Passover

Nationality: Israeli
Age: 18
Performance Date: April 16, 2017
Primary Language: English
Language: Hebrew

Okay so the story of Passover is… umm and interesting one. So it goes like this, there’s the jews and they live in Israel and they’re  all under the rule of the Pharaoh and they’re all commanded as slaves to build all the pyramids and they’re like “Na ah we ain’t havin’ that” so one day  Moses says that he’s gonna take his people out of  Egypt if the Pharaoh doesn’t let them free and the Pharaoh says “No you’re not” so he doesn’t, he doesn’t let them free, and Moses takes his, the people, the Jewish people in Egypt and brings them to the … umm… to the sea and then according to the story, the sea splits in half  and they walk through the middle  and then it closes after they’re all through and they escape Egypt and all of the Egyptians chasing them get drowned in the sea so… that’s a pretty not… totally… you know like a folklore story.

Eli learned the story of Passover, a Jewish festival/Holiday at Hebrew school and from his family. Being Jewish, this story is very important to Eli and his family as they had just celebrated Passover. He shared this story with me as we and another friend were talking about the Jewish religion and I asked him to share a piece of folklore with me. I enjoyed hearing him talk about the story of Passover. I was familiar with the story before, but Eli made it sound  more casual, real and humorous.

For other versions of this narrative/ritual, see The Bible (Exodus 12:1-30)

The Young Man with the Small House

Nationality: Israeli
Age: 18
Occupation: student
Residence: Scottsdale, AZ
Performance Date: April 16, 2017
Primary Language: English
Language: Hebrew

Shir Attias: So there’s this young man and he has a family and he has four kids and they live in this tiny little hut, err like a house, it’s like a small house and the man has all these kids in this very small house and he’s crowded and unhappy that he lives in such a small house so he goes to the old wise man and he tells him like pray to God for me, I need your prayers so that God will give me a bigger house and the wise man says, “Okay but do this first” and he says, “ take two goats and put them in your house” and the wise, err the young man thinks he’s like batshit crazy but he’s like “okay” and he like takes the two goats and puts them in his house so then a week passes, the house didn’t get any bigger. He goes back to the wise man, he’s like “It’s not getting any bigger and now there’s goat shit everywhere” he’s like “okay now take five rabbits put them in the house” so he goes back and he puts the five rabbits in his house and nothing changes and it’s only getting more crowded and there’s all these bunnies running around, the kids are so excited with the bunnies, and na na na, and he goes back to the wise man and this continues and the wise man tells him to put three cows in his house and he puts the cows in his house and then he tells him to put, to bring in more kids and host a party for everyone and he keeps telling him to bring more and more and more into the house and eventually one day the young man goes to the old wise man and he’s like “MY HOUSE IS SO SMALL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOUR PRAYERS AREN’T WORKING?!” and he says, “Okay alright now take everything I told you to put in your house and take it all out. So he goes back and he takes out the goats and the rabbits and the cows and everything and then he looks and he goes “OH MY GOODNESS, MY HOUSE IS SO BIG!” and he goes to the wise man and he’s like “OH IT’S SUCH A BIG HOUSE, what have you done, it’s a miracle you have performed, your prayers have worked!” And the young man is happy with all his children and that’s the end of the story.

Shir learned this story from her grandfather, who used to tell this tale to her when she was little and would complain about having a small bedroom. Shir’s grandfather is from Israel which is where her grandfather likely learned the story in the first place. The purpose of the tale was to make the listener feel grateful for what they had no matter how small their living space was. Shir performed this story in our room while she and  a friend were sharing some Jewish folk tales with me. I thought this peace was interesting. It was very simple and easy to understand. I felt like the animals in the story could have been replaced with anything that took up space in the house, and the message still would have come across.

I’m tough! I’m gonna get up!

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Performance Date: 4/24/2017
Primary Language: English

Informant: My informant, S. G., is 19 and was born and raised in Southern California. Sawyer lives in Chino Hills and has two mothers who both work as P.E. teachers for high school and middle schools. She has one older sister and one younger brother with the family having ties to its Swedish heritage.

Folklore: As a child growing up, Sawyer was taught a saying by her two mothers that goes, “I’m tough! I’m gonna get up! And keep going!” Her parents taught her to repeat this every time she experienced a difficult obstacle in her life where she felt she couldn’t overcome the challenge. Sawyer grew up learning the phrase since she was young by her mom who was taught the same saying when she was growing up.

Analysis: I have never heard this saying before, but I do like the positive message that it teaches. A short, strong saying like this helps enforce confidence in young children and help them to get the courage to tackle problems that might seem unconquerable. I really like the message and it’s something I might use in the future to teach my kids.

Hawaiian Rocks

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Performance Date: 4/20/2017
Primary Language: English

Informant: My informant, D.L., is 20 and was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. D.L. mother works as an admissions director for his high school. He has one older brother who also attends USC. Both of D.L. parents are full Chinese, but have completely adopted the Hawaiian culture. D.L. spends most of his free time at the beach and considers himself more Hawaiian than Chinese.

Folklore: “There is a rule in Hawaii that you’re not supposed to take rocks from the beach. The rocks on the beach are said to be the home of the Goddess of Fire, Pele. It is said that if you were to remove the rocks from the island you will suffer Pele’s curse which says that any visitor who takes rock or sand away from the Hawaii islands will suffer bad luck until the native Hawaiian elements are returned.” D.L. was told this story from his brother when he was little to scare him and make sure he wouldn’t take the rocks. Now, D.L. is skeptical that the myth is true but still is superstitious about doing. Whenever he sees tourists taking rocks or sand from the beach he does get angry because he feels like they’re disrupting the flow of the beach.

Analysis: The warning is well known in Hawaii, but it is a modern legend and some people attribute it to an irritated park ranger who was sick of people carting off rocks from the beach. Still others think tour guides made up the curse to discourage tourists from bringing dirt and sand onto the buses. Either way, each year hundreds of visitors send packages back to Hawaii full of rocks, sand, and other natural materials in an effort to relieve their consciences and change their luck. For me, I try not to read into stories like these, but never try to chance my luck.

Chamomile Tea

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Performance Date: 4/26/2017
Primary Language: English

Informant: My informant, G.L., is 19 and was born and raised in West Lake Village. G.L. parents both run their own company together. She has one older brother and her family is mainly Italian but is completely Americanized.

Folklore: “My grandma use to use this formula on my hair when I was younger to get it smooth and softer. She would boil water and make chamomile tea when I was taking a shower. After it cooled down she would place the tea in a large cup. At the end of your shower she would gradually poor the tea on my hair and let it soak in for 15 minutes. The tea was meant to enrich hair color and radiance and prevent dandruff.” G.L. was taught this from her grandma when she was really young but stopped doing it when she got older. G.L. cannot remember if the process worked when she was young, but she tried to do it once in high school and didn’t feel like it had much effect on her hair. Although, she did say the tea did make her hair smell pleasant for following couple of weeks.

Analysis: I can’t say that I’m too knowledgeable in homemade formulas for women’s hair, but I have never heard of this formula before. I did grow up with a twin sister and she told me she has never heard of doing this either. I think it’s interesting to see how this formula got started because it seems so random, but there are stories on the internet that say this formula works