After a funeral the best friend of the deceased is given a bowl of boiled wheat, a glass, and silverware. This little ceremony transfers the worldly goods of the deceased to the living.

Submitter comment:

Informant noted that this custom is not as popular as it used to be but it is still practiced.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD.

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): DEATH ; Deceased ; FRIENDSHIP ; GLASS ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS ; RITUAL ; Silverware ; SYMBOL ; Symbolic ; SYMBOLISM ; UTENSILS ; Wheat

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Death Funeral Burial

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The Clever Chef

Historical record from James Callow Folklore Archive.

There once was a king who demanded that his chef prepare him a different type of meat for each principle meal. when the chef ran out of meats it would mean his death.

Quite naturally, the king soon ran out of chefs and volunteers for the job were few and far between. in fact, things got so bad that the king had to draft his subjects into the job. One of these peasants got drafted and day after day he prepared a different type of meat. However, as time went by, he began to run out of choices. Finally the day arrived when he had none. In desperation, he went to the palace barn at milking time and collected the cow manure as it was being expelled. That night he served it to the king. Upon tasting it, the king called for the chef in order that he might compliment him on the most delicious meat of all. When asked where it came from, the chef replied "it is that which hasn't fallen, your majesty."

Submitter comment:

This is translated from Polish and I feel it has lost its humor in translation.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

A grammatical correction was made to the Collector's spelling: Changing it's to its.

Original Boggs Number [B665] has been crossed out and B646 is written next to it.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Class ; COOKING ; Deception ; FECES ; Fool ; IGNORANCE ; King ; Peasant ; ROYALTY ; Scat ; SCATOLOGICAL ; Scatological Humor ; Social Class ; Trickery ; Wit

Subject headings:

PROSE NARRATIVE -- Romantic Realistic

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Confucius Says:

He who lives in glass house dresses downstairs.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs and BN added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Submission Card located in pile marked To Be Classified.

Keyword(s): CONFUCIAN PARODY ; Confucius ; GLASS ; HUMOR ; Jest, Anecdote, Pun, Joke, Irony ; JOKE

Subject headings:

PROVERB -- Proverbial Metaphor
PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim

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Entry filtered.

Parody on a Proper Name

Sister Edith Kathleen was discussing current novels one day in our English class when she asked "Have you heard the latest book, 'Catch Her in the Raw? (A parody on the book Cathcher in the Rye)

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs and BN added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [S580] crossed out. Nothing written in place.

Submission card located in pile labeled To Be Classified.

Where learned: CLASS

Keyword(s): BOOK TITLE ; Classroom ; CLASSROOM HUMOR ; EDUCATION ; LITERATURE ; PARODY ; PUN ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings:

Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Autograph Verse Translations, plays on words, symbol writing
Filter - Mature Content

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Custom

Greetings:

Offering salt and bread and flowers is a way of greeting a person who has arrived from a long trip. This custom is one which was performed commonly in S.E. Poland and in Ukraine many years ago (prior to WWI) at that time it was used to greet any traveler regardless of his social position. Now recently it is used only in greeting people like priests, bishops, government officials, etc.

Submitter comment:

Although informant mentioned that this custom is carried out in Europe, I myself have observed this several months ago when people in a Ukrainian church greeted a bishop which had just been released from prison by the Russians.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DEARBORN HEIGHTS

Keyword(s): CUSTOM ; FLOWERS ; GREETING ; POLAND ; Salt, Bread ; Social Class ; Ukraine

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank

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Ethnic: Native American

To Offer the Pipe:

After the pipe is filled it is offered silently in the four directions, skyward and earthward by pointing the stem away from the body while holding the bowl in the right hand. Nowone is prepared to hold the Pipe in two hands in any way that is comfortable or meaningful to the individual. Or else it is held in the right hand and the left is extended above the head palm outward. This ritual is a powerful sign with which to surroung an invocation or prayer just like the ceremonies of the Mass are signs surrounding the words of consecration. One can fell [sic] as comfortable performing the Pipe Ritual as he does the ceremonies of the Mass.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: CANADA ; Tekakwitha Conference ; WINNIPEG ; MANITOBA

Keyword(s): AMERICAN INDIAN ; CUSTOM ; ETHNIC ; Mass ; Native American ; PRAYER ; RELIGION ; RITUAL

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Prayer

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Ethnic: Native American

To Fill the Sacred Pipe:

Offer a pinch of tobacco in the four directions starting with any direction that you wish but always moving in a clockwise direction. After each pinch of tobacco is offered it is out into the bowl of the Pipe The starting point varies from man to man according to his individual vision or insight. The usual strating points are the west, north or east. I habe never run across anyone starting in the south. The following is an example of one starting with the west. Offering northward contains a prayer for the strength since this is where te cold winds and the flying snow comes from. Offering tobacco eastward contains a prayer for the light and understanding and southward a plea for new life since it is the source of warm winds and green grass. One does not pray aloud but rather silently. The tobacco is offerd skyward since this reminds us that we are walking in the Prescence of God towards Mother Earth to fill us with graditude for all the gifts we receive through creation. Symbolically one gathers the entire universe into his prayers. For one Indian the west was the place of the setting sun, the north the buffalo, the east the morning star, and the south the white swan.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: CANADA ; Tekakwitha Conference ; WINNIPEG ; MANITOBA

Keyword(s): AMERICAN INDIAN ; Compass Point ; CUSTOM ; ETHNIC ; Native American ; Pipe ; PRAYER ; RELIGION

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Prayer

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Custom/Belief

Irregular Festival:

It is a custom in my family to have a big family gathering, celebration, reunion, and party whenever someone in the fammily has made the Sacrament of Confirmation or 1st Communion. The recipient recieves gifts and/or money from every other member of the fmaily. It roughlyparallels the Bar Matzvah of the Jewish Religion.

Data entry tech comment:

motifs added by TRD

Where learned: NEW YORK ; Myself ; LeRoy

Keyword(s): Celebration ; CUSTOM ; Maturity ; PARTY ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS ; Rite-of-Passage

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Maturity

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Language

Equidae - Horse Family

Data entry tech comment:

Motif added by TRD

The only informatino given on the card is the BN and the three words.

Where learned: UNKNOWN

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; Biology ; Classification ; DEFINITION ; Equine ; FAMILY ; HORSE ; Language

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Mammal
SPEECH -- Vocabulary
SPEECH -- Folk Name for Animal

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Belief: Animal

Crosses on Donkeys:

The fur on a donkey's back seems to make a dark cross length-wise. According to the informant, the cross is there because Christ rode the donkey into Jerusalem. When she told me this, another person who was present said she had always heard it was there because Mary rode on the donkey.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P682.4, M247.3] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; OAKLAND UNIVERSITY ;

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; ASS ; Christ ; CHRISTIANITY ; Cross ; DONKEY ; DONKEY ; Fur ; HAIR ; Jerusalem ; JESUS ; Mary ; RELIGION ; SYMBOL ; VIRGIN MARY