Tamales at Christmas

Text: Making tamales every Christmas in an assembly-line style with family.

Context: The informant, who is Mexican American and grew up in Texas near the border, participates in a yearly Christmas tradition where family members gather to prepare tamales together. Each person takes on a specific role in the process (spreading masa, adding filling, wrapping), creating a collaborative, assembly-line system.

Analysis: This is a strong example of foodways folklore, specifically a holiday-based family tradition rooted in Mexican and Mexican American cultural practices. Tamale-making at Christmas is a tradition, but the assembly-line method highlights its communal nature, turning food preparation into a ritualized family activity. The repetition of this practice each year reinforces cultural identity and the intergenerational nature of the practice. Knowledge and roles of the activity are passed down within the family.

George Washington Bridge Song

Text: The George Washington Bridge song is a song that repreats the words “George Washington Bridge” over and over again in rising and falling tunes. 

Context: The informant recalls that this song would be sung by their father whenever they passed over any bridge, not necessarily the George Washington Bridge specifically. The informant originally thought this was a song that their father made up, but the informant’s father notes that he believes he learned it from his father at some point in his childhood. The informant is from Connecticut, but their father is from New York State. 

Analysis: It is performed specifically when crossing bridges, turning an ordinary activity into a ritual. Interestingly, the song is used for any bridge, not just the George Washington Bridge, which shows variation and flexibility. Geography adds another layer. The reference to the George Washington Bridge (a well-known New York landmark) reflects a kind of regional influence, even when performed elsewhere (like Connecticut). This suggests how folklore can carry place-based identity, even when removed from its original setting.

Camp Song

Informant: Let me sing it for you—it’s actually really good. I mean, it’s like a real song with a melody… kind of.

It goes something like:
“Announcements, announcements, announcements—
a horrible way to die,
a horrible way to die,
a horrible way to start the day,
a horrible way to die…”

And then it turns into this chant where everyone joins in—like, “Marshmallow! Shut up! Throw them in the lake, throw them in the lake!” or sometimes the pool.

There’s a whole other part of it that I can’t totally remember, but I swear there was more. And then at some point it just turns into random stuff—like people shouting “Mickey Mouse! Lego!”

It’s very chaotic, but that’s kind of what makes it fun.


Context: The informant learned this song at her sleepaway summer camp located in the Berkshires. The first part of the song was sung whenever someone said the word “announcements.” The second part of the song would be sung, and depending on if they were closer to the lake or pool, the individual who said the word would then be thrown in that body of water. Announcements not happening when they were scheduled to (at breakfast) were seen as bad luck in the camp, thus not wanting the word to be said by campers and counselors during the day.

Analysis: The word “announcements” acts as a kind of trigger word, activating the performance or, in a sense, conversion superstition. This connects the song to a belief system within the camp, that saying the word at the wrong time is associated with bad luck (since missed announcements disrupt routine). The second part of the tradition, throwing the person into the lake or pool, turns it into more of a ritual. Though somewhat of a punishment, it reinforces group norms (don’t say “announcements” casually) within the folk group (campers).

Camp Ghost Story

Informant: The old owner of the property had a daughter [named] Gertrude who was in a wheelchair and he built it all for her. Apparently, she haunts the manor house basement, like the cellar…She fell down the stairs in her wheelchair is the story. 

Context: The informant learned this song at her sleepaway summer camp located in the Berkshires. She was in middle school when she first heard the story and heard it reinforced as she grew older at this camp. 


Analysis: This story connects Gertrude to a specific location (the manor house basement), which is a key feature of legends; they are told as if they could be true and are grounded in real-world settings. The narrative follows a familiar memorate/legend pattern: a tragic backstory (a girl in a wheelchair who dies by falling down the stairs) explains the presence of a haunting. This kind of scary origin story gives a bigger meaning to the space. It turns a normal basement or cellar into a potentially dangerous location that children shouldn’t want to be around. It also reflects common motifs in ghost lore, including untimely death and a lingering presence.

College theater beliefs

Informant: I know we did this in college, but you always have to leave what’s called a “ghost light” on stage. I think the idea is that if all the lights in the theater go out, it’s bad luck, like they won’t come back on the next day, so you leave one light on.

It’s literally just a single light bulb on a pole that rolls, and you place it on the stage when everything else is off.

Context : Informant has participated in main stage theater productions at the university and has experienced this superstitions themself. Informants knew about this superstition when they were in high school, but did not practice it until they were in college. Informant attends school in Southern California. 

Analysis: This is quite classic theater-based superstition. Traditions like the ghost light are widely recognized within theater communities and are passed down informally rather than taught in any official way. The ghost light functions as both a practical object and a symbolic one. While it may have a safety purpose (preventing accidents in a dark theater), it is also tied to a belief that leaving a light on wards off bad luck or ensures the theater will function properly the next day. This, while not a conversion superstition, is more of a ritual meant to prevent misfortune, even if participants don’t fully believe in the consequence.