“My mom kept me and my sister’s umbilical cord stump and put it together in a box. Apparently this means that we will have a good relationship in the future.”
The informant was born in Taipei, and grew up in Shanghai. The informant’s mother heard this from her mother.
After thoughts:
My informant as a little boy would perform a ritual. The children of the village used to capture and kill a lizard. Then they would perform a death ceremony. There was about 20 kids involved. They would bury the lizard and start praying.
“Ya hardon eska werka, mertak amya mabti’shd”, which translates to :
All you lizard, please portray good, because your wife is blind and cannot see at times.
They would have sticks and be beating it against the ground while saying the chant. Afterwards they would go home.There was nothing else to do so they created their own rituals.
My informant is an immigrant from Lebanon. He lived in a small town called Yaroun. Hid family was very poor and lived in a rural area. We shared the folklore over some food in his house.
The interesting part of this piece is the creativity children have. They created there own ritual in to keep from boredom. my informant at first did not want to tell this piece of folklore out of embarrassment but eventually gave in.
Kitab- ekteb translates into “to write the book.” It is the agreement in the marriage. It happens in someones house, making it very home-oriented. It is when the Islamic priest, Sheik, comes. The family of the man needs to go to the family of the woman and ask for permission from her father. They ceremony happens either before the wedding ceremony or the day off. The groom and bride read from the Quran. This is to state that “this is the marriage.” After the ritual they are married under Islam. Before the kitab-ekteb the groom is not allowed to touch the bride.
My informant is from a Lebanese family. She is a college student at the California State University Northridge. She is very close with her father, often helping him run the family store. We sat down at a coffee shop to talk about folklore from her family.
I found this interesting because it was different yet similar to the American wedding. The idea that a couple can be wed before the huge wedding ceremony is very interesting. It also hints that sometimes the wedding party is just to show off wealth. I also found it interesting that the ceremony took place in an intimate setting. It really showed how humble and sacred the marriage agreement is.
Informant: Valentina Williamson. 11 years old. Born and raised in Mexico City. My little sister.
Informant: “When the cake comes out at birthday parties everyone sings ‘Las Mañanitas.’ When the song is over, the person blows out the candle. After, we all chant ‘MORDIDA, MORDIDA! (BITE, BITE!) and push the person’s head into the cake!”
Collector: “Why do you push the persons head into the cake??”
Informant: “Because it’s funny! The face is covered in cake and we can’t stop laughing!
Informant:
“Estas son las mañanitas
Que cantaba el rey David
Hoy por ser tu cumpleaños
Te las cantamos a ti!
Despierta, “Nombre”, despierta
Mira que ya amaneció!
Y los pajaritos cantan
Y la luna ya se metio! WOOOOOOO”
(Informant motions as if she pushes a head into the cake)
Translation:
These are the dawns
That king David sang about
Today for being your birthday
We are singing to you!
Wake up, “NAME”, wake up
See that it already dawned
and the little birds are singing
and the moon has already set! WOOOOO”
Thoughts: It is really interesting that the birthday song in Mexico is much more romantic than the “Happy Birthday” song in the United States. In my opinion, this romanization is a direct reflection of the Mexican cultural values. I know that there are some slight variations from the version my sister gave me. Instead of “Hoy por ser tu cumpleaños (Today for being your birthday) some sing “Hoy por ser día de tu santo (Because today is your saint’s day).” The gesture of pushing someone’s head into the cake is something I did as a child too but no longer do it. Certainly, this only tends to happen at children’s parties.
For a full version of the song: “http://www.musica.com/letras.asp?letra=1180983”
Informant: Valentina Williamson. 11 years old. Born and raised in Mexico City. My little sister.
Informant: “On January 6 Los Reyes Magos (The Three Wise Men) arrive! The night before, I leave my shoe next to the window and when I wake up I find a gift in it. It is like a small gift. Like last year I got candy and an iTunes gift card. I love this because I get gifts after Christmas (Informant smiles).”
Collector: “Why do they bring gifts”
Informant: “Emmm…Los Reyes Magos delivered gifts to Jesus when he was born. Los Reyes Magos bring gifts because of that”
Collector: “Do you do anything else to celebrate this day?!”
Informant: “Estem…. La Rosca!! How could I forget?! We usually have a dinner with my friends and family. After dinner, there is a very special dessert called ‘la Rosca de Reyes.’ Sometimes it has pieces of dried fruit in it but I don’t like that one so I make dad buy the other one. So we pass it around and everyone cuts their own piece. There is like a little baby Jesus hidden somewhere. Whoever gets the baby Jesus in their piece has to host a dinner and bring tamales! That person doesn’t really do it but we all them him or her to!”
Thoughts: The Dia de Reyes is very important. Because Mexico is very religious, there is a strong emphasis on celebrating Christ. When I was a little kid, I didn’t get gifts from the wise men as it wasn’t something my parents did. As an older brother, however, I was actually the one who first put the gifts in my sister’s shoe. I wanted her to have the tradition. Since I’m abroad, my parents have kept it and my sister loves it.