Author Archives: Clayton Chatham

Must open stockings before presents

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Title: Must open stockings before presents

General Information about Item:

  • Genre and Sub Genre: Superstitions
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: USA

Informant Data:

  • Clay is 22 from Southern California and is a ’18 at Dartmouth College. His father is from Arizona and his mother is from Los Angeles. His family believes that opening the stockings before the presents brings them good luck and their presents will be exactly what they wished for.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: Many families who celebrate Christmas have heard of this superstition and have other superstitions as well.

 

  • Cultural Context: Superstitions evolve differently in different cultures because of the stigma that exists. Homeopathic and contagious magic is at the root of these superstitions and these associations differ based on what country you are in.

Collector’s Name: Alec Vaules

Tags/Keywords:

  • Superstition, Gifts

Always get the Christmas tree from the same place

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Title: Always get the Christmas tree from the same place

General Information about Item:

  • Genre and Sub Genre: Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: USA

Informant Data:

  • Eric Stolt provided us with what his family eats every year for Christmas Dinner. He is 21 years old, currently a ’19 at Dartmouth College and lives in Minnesota. Both his parents are from Minnesota. His family practices Christianity. They buy their tree from the same place because they believe that their tree will stay green for a longer time and will bring them good luck during the holiday season

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context:  Families who buy Christmas trees have not necessarily heard of this particular superstition but usually buy their Christmas tree from the same vendor. This superstition has been passed down from past generations
  • Cultural Context: Superstitions evolve differently in different cultures because of the stigma that exists. Homeopathic and contagious magic is at the root of these superstitions and these associations differ based on what country you are in.

Collector’s Name: Clay Chatham 

Tags/Keywords:

  • Christmas, Tree

Wait as long as possible to decorate

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Title: Wait as long as possible to decorate

General Information about Item:

  • Genre and Sub Genre: Superstitions
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: USA

Informant Data:

  • Alec is 19 years old from Pittsford New York and a ’20 at Dartmouth College. Both his parents are from New York and believe that waiting as long as possible to decorate brings them good lucks and heightens the Christmas spirit. This belief has been passed down from his parents.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context:  Not many families who celebrate Christmas have heard of this superstition but this belief has been passed down from past generations.

 

  • Cultural Context: Superstitions evolve differently in different cultures because of the stigma that exists. Homeopathic and contagious magic is at the root of these superstitions and these associations differ based on what country you are in.

Collector’s Name: Clay Chatham 

Tags/Keywords:

  • Superstition, Decorating

Kissing Under The Mistletoe

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Title: Kissing Under The Mistletoe

General Information about Item:

  • Genre and Sub Genre: Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: United States

Informant Data:

  • Allie is 19  from Boston Massachusetts and is a ’20 at Dartmouth College. Both her parents are from Boston and they believe that you have to kiss under the mistletoe or they will have bad luck.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: Many families who celebrate Christmas have heard of this superstition and have other superstitions as well.
  • Cultural Context: Superstitions evolve differently in different cultures because of the stigma that exists. Homeopathic and contagious magic is at the root of these superstitions and these associations differ based on what country you are in.

Item:

  • if two people find themselves underneath the mistletoe they kiss or they will have bad luck during the holiday season.

Collector’s Name: Alec Vaules

Tags/Keywords:

  • Kiss, Christmas, Superstition

Traditional Chinese Meal

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Title: Traditional Chinese Meal

General Information about Item:

  • Genre and Sub Genre: Familial Folklore
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: China

Informant Data:

  • Marshall Peng provided us with what his family eats every year for Christmas Dinner. He is 19 years old, currently a ’20 at Dartmouth College and lives in Wisconsin. Both his parents originate from China. Tyler’s family practices Christianity.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: On large holidays families typically have a traditional meal that they will make for that holiday. Christmas is no exception as all of the people we interviewed spoke about a traditional meal that they have every Christmas.
  • Cultural Context: Steamed Dumplings is a very popular Chinese dish. Marshall’s parents are both from China and they brought this traditional meal to the U.S. and incorporated with their celebration of Christmas.

Item:

  • His mother makes his favorite meal, steamed dumplings. She makes this every single year and he has eaten it every Christmas he can remember. It is traditionally a Chinese New Year dish but his mother makes it for Christmas.

Collector’s Name: Clay Chatham

Tags/Keywords:

  • Food, Tradition, Christmas,

Traditional Jamaican Meal

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Title: Traditional Jamaican Meal

General Information about Item:

  • Genre and Sub Genre: Familial Folklore
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: Jamaica

Informant Data:

  • Tyler Neath provided us with what his family eats every year for Christmas Dinner. He is 19 years old, currently a ’21 at Dartmouth College and lives in Jamaica. Both his parents originate from Jamaica. Tyler’s family practices Christianity

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: On large holidays families typically have a traditional meal that they will make for that holiday. Christmas is no exception as all of the people we interviewed spoke about a traditional meal that they have every Christmas.
  • Cultural Context: Jerk chicken, cormeny porridge. This is a very popular dish Jamaica.  Tyler and his parents are from Jamaica and they make this meal at home to celebrate Christmas.

Item:

  • His mother makes his favorite meal, Jerk chicken and cormeny porridge for Christmas dinner. She makes this every single year and he has eaten it every Christmas he can remember.

Collector’s Name: Clay Chatham

Tags/Keywords:

  • Food, Tradition, Christmas,

Traditional American Meal 2

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Title: Traditional American Meal 2

General Information about Item:

  • Genre and Sub Genre: Familial Folklore
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: United States

Informant Data:

  • Eric Stolt provided us with what his family eats every year for Christmas Dinner. He is 21 years old, currently a ’19 at Dartmouth College and lives in Minnesota. Both his parents are from Minnesota. His family practices Christianity.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: On large holidays families typically have a traditional meal that they will make for that holiday. Christmas is no exception as all of the people we interviewed spoke about a traditional meal that they have every Christmas.
  • Cultural Context: Steak and potatoes is a very common American dish. both his parents are from America and celebrate Christmas with a traditional American meal.

Item:

  • His father cooks the steak and his mother prepares the mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner. They make this meal every Christmas.

Collector’s Name: Clay Chatham

Tags/Keywords:

  • Food, Tradition, Christmas,

Traditional American Meal 1

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Title: Traditional American Meal 1

General Information about Item:

  • Genre and Sub Genre: Familial Folklore
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: United States

Informant Data:

  • Austen Michel provided us with what his family eats every year for Christmas Dinner. He is 20 years old, currently a ’20 at Dartmouth College and lives in Boston Massachusetts. Both his parents are from America. His father is from Boston and mother is from Louisiana. They practice Christianity.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: On large holidays families typically have a traditional meal that they will make for that holiday. Christmas is no exception as all of the people we interviewed spoke about a traditional meal that they have every Christmas.
  • Cultural Context: Eating Chinese food for Christmas dinner is common with families practicing judaism.  This is largely due to the fact that most restaurants close down for the holidays, but those who do not celebrate Christmas remain open.

Item:

  • His family goes to a Chinese restaurant for Christmas dinner. They do this every single year for Christmas.

Collector’s Name: Clay Chatham

Tags/Keywords:

  • Food, Tradition, Christmas,

Traditional Greek Meal

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Title: Traditional Greek Meal

General Information about Item:

  • Genre and Sub Genre: Familial Folklore
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: Greece

Informant Data:

  • Katherine Spanos provided us with what her family eats every year for Christmas. She is 19 years old, currently a ’20 at Dartmouth College and lives in Hummelstown Pennsylvania. Her father is from Greece and her mother is from the USA. Her family practices Greek Orthodoxy

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: On large holidays families typically have a traditional meal that they will make for that holiday. Christmas is no exception as all of the people we interviewed spoke about a traditional meal that they have every Christmas.
  • Cultural Context: Pastitsio is a very popular Greek dish. Katherine’s father is from Greece and brought this traditional meal to America. Her father makes this dish for her family to celebrate Christmas

Item:

  • Her father makes her favorite Greek dish, Pastitsio, for Christmas Dinner. He makes this every single year and she has eaten it every Christmas she can remember

 

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Collector’s Name: Clay Chatham

Tags/Keywords:

  • Greek, Food, Tradition, Christmas

Traditional Indian Christmas Meal

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Title: Traditional Indian Christmas Meal

General Information about Item:

  • Genre and Sub Genre: Familial Folklore
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: India

Informant Data:

  • Sai Davuluri provided us with what his family eats every year for Christmas Dinner. He is 18 years old, currently a ’21 at Dartmouth College and lives in Merced California. Both his parents originate from Central/South India. Sai’s family practices Hinduism and does celebrate Christmas.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: On large holidays families typically have a traditional meal that they will make for that holiday. Christmas is no exception as all of the people we interviewed spoke about a traditional meal that they have every Christmas.
  • Cultural Context: Masala Dosa Is a very popular South Indian dish. Sai’s parents are both from South India and they brought this traditional meal to the U.S. and incorporated it into the americanized version of Christmas.

Item:

  • His mother makes his favorite Indian dish, Masala Dosa, for Christmas Eve dinner. She makes this every single year and has eaten it every Christmas he can remember.

Collector’s Comments:

  • It was interesting that Sai’s family practices Hinduism and celebrates and also celebrates a primarily christian holiday. They open their presents Christmas morning and eat chocolate chip pancakes. They also watch the movie Home Alone on Christmas day.

Collector’s Name: Clay Chatham

Tags/Keywords:

  • Food, Tradition, Christmas, Hinduism