Content: “笨蛋” (bèn dàn) translates to “stupid egg” in English.

Context: GZ grew up knowing it is to call someone a “fool” or “idiot”. It is different than “spoiled egg” in English. She would often hear her parent make remarks under their breath when annoyed with a person at work. 

My interpretation: I think it’s interesting that it is a stupid egg and not a rotten egg. The English version implies there is nothing the egg could do about its unfortunate fate. A rotten egg implied unluckiness. On the other hand, a stupid egg implies deliberate ignorance and inconvenience. 

Straw Wrapper Worm

Folklore: If you put water on this straw wrapper, it will move into a worm.

Making a Wiggly Worm and Toothpick Art While Waiting in a Restaurant – Parenting Special Needs Magazine

Context: KL’s mom taught this to her while they were waiting for food in a restaurant. She told her that there is a trick to making paper move. It was not that the wrapper turned into a worm, but more that the paper worm was a new figment of reality.

Analysis: I believe this shows that things are not always what they seem. The joy of this “magic trick” is not that people believe it is a real worm. More so, it is a new process or phenomenon they previously did not know about. It is a moment of discovery that reminds us that we don’t know what we don’t know.

You only have 5 fingers – Alex Lam

Saying: You only have 5 fingers. You only have 5 family members.

Context: KL’s mom would tell her and her sisters this whenever they fought. The idea is that you only have 5 fingers on one hand. Likewise, KL only had 5 immediate family members (2 sisters and 2 parents). KL mom implied that 5 may seem like a lot, but if you imagine losing one finger, your whole life would be different. It is the little function that we take for granted.

Analysis: I think this was my mom’s interesting say of saying that we had to band together and have each other’s backs. When we were little, she was worried a small quarrel was a sign that we would grow up to resent each other. In a way, it is overdramatic as she was implying one of us would die if we did not fully embrace each other every day. However, it is her way of explaining something to us over a language barrier.

Guy Fawkes

Folklore:

“Ok so in around the 1580s the King of England was on the throne —I think it was King James— and this man called Guy Fawkes was a protestant who was leading a revolt against the king because treatment of the Catholics. They filled the cellars with gunpowder to destroy the parliament, but they were discovered and caught before they could light the powder. He was hung, drawn, and quartered. They hung him by the neck and cut his chest and stomach. So now, every November 15th, England celebrates the attempted murder of the King with the Guy Fawkes Festival of mainly fireworks to recreate what would have happened. 

Even in France we celebrate Guy Fawkes, there are fireworks all night, and people get together and party. As a kid we would go to the countryside and all of the families would go to this big field and the parents would light a bunch of fireworks. There is food and music and drinking (we French will take any reason to drink haha) and it was one of my favorite celebrations as a kid. When I learned that the man we are celebrating was hung, it was kind of bittersweet. It is a fun day but a sad story”

Context:

CD is a French woman in her early 20s. She was born and raised in Paris (and lives there now) but her family is originally from England. In her family, because of their British roots, Guy Fawkes is one of her family’s main celebrated holidays. Every year, her uncle who grew up in England taught her the history of the holiday.

Analysis:

This Festival is different from traditional folk festivals as, aside from the fact that it happens yearly, it does not commemorate a change of sorts. Instead it is in remembrance of a significant event in the cultures history. It uses symbolism, in this case the fireworks, to represent the revolution and celebrates the cultural ideals and passing on their history.

Homecoming Ritual

Ritual:

“Well this is moreso of just a family thing but in my family, we have a lot of people who either live, work, or study internationally. So when someone comes home it is tradition for them to make the rounds at all of our relatives’ houses —whoever wasn’t able to meet you at the airport— and then someone will make you your favorite traditional food. Honestly it’s kind of annoying, especially if you just finished exams or whatever, but I’ll never complain when it comes to free food. It’s those moments that I think about when I’m away, and I never regret them. The food I normally ask for is these things called “Magwinya” [translated to Fatcakes] which is basically a sweet fried dough treat. You can buy them at the corner shop but my aunt make the best ones and always has them fresh ready for me when I get to her house.”

Context:

KG is a 23 year old man from Botswana, Africa, who is currently studying in Paris, France. It is customary in Botswana culture to heavily cherish and value family and community, and to express that through quality time and food. 

Analysis:

As with Folklore at large, the ritual KG’s family partakes in encourages and fosters community and culture. The emphasis on community is by making sure that people who have been “away from home” for long are somewhat forced to reconnect with their community by visiting relatives face to face and spending time with them. This custom reinforces culture as well, for it is not just any food that is offered to those homecoming, it is traditional food of the culture, to connect them with their past and passing down/over history and knowledge through food and taste.