Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

“Sampanelli” (Family Recipe)

Age: 20

Text:

“My dad makes sampanelli, which is like an Italian dish, because my grandmother is 100% Italian. So they grew up having a lot of olive oil and vegetables and that type of stuff, but there weren’t that many recipes fully passed down.

My dad doesn’t really cook, like we don’t want him to cook, but one thing he does make is sampanelli, which is kind of disgusting—it’s raw meat, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and like a crepe. The meat is raw—like salted pork—and he makes the crepe himself.

But the funny thing is, we were doing research this year, and I think it’s actually called something else, like “sampanel,” but they just assumed it was sampanelli because they wanted to make it sound Italian.

So now whenever people come over and my dad says, ‘I think I’ll cook,’ we all know what that means.”

Context:

The informant describes a dish made by their father that is understood within the family as an “Italian” recipe connected to their grandmother’s heritage. The dish often in social situations when guests are present. It has become a recognizable and somewhat humorous tradition within the family, especially as her father isn’t much of a cook. The name “sampanelli” is the family interpretation rather than an accurate term, showing how the dish has been adapted and redefined over time. The informant now lives in the US on the east coast with her family.

Analysis:

This is an example of material culture and foodways folklore, where cultural knowledge is expressed through preparation and sharing of food. A key aspect of foodways is its nature of bricolage, where people create tradition by piecing together available ingredients, memories, and cultural influences rather than following a fixed and original recipe. So, even though this recipe may not be authentically or accurately Italian, or prepared as such, it functions as a symbol of heritage and identity within the family.

The uncertainty around the name and origin of the dish demonstrates the variation that occurs in performance and through generations. This highlights how folklore adapts overtime and this doesn’t make the recipe less valid. The family maintains a version that reflects their own understanding of their culture background. It shows that folklore doesn’t need to be historically accurate to have meaning and still functions in preserving their culture.

This dish is also a form of family humor and shared knowledge. When guests come over they are brought into the collective experience of disappointment in the father cooking and therefore join the folk group of the family while present for the event. It is a way for all the bond and constructs an identity through performance and even for those experiencing the performance.

Post-Fast In-N-Out Tradition

Text:

“My tradition is, I’m Coptic Orthodox, which means I’m Egyptian and Christian, and what we do is every Easter, because we fast from meat, we go to In-N-Out every single year, since I was a kid. And we basically get three-by-threes, double-doubles, and we get super fat. And it’s great.”

Context:

The informant is part of the Coptic Orthodox Christian community and describes a yearly tradition that takes place after the Lent fast leading up to Easter. During this period, members abstain from meat and other animal products, making the end of the fast a significant moment of return to those foods.

The informant explains that their family and friends mark this transition by going to In-N-Out every year, a practice that has been repeated since childhood. In-N-Out is a fast food American burger chain in California.

Analysis:

This example is a form of customary folklore, specifically a ritual tied to a religious calendar. While the fast remains part of the formal religious tradition, the act of going to In-N-Out is an informal, family-created practice that builds on that structure in a modern way.

It connects to broader patterns in foodways, particularly the idea that the end of a fast is marked by specific, often indulgent foods. The emphasis on meat-heavy meals also shows the contrast between a period of restriction for religion and belief and then abundance. This is a common feature is post-fast ritual not just in religion but across cultures like body building. In this case, the use of In-N-Out shows how traditional practices adapt to local contexts because it blends religious and cultural identity with American consumer culture.

The repetition of this activity every year also demonstrates how folklore is maintained through ritual. The joking tone of “we get super fat” shows the humor that reinforces the group identity and marks a space where “getting super fat” and breaking all these religious strict rules is not only okay but celebrated by the group. It brings balance to daily life and also provides a safe way to go against the structures of religion. The fast may be over but religion itself is against over indulgence, this space, folk group and the end of the fast, creates the frame to subvert authority while still playing into it.

More broadly, this example shows how folklore can exist at the intersection of religion and informal practices. While the fast is institutionally defined the way it is experienced and celebrated is shaped by peoples everyday choices. Individuals and families can activley participate and create meaningful culture, with similar impacts of a religious fast, within larger systems on their own.

Garlic and Onions as Medicine

Age: 16

Text:

“One weird medicinal thing my parents would do is that even though they were doctors, they’re Romanian, so when we were younger, when we would get sick, they would always tell us to eat garlic and onions, which I think stemmed from the whole vampire Dracula thing, but somehow that was a way to avoid being sick.”

Context:

The informant describes a ritual from childhood in which their parents, both trained doctors, encouraged them to eat garlic and onions when they were sick. This advice was given as a part of everyday care, rather than in a formal medical context. The informant connects this to their Romanian cultural background referencing associations with garlic and onions as protection from things such as vampires.

Analysis:

This example of belief based folklore and foodways, specifically a home remedy that is passed down through cultural tradition. It reflects how folklore and coexist with formal systems of knowledge as the informants parents rely on both their medical training and inherited practices.

The use of garlic and onions as protective or healing substances connects in a widely known way to Vampires. However, this shows how stories and culture spread into each other and affect one another. This connects in a broader context to sympathetic logic where certain foods are believed to have magical qualities. While the information links this to vampires folklore it is also a cultural association around the world between food and health, showing how meanings can overlap across different traditions. Folklore is adapted and changed overtime, its performance and daily practice is what impacts the culture and identity around us.

This example also demonstrates how folklore functions as vernacular knowledge operates outside of institutional authority even when practiced by individuals within those systems. The fact their parents are doctors highlights that belief-based practices are not limited to a lack of scientific knowledge, but instead persist because they are culturally meaningful and familiar.

This example shows how folklore is transmitted within families and adapted into everyday life, shaping how people understand and respond to illness. Even if the reasoning is not fully explained or scientifically grounded, the practice continues because it is part of a shared cultural framework around healing.

Break a Leg

Age: 17

Text:

“I joined theater in high school because of my sister. She did it. And I learned that you should always say ‘break a leg’ instead of ‘good luck,’ because one time I said ‘good luck,’ and the person in the show got kind of, um, angry, and explained to me how that was actually really bad luck. So now I just make sure to always say good luck I guess.”

Analysis:

This example is a form of verbal folklore, specifically a superstitious/customary phrase tied to the performance settings. It reflects a broader theatrical superstition in which saying something positive (good luck) is believed to produce a negative outcome, while saying something negative (break a leg) will bring a good performance.

The moment of correction highlights how folklore is transmitted through informal social interaction, especially within a specific folk group like theatre performers. The informant’s experience shows how members outside of the folk group are socialized into the group norms, learning not just what to say, but what meanings those phrases carry within that context.

This practice also demonstrates how folklore relies on shared belief systems, even if those beliefs are not taken literally. The rule is maintained through repetition and reinforcement by the group, giving it authority within the performance space.

More broadly, this example shows how folklore helps define group boundaries. Knowing to say “break a leg” signals membership and understanding. In this way, the phrase functions not only as a superstition, but also as a marker of identity and belonging within the theatre community.

Paper Origami Fortune Teller

Text:

Paper origami fortune teller (aka cootie catcher) is constructed by folding paper into a four-part interactive game used to reveal fortunes or answers to questions.

Context:

The informant recalls making it in school often during class or breaks with their peers. People would often decorate them and either write fortunes inside or responses. The games could range then depending on what was written. The informant can’t remember who taught them exactly but just that it was most likely another student.

Analysis:

This object is an example of material folklore, as it is a handmade craft that carries traditional knowledge and is transmitted informally within a folk group. However, the significance goes beyond the paper itself as it is nothing without its performance. This reflects how performance is a core aspect of folklore and lives on in our daily lives.

The fortune teller also demonstrates multiplicity in variation as the folding of the structure may be the same but the content can always change depending on the user. This allows for creativity and many variations from group to group. It adapts to new contexts and it much more wildly known because of that as almost everyone in class (while I spoke with my informant) was familiar with this material folklore.

Additionally, it functions within a younger folk group, like middle school, where traditions are usually transmitted peer to peer rather than adult to student. The act of teaching others how to fold and use the fortune teller reinforces the idea of group belonging and shares knowledge. The interactiveness of the object also gives it a play frame where students have created a temporary structural and rule-based system that feels separate from school life.

Lastly, there are aspects of magic and counter culture present as it mimics divination through fortune telling and prediction. Also I recall many times when a teacher would tell us to stop playing with them or confiscate them during class and it was a way to interact with peers and play within the structures of school.