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James Callow Folklore Archive

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Custom

Slate:

When the informant was of grade-school age, it was mandatory to come to school with a slate and a sponge wet enough to last for the whole day.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [M243] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME ; PENNSYLVANIA ; PITTSBURGH

Keyword(s): CUSTOM ; EDUCATION ; Learning ; Objects ; SCHOOL ; TOOLS

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- School

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Ethnic: Belgium

Homework Law:

In Belgium, where 51/2 days of school per week is the rule, there is a law which limits the amount of homework to 2 hours per day for any student.

Data entry tech comment:

Motif added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [F574.5, F574.82] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME ; PENNSYLVANIA ; PITTSBURGH

Keyword(s): Belgium ; EDUCATION ; ETHNIC ; Homework ; Law ; SCHOOL ; Student

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- School

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Custom/Belief

Churches:

When driving or walking past a church, bow your head and say "My Lord have Mercy."

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; CHURCH ; CUSTOM ; PRAYER ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Church

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Custom/Belief

Belief - Baby/Motherhood:

After delivering a baby, a woman will eat the afterbirth of an animal, so that her afterbirth delivers well.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [F542] crossed out and replaced with current classification.

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): Afterbirth ; BELIEF ; BIRTH ; Child Bearing ; CHILDBIRTH ; Consumption ; CUSTOM ; FOOD ; Placenta ; PREGNANCY ; SUPERSTITION

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Birth

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Belief: Children

Determining Sex of Unborn Child:

A pin on a thread, if held motionless over the wrist of an expectant mother, can determine sex of child by the motion which it takes up after it is perfectly still. If pin or needle takes up a circular motion than first child weill be a girl. If needle takes up back and forth motion then a boy. If pin stops and then moves again, this can be used to predict the future sex and number of children.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P860] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME ; NEW YORK ; ROCHESTER

Keyword(s): ANAPEL ; BELIEF ; Biology ; BIRTH ; CHILDREN ; CUSTOM ; Forecasting ; gender ; Ordain ; Pendulum ; Predictions ; SEX

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Birth

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Custom

Wedding Custom:

When a woman in her family is engaged to be married, the aunts on her fahter's side give a shower gift to her which is a pure white negligee. This is a sign that the perspective groom has been accepted as a member of the family.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: HOME ; NEW YORK ; ROCHESTER

Keyword(s): Engagement ; FAMILY ; GIFT ; Shower ; WEDDING

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Marriage

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Belief: Luck

Wedding Luck:

If it rains on a wedding day this is good luck; if it doesn't, the couple is sprinkled with champagne.

Data entry tech comment:

motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [I545] crossedo ut. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; CUSTOM ; LUCK ; MARRIAGE ; OMEN ; SUPERSTITION ; WEDDING

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Marriage

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Ethnic: Yugoslavian

Wedding:

In Yugoslavia, the bride must bring 40 different items with her to prove that she is versatile and can do all these things. If she fails to do this she can't get married.

Submitter comment:

Recounted from Mrs. Benestelli's mother, a neighbor, who just returned home from Yugoslavia.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [F572] crossed out and replaced with current classification.

Where learned: PENNSYLVANIA ; NEIGHBORS HOME ; PITTSBURGH

Keyword(s): Chores ; CUSTOMS ; Domestic ; MARRIAGE ; TEST ; WEDDING

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Marriage

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Custom

Ribbons:

The ribbons from presents received at a bridal shower are tied together and used as a boquet at the wedding rehearsal.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): Bridal ; Bride ; CUSTOM ; GAMES ; Rehearsal ; Ribbons ; Shower ; WEDDING

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Marriage

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Custom

Wedding Custom:

Before the bride leaves the reception the band plays a slow song and the bride removes her veil and places it on the head of her maid-of-honor.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): Bride ; CUSTOM ; Fashion ; Maid-of-Honor ; MARRIAGE ; MUSIC ; Reception ; Veil ; WEDDING

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Marriage

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Custom

Wedding Custom:

Before the bride leaves the reception the band plays a slow song and the bride removes her veil and places it on the head of her maid-of-honor.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): Bride ; CUSTOM ; Fashion ; Maid-of-Honor ; MARRIAGE ; MUSIC ; Reception ; Veil ; WEDDING

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Marriage

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Custom

Wedding Custom:

Keep wedding cake (fruit cake) frozen for one year and on the 1st anniversary unfreeze the cake and eat it. this is for good luck and happiness.

Submitter comment:

(small grammatical corrections written on the card - dealing with sentence structure.)

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Anniversary ; CUSTOM ; FOOD ; LUCK ; MARRIAGE ; WEDDING

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Marriage

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Ethnic: Russian

Wedding Custom:

When the bride is preparing for her wedding (getting dressed and ready to leave for church) a violin player and an accordian player play a special tune.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Written on bottom left of the card: [ Ethnic? Russian Orthodox, says collector.]

Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Accordion ; Bride ; CUSTOM ; DRESS ; Fashion ; MARRIAGE ; MUSIC ; violin ; WEDDING

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Marriage

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Custom

Cemetery Practices:

When the informant was a child, he said that one made a day out of a trip to the cemetary. People carried their own sprinkling cans, their own shears for cutting the grass around the gravesite, their own garden tools to plant their own flowers. Most of the time you would take a lunch with you and eat it under the trees at the cemetery.

Submitter comment:

Grammatical corrections made to typed submission.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): Ancestors ; BURIAL ; CEMETERY ; DEATH ; FOOD ; Funeral ; GARDEN ; Lunch ; Maintenance ; RESPECT

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Death Funeral Burial

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Custom: Death

Photographs of Corpse:

Informant showed collector several snapshots of his grandfather, who had passed away some 15 years previous, laid out in his coffin in the funeral home.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Coffin ; Corpse ; Dead ; Funeral ; Mourning ; Photograph ; Soul

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Death Funeral Burial

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Custom

Common Law Custom:

Informant never does family laundry on Sunday, because it is a day of rest and is frowned upon byu herself and other members of the family. Laundry hanging outside on a line is considered disgraceful.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [F539] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME ; NEW YORK ; LeRoy

Keyword(s): Chores ; CUSTOM ; Domestic ; LAUNDRY ; Sunday

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Measure of time Week Day Hour

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Entertainment: Game

Childhood Game:

When they were kids, they had a game called "Step on a crack and you'll break your mother's back." They would run along the sidewalk but not step on the pavement cracks or they would "break their mother's back" and lose.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [C870] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): Entertainment, Tabu, Game, Childhood ; RHYME

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Game Verse C750.520

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Entertainment: Games

Hide and Seek Call:

When playing hide and seek, and the person who is it cannot find everyone, he calls out "Ally Ally in Free" and all those who are still hidden come out of their places to hide again for the next game.

Submitter comment:

The informant learned it from the other kids in the neighborhood

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original Bn [C524, S70] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): CHILD ; CHILDREN ; Diversion ; Entertainment ; GAMES ; Play

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Game Verse C750.520

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Superstition

If a pregnant woman is frightened by fire, the baby will have a red or purple birthmark.

Submitter comment:

Belief: Means of Cursing

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P740] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; Birthmark ; CHILD ; COLOR ; CURSE ; FEAR ; FIRE ; jinx ; Offspring ; Old Wives Tale ; Purple ; Red ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Birth

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Superstition

Belief:

If you're frightened during pregnancy after the 7th month the child will be born with a birth mark such as a strawberry or in the shape of a thing that produced the fright.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P880] crossed out. Replaced with Current Classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; CHILD ; CURSE ; FEAR ; jinx ; Offspring ; Old Wives Tale ; Scare ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Birth

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