since it’s in multiple rooms and it was mentioned that this item is taken down and used when prayers are said especially prayers for a lost one or for one to feel better. This powerful item is a clear part of their family’s traditions and will continue to be for future generations. She also mentioned that the cross in her mother’s room belonged to her great-grandma so it been around for a while.

Fita do Senhor do Bonfim

Nationality: Brazilian
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Florida
Performance Date: 4/22/20
Primary Language: English

Abstract: The incorporation of a bracelet with the magical power to grant wishes to the user who wears it. The bracelet is always decorated a certain color representing a spirit or a feature of Brazil and it always has a catholic prayer or saying listed on the outside of the bracelet. It was made out of cloth and woven together with the phrase placed on top.  The goal was to wrap up the bracelet somewhere on your body and then perform a few steps to ensure your wish comes true.

Background: MC is a Brazilian currently living in Florida and is a student at the University of Southern California. She’s an advocate for Brazilian culture and expresses it by speaking highly of their myths and legends and even partaking in the semi-religious activities such as wearing bracelets with powers to grant wishes to the wearer. She describes one of the few stories heard from parents when she was younger and details it below.

To gain a wish:

MC: First you take the bracelet and you figure out a spot where to tie to your person. 

MC: Next you have to come up with 3 wishes before you start to tie it on.

MC: Now you wrap it around you so, for example, I’m using my ankle and you have to make 3 Knotts with it, each symbolizing your wish and basically knotting it to you so you don’t lose it.

MC: Make sure you say each wish in your head before you start the next Knott and then once it’s tied up you leave it. The bracelet will fall off over time and when it does, your wishes will come true.

Interpretation: 

It interesting to see that the catholic faith has overtaken the traditions and meaning of items in Brazil. An item that grants wishes but has a verse from the Catholic bible written on it is a blend that shows the mix of Brazilian ideals. The idea of tying this to your person could be a way of carrying the faith and trusting in the Catholic God and as time progresses and the bracelet “matures” or gets old, so does your feeling of being used to having the bracelet on you. Shows that you can grow in the faith just like you grew into wearing a bracelet on you. From this burden of having the bracelet and it eventually falling off shows how your bond exceeds that of Knotts and you’re rewarded with having your wishes come true.