Introduction:
We collected both childhood folklore and lullabies it the hopes of finding commonalities between the various pieces of folklore. All of the informants were interviewed at Dartmouth College either in person, over the phone, or by video chat. They were asked to share a lullaby, holiday tradition, or taboo saying/rhyme from their childhood. Once we completed all of the interviews we began to notice the similarities among them. Parental influence was one of the themes that appeared again and again. Obviosuly parents had almost complete control over the types of lullabies sung and the holiday traditions, but they also appeared to have influence with the taboo rhymes and sayings. Often, the informants remembered certain rhymes or sayings because they had a connection or significance to their parents. Another common theme we saw was that our lullabies were happy and uplifting verses threatening or scary. The holiday traditions we collected spanned across several countries and they revealed common themes of wishing and trying to attain good luck. Overall, this project taught us that even though childhood folklore and lullabies are widespread across states, countries and continent, one can identify central themes they revolve around.
Presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qDJMyx0MClml57k-xioTQorOKWSyUHOlJj4AjRCeYds/edit?usp=sharing
Items:
Lullabies
Taboo Rhymes/Sayings
Rhymes
Holidays
Spanish New Year’s Grape Tradition
Games
Collectors:
- Shannon Mukerji ’18
- Mikey Richards ’18
- Addie Chabot ’18
- Brian Keere ’18
- Chris Quintero ’18
Tags/Keywords
Childhood, Children, Taboo Rhymes, Holiday Traditions, Lullabies