Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
Your search for N222.9 returned 393 results.
It is believed in Greece that if an unmarried woman places three
"koufetta," meaning sugar-coated almonds, taken from a priest's tray
(meaning they were blessed) during a wedding, and places them under
her pillow at night while she is sleeping, she will see in her dreams
who she is to marry. The same is true for an unmarried male.
Where learned: GREECE
Date learned: 00001950CA
On January first, Greeks celebrate what is known as St. Basil's
Day. It is the equivalent of Christmas here. It begins at twelve
o'clock midnight on December 31. "Vasilopita" - St Basil's Bread - is
served. Baked in the sweet bread is a single gold coin. The person to
receive the slice of sweet bread with the coin is said to have good
luck for the duration of the year. Presents are distributed. Then
snacks and drinks are served to all because in Greece there is no
certain age that must be attained before one is allowed to drink
alcohol.
Submitter comment: St. Basil is the equivalent of Santa Claus.
Where learned: GREECE
Keyword(s): holiday
James Callow Keyword(s): drinking age
Date learned: 00001945CA
On Good Saturday a Greek family would go to church around 10 PM,
leaving the grandmothers at home. At 12 AM Jesus is symbolically
resurrected from the dead. The people leave church and go home around
1 AM. Meanwhile, the grandmothers were at work preparing a soup known
as "Mayiritza" which contains pieces of lamb, vegetables, eggs, and
lemon in a sheep broth. The family comes home and all eat the soup
and talk. Then red eggs are distributed and cracked while the people
say "Hristos anesti, alithos anesti", which means "Christ is risen,
truly risen."
Where learned: GREECE
St. Patrick's Day
Every St. Patrick's Day, my mother cooks corned beef and cabbage
for dinner. For dessert, she usually makes a cake with green
frosting.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; SAGINAW
Keyword(s): COLOR
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- March 17 Feast of St. Patrick Food Drink -- Typical menus for the various meals For meal hours, see F574.84. Special or festive meals |
Date learned: 00001971ca
Latvian Bread
At every Latvian function, a certain bread is prepared and eaten
by all of the participants. It comes from their home country, and is
basically a rye-sourdough type bread.
Submitter comment: The bread is very good, especially with ham and cheese.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; SAGINAW
| Subject headings: | Food Drink -- Typical menus for the various meals For meal hours, see F574.84. Special or festive meals Food Drink -- Pastry Sweet Dessert Bread, rolls, etc. |
Date learned: 00001971ca
A tradition in our house is oysters on Christmas Eve.
Where learned: DETROIT
Date learned: 00001960S
Eating Herring on New Year's brings good luck. The more you
eat the more good luck you will have.
Where learned: DETROIT
Date learned: 00001960S
Recipe: Jelly Doughnuts (Paczki)
2 Cups flour 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups boiling milk 1/2 cup vanilla bean, ground
3 1/2 oz. yeast 1-2 tsp. grated orange rind
1/4 cup lukewarm milk 3/4 lb. butter, melted
6 egg yolks flour, jam, deep fat for
frying
Sift 1 cup flour into boiling milk, remove from heat, and beat
until smooth. Cool. Dissolve yeast in the 1/4 cup mild. Add to
flour mixture, stir, and let stand half hour. Cream egg yolks and
sugar, add vanilla and orange rind and add to dough when it begins
to rise. Add remaining flour and butter, and work with fingers
until dough begins to stand away from the hands. Let stand until
it has risen to about twice its bulk. Roll out on floured board to
thickness of 5/8 in. and cut out circles with a glass or pastry
cutter. Place a teaspoon of jam in center of half circles (using
only fruit, not syrup), cover with remaining circles, press edges
together, and let stand in warm place to rise again. Fry a few at
a time in deep fat, taking care not to heat the fat so much that
the dough will burn. Drain and serve dusted with confectioner's
sugar.
Submitter comment:
These doughnuts are a yearly tradition. The day before lent in
the Polish culture is called Paczki Day and these doughnuts are
made at home and eaten at home and given to relatives and friends.
As lent begins sweets and meat are not to be eaten until Easter.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; HAMTRAMCK
| Subject headings: | Food Drink -- Typical menus for the various meals For meal hours, see F574.84. Special or festive meals |
Recipe: Pierogi (Dough Pockets)
Basic Dough: 2 cups flour few spoonfuls lukewarm water
2 small eggs or 1 large egg
Mix flour, eggs and water, and work dough until firm. Divide in 2
parts and roll each piece into a thin sheet on a floured board.
Arrange stuffing (see below) by the spoonful along one edge of a
piece of dough, 2 to 3 inches from edge. Fold over and cut out in
shape of semi-circles with a pastry cutter or a glass. Press edges
of dough together. Repeat until all the dough and filling have
been used up. If necessary, reroll leftover dough and repeat.
This is a fast way of making the pockets. Cook in boiling water
like noodles, covered, so that they will steam. In a few minutes,
when pockets rise to the top, they are done. Serve with drawn
butter.
Fillings: Cheese - 2 egg yolks dash of salt
1 tbs. butter 1 tbs. sugar and
1 lb. pot cheese or 3/4 cups raisins (optional)
farmers cheese, mashed
Cream egg yolks and butter. Combine with cheese, season, and mix
thoroughly. For a sweet filling, add sugar and raisins. Fill
pockets as directed above. Serves 4.
Potato - 2 lbs. potatoes 2-3 tbs. cottage or
1/2 onion, minced farmers cheese
1 heaping tbs. butter drawn butter or bread
salt and pepper crumbs for topping
Cook, mash, and season potatoes. Fry onion to a light, golden
brown in butter. Combine with mashed potatoes and season to taste;
add cheese if desired. Mix thoroughly and proceed to fill and cook
pockets. Serves 6 to 8.
Submitter comment:
This is another Polish traditional food that us usually made
for special occasions and holidays since it is quite time
consuming.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; HAMTRAMCK
| Subject headings: | Food Drink -- Typical menus for the various meals For meal hours, see F574.84. Special or festive meals |
Date learned: 02-15-1992
Recipe: Cucumber Salad
2-3 large cucumbers, salt and pepper
olive oil and vinegar to taste
1 tbs. dill (optional)
Peel cucumbers and slice very thin. Salt generously and let stand
half an hour. Drain off liquid, press down with weight, and drain
again. Season with a little pepper, and add olive oil and vinegar
in proportion of 2 parts oil to 1 of vinegar. Fresh dill is an
excellent addition to cucumber salad. Serves 4 to 6.
Submitter comment:
This salad is also a favorite of the Polish people and is used
instead of tossed green salad on many occasions.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; HAMTRAMCK
| Subject headings: | Food Drink -- Typical menus for the various meals For meal hours, see F574.84. Special or festive meals |
Date learned: 02-15-1992
Recipe: Calves' Foot Jelly (Galareta)
4 Calves feet scalded 1 bay leaf
2/3 onions 1 bunch parsley
4 carrots Salt
1 leek 1 cup white wine
1 celery root juice of 1/2 lemon
2 celery stalks 2 egg whites and egg
1 parsley root shells
10 peppercorns 1 tbs. gelatin to 4 cups
liquid
Clean and scald calves' feet. If other calf bones are available,
have butcher split them and use in addition to the feet. Peel and
slice onions and vegetables. Add these and the spices and salt to
the meat and bones, and cover with water. Simmer until meat
separates easily from the bone, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Strain. Add
wine and lemon juice to taste; add egg whites beaten with a little
cold water, and egg shells. Bring to a boil, take off the heat,
and let stand a half hour. Strain carefully through cheesecloth.
Add dissolved gelatin powder, pour into molds, and chill. The meat
may be used in any recipe for boiled or leftover veal; or both meat
and vegetables may be cut in small pieces and returned to gelatin
to make headcheese. Thin slices of lemon may also be added.
Submitter comment:
This dish is considered quite a delicacy in the Polish culture.
Quite frankly I don't like it.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; HAMTRAMCK
| Subject headings: | Food Drink -- Typical menus for the various meals For meal hours, see F574.84. Special or festive meals |
Date learned: 02-15-1992
Polish Religious Custom
At the Christmas meal Holy Wafers, which are brought home from
church, are put on a plate in the middle of the table. Before the
meal is begun, the head of the family, usually the father, starts
by taking a wafer, offering it to the person on his right to break
off a piece and wishing the person well. Then that person follows
by offering it to the person to their right and wishing that person
well. This continues until everyone at the table has received a
piece of the wafer and good wishes.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; HAMTRAMCK
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- December 25 Christmas Also see F642, below. Food Drink -- Typical menus for the various meals For meal hours, see F574.84. Special or festive meals |
Date learned: 03-00-1992
New Year's Eve
In the Steubenville and Toronto, Ohio areas, it is traditional
on New Year's Eve to eat a dinner of keilbassi, sauerkrault and
mashed potatoes.
Submitter comment:
I remember hearing that this is a German tradition that is
followed to ensure good luck throughout the coming year.
Keyword(s): SAUERKRAUT
James Callow Keyword(s): Kielbasa
Colcannon is traditionally eaten on St. Patrick's Day in
Ireland. It is a mixture of cabbage, scallions, green onions, and
kale.
Where learned: IRELAND
I learned of our family's traditional Polish Christmas Eve
dinner when I was quite young. For years we have had a big
family dinner with such Polish foods as kielbasa, stuffed
cabbage, pierogi, creamed herring, sauerkraut, beet soup, and
angel wings for desert. This tradition started in our family in
the late 1800's and still continues today.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- December 24 Christmas Eve Food Drink -- Typical menus for the various meals For meal hours, see F574.84. Special or festive meals |
Date learned: 00-00-1950
Luck
Two things you should always eat on New Year's Day: Greens
and Black-Eye Peas. Greens for money and Black-Eye Peas for
luck.
Where learned: OHIO ; CLEVELAND
James Callow Keyword(s): Homeopathic Magic -- green
Date learned: 00-00-1931
Codfish and garbazos were a tradition at my house during
Christmas time.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
James Callow Keyword(s): garbanzo beans?
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- December 21 solstice to March 20 Menus Food Drink -- Typical menus for the various meals For meal hours, see F574.84. Special or festive meals |
Date learned: 03-00-1992
Arroz con pollo was a tradition from my father's native land
(Armenia) for New Year's Day.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; HIGHLAND PARK
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- January 1 New Year's Food Drink -- Typical menus for the various meals For meal hours, see F574.84. Special or festive meals |
Date learned: 00-00-1912
Ponczki
The tradition of ponczki (or jelly rolls) symbolizes giving up
sweets and the beginning of fasting for the Catholic "lent" period.
The fasting begins on Ash Wednesday, and is preceded by what is
known as "Fat Tuesday." Polish people indulge in sweet, jelly
donuts because it will be weeks before they are allowed to have
sweets. It is seen as a sacrifice and giving up something that one
really enjoys in honor of the Easter Holiday.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; HAMTRAMCK
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Spring Planting Pre Lent Food Drink -- Typical menus for the various meals For meal hours, see F574.84. Special or festive meals |
Wigilia
Wigilia is celebrated by Polish Americans on Christmas Eve. It
consists of a meatless meal; high in carbohydrates. The table
setting also plays a part of this tradition. There should always
be one empty chair at the table, with one extra setting for an
unexpected guest.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; HAMTRAMCK