Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

Bloody Mary

Nationality: Irish-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Denver, CO
Performance Date: 18 April 2016
Primary Language: English

Bloody Mary

 

Informant:

H.C.  is a first-year student at USC studying in Annenberg. Haley grew up in Denver Colorado and is familiar with certain Colorado legends. She also has an important and unique point of view, since she is a Millennial, which seems to be the most “out-there” and transformative generation we have seen thus far. Because of this, H.C. is a perfect informant, as she holds a modern and up-to-date perspective. All interviews were held in a study-room on campus.

Folklore:

“There was this super weird rumor when I was in elementary school regarding ‘Bloody Mary.’ Basically, there was this legend that if you go in the girls’ bathroom and turn off the lights and then face the mirror, and say something like ‘Bloody Mary, cross my heart and hope to die,’ a certain amount of times, the Virgin Mary herself would, like, appear in the mirror in Blood or something like that. Obviously, I never saw anything. But me and my friends would fib and say that we always saw it! And everyone in my class would do the same. It was pretty childish.”

Analysis: When I grew up, I experienced something similar. I think it was more inclined to girls, as the rumor I heard also revolved around the girls’ bathroom. Upon further research in addition to class discussion, it seems that this folklore arrived from girls’ transition into womanhood and experiencing menstruation for the first time. Hence, “Bloody Mary” and the rumor taking place in the girls’ restroom. We can see this old phenomenon present in cultural folklore today in addition to popular mediums such as television and movies.

Noodles for your Birthday

Nationality: Filipino-American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Performance Date: 4/25/2016
Primary Language: English
  1. “So on our birthdays we eat noodles because we believe that they’ll give us log life. Ya. It’s not like my family thinks if we don’t eat it we’re going to die sooner. It’s just that we’ve been doing it for so long we just keep doing it again.”
  • She knows it because she’s Filipino and it’s part of Filipino culture
  • She learned it from her family who practices this tradition and passed it on to her and her sisters
  • It’s just supposed to mean that eating noodles will give you long life if eaten on a birthday
  • Context of performance: we were just discussing various types of family traditions and culture
  • I think it makes a lot of sense, the idea of noodles representing longevity. Noodles are typically long, smooth, and consistent which would be the ideal type of life to lead as you grow. I just don’t know how I feel about the consumption of those noodles leading to long life, however. I don’t feel as if there would be any specific benefit to eating those noodles however there’s not really another way to connect with a symbol that’s a food besides eating it. I think it’s possible that they hope by consuming that food they are giving themselves the opportunity to be able to reflect the qualities of the noodles which they want to be representative of their lives.

 

How to get that Snow Day

Nationality: Korean-American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/26/2016
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean
  1. “In Maine, right before a potential snow day, students, before going to bed, will wear their pajamas inside out, put spoon in the freezer, and put an ice cube A SINGLE ICE CUBE in the toilet. They have no idea why They do this. The only thing we know is that they’re supposed to do whatever they can to increase the possibility of a snow day”
  • She knows this because her little sister, at one point, lived in Maine and it just sounded entertaining
  • She learned it from her little sister who learned it from fellow students who were trying to introduce her to Maine culture
  • It doesn’t really have a meaning. It’s just kind of an accepted procedure
  • She and her sister were reminiscing about old times
  • I think it’s hilarious. I think students want to feel like they’re doing something to make a difference in improving the odds of a snow day because who doesn’t love snow days. I’m really curious to why any of those rituals would seem to make a difference. I have heard small variations to this, however. I have heard that you’re supposed to merely turn out the pockets of your pajamas, but not all pajamas have pockets so that might not always work. Also, I asked people from other states if they have any similar rituals or if they have heard of this system, and nobody I have talked to has either heard of it or has anything similar to it.

Wine and Chicken

Nationality: Brazilian
Age: 22
Occupation: EMT
Residence: Rancho Cucamonga, California
Performance Date: 4/25/2016
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish
  1. We did this thing for Christmas or anytime family was together we’d get in line, oldest to youngest, take a sip of wine, make a public wish, and a private wish, then pour the little shot of wine into a chicken that was cooking over the stove. It was a Venezuelan cultural thing we learned from my grandma who has been doing this since she was a child.
  • He knows this because his family still partakes in the tradition
  • He learned it from his parents who picked up the tradition from his grandmother
  • To him and his family it’s an opportunity for them to bond and express their good wishes for each other. However, beyond this, he doesn’t know the significance of the chicken, wine, or wishes. They just do it because that’s how things have been done for the last couple generations.
  • The context of this performance is that we were just talking about interesting traditions around the house that we have experienced.
  • I find this incredibly interesting, however I’m failing to find any connections between the chicken and wine and long life, beyond the idea of the coming together over food a traditional way for family to bond. Perhaps it has to do also with wine being a common Catholic symbol of importance, and when you’re sharing wine with someone it’s representative of being open and friendly with one another.

The Jade Bracelet

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Performance Date: 4/26/2016
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English
  1. My friend when she was little was wearing a jade- a jade bangle on her left wrist I think, and a gold bracelet on the right. Her mom never told me what that meant… or if it had any significance or anything, but she also remembers like, reading a novel and- with a Chinese American protagonist and it said… it’s suppose to bring wealth to the child in the future. And you have to like take off the bangle… before it gets too small for your wrists.”
  • She knows this because she needed to collect folklore for a project and this happened to be something she learned during the process
  • She learned this from a friend of hers that she interviewed for the project
  • It’s just another Chinese folk belief of how to ensure prosperity for your children
  • The context of the performance is that she and I were merely discussing the different types of folklore we’ve found over the last several weeks.
  • I think it’s interesting how much of an emphasis is put onto making sure children have their best chance at the future in East Asian cultures.