Title: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
General Information about Item:
- Customary Lore
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: England
- Informant: Leona Burner
- Date of Event: September 22, 1957
Informant Data:
- Leona was born December 7, 1931. She was raised as a Catholic and attended a Polish Catholic school until she was in fifth grade. Leona’s ancestry is entirely Polish, and her grandparents moved to the U.S. after they got married. Leona’s Polish and Catholic upbringing affected much of her life, including her wedding traditions, current religious beliefs, and her career as an elementary teacher at a Catholic school. Her family moved around a lot because her father was a corporal in the army, and she didn’t have her first permanent home, which was in Bellwood Illinois near Niles, until she was in high school.
Contextual Data:
- Cultural Context: She decided to follow this tradition to honor her husband Jack’s English ancestry and to bring English traditions to the majorly Polish celebration. This tradition comes from an Old English rhyme Something Olde, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, A Sixpence in Your Shoe. These objects are good luck charms for the bride. The something old represents continuity in one’s life, something new represents a positive outlook on the future, something borrowed represents borrowing happiness from a loved one, and something blue means fidelity and love.
Social Context: I collected this folklore by interviewing Leona over the phone. During her wedding day, Leona followed the English tradition of wearing something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Leona’s something old and borrowed was a pearl necklace from her best friend, the something new was her wedding dress, and her something blue was her lace garter which she still has.
Item:
- The folklore item collected is how Leona followed the English tradition of having something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue on her wedding day to honor Jack’s English ancestry. I took notes of what Leona told me during my interview with her via a phone call. These are not direct quotes from Leona but rewritten notes from our interview to provide organized content.
Collector’s Name: Claire Burner
Tags/Keywords:
- Something old
- Something new
- Something borrowed
- Something blue
- English lore
- Customary lore