Tag Archives: student

Stepping on the Field (George Altirs)

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Title: Stepping on the Field

General Information about Item:

Genre: Customary Lore, Superstition

Country of Origin: Israel

Informant: OY

Date Collected: 10-28-21

Informant Data:

OY is a player on Dartmouth Men’s Soccer team in the Class of 2022 at Dartmouth. He was born in Israel and lived there until he was 10 years old. He played on a recreational soccer team there. He then moved to Boston when he was 10 with his family. He went to Brookline High School, but he played on a separate professional youth team called New England Revolution. His younger brother and sister also play soccer.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: One day, OY was watching the professional team Maccabi Haifa in Israel at the age of 9 (2009). He saw that a player ran onto the field with a little stutter step, where he stepped onto the field with his right foot and hopped on it again before stepping onto his left. That player scored the winning goal in the game, and OY admired him. OY started doing the same thing, believing that it will make him play well like that player. He had been doing that ever since when he steps out onto a soccer field, and he still does it in his Dartmouth games. I noticed that OY does this before games, and I asked him about it, which is where I collected this piece of folklore.

Cultural Context: In Israel, soccer is the most popular sport, in contrast to the US. OY used to play soccer in the streets and in school with his friends. Oftentimes in soccer, children see professional players doing things, and they want to be like them. This is the case with OY and other kids in Israel during that time. They saw that a player was doing something, and they did the same thing. They then will keep that ritual or superstition going for the rest of their life.

Item:

When OY runs on to the soccer field for the first time before a game, he always steps over the sideline with his right foot first, then hops again on his right foot before stepping on his left. He needs to do this so that he can play well.

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

Ohad Yahalom - Men's Soccer - Dartmouth College Athletics

Transcript:

“When I was younger, I saw this player step onto the field in a certain way, and I really liked the way that player played. I really wanted to be like him, which is why I started to do this routine when stepping on the field and believing in the superstition.”

Informant’s Comments:

This is something that I’ve done for almost my whole life. At this point, it’s just something that I do to make me feel comfortable. I know that it probably doesn’t affect my performance, but I just feel weird if I don’t do it.

Collector’s Comments:

I know, firsthand (as a soccer player), that this is something that happens a lot in soccer. Children always love imitating the routines and mannerisms of their favorite professional players and let these routines adapt for themselves over the years as they get older.

Collector’s Name:

George Altirs

Dartmouth College

Russian 13: Slavic Folklore

Professors Gronas and Apresjan

21F

Making contact with a Classmate with the Best GPA (South Korea)

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Title: Making contact with a Classmate with the Best GPA (South Korea)

General Information

  • Customary Folklore: Pre-test custom, superstition
  • Interview Language: English
  • Location of Origin: Seoul, South Korea
  • Informant: SM (currently a junior in high school)
  • Date Collected: 10/26/2021

Informant

  •  SM is currently a junior in an international school in Seoul, South Korea. She describes herself as an “overachiever” when it comes to grades and said that she tends to get very nervous before important tests such as midterms and final exams. Prior to entering an international school in 10th grade, she studied at a Korean middle school and high school where she experienced a lot of cut-throat competition.

Contextual Data

  • Cultural Context: The informant’s experience of attending a Korean middle school and high school has led her to endorse this superstition. Unlike how students are assessed and graded based on their individual performance in the American education system, the Korean education system forces some schools to assess students based on how well they do compared to other students. Only the top one or two percent of students are allowed to get an A on their transcript. This creates extra competition as well as an intense and almost toxic environment in which students must study harder to do better than their classmates. Consequently, Korean students, especially those in middle and high school, tend to endorse unscientific superstitions that may help them to feel better when taking an important test. Some of these superstitions, such as the item below, involve contagious magic. The informant did emphasize that this is not something that most Korean students would typically do.
  • Social Context: This item was collected inevitably over a scheduled zoom call due to the 13-hour time difference between Hanover and Seoul, South Korea. The informant noted that she would usually do this ritual the day before she takes an important test and that she started doing it because one of her friends told her about it.

Item

  • Before taking a test, students may approach the classmate with the best GPA and request that they hold a pencil or pencil case in their hand. Doing this is said to make the students taking the test feel better. In some cases, students may even ask for a strand of hair from the classmate. They would then place the hair inside their mechanical pencils and use them to take the test.

Associated File

Review : KBDMania - 국민 샤프 JEDO 다시는 돌아올 수 없는 영광?
This is an image of some typical mechanical pencils that Korean students might use. The lid can be separated from the main part of the pencil, showing a tiny empty space where a loose hair may be placed.

Transcript

  • “I know this sounds, like, super weird, but I try going to a classmate with the best GPA and ask for them to hold my pencil for a bit. Then I’d take it back and use that pencil to take the test – I don’t really use another pencil. Sometimes I ask them to just hold my pencil case. I don’t do this, trust me, but I also know that some students would ask for a strand of loose hair from the best person in the class and put it inside their mechanical pencils when they take the test.”

Informant’s Comments

  • “I know that the hair part is, like, super weird. And I’m trying not to do something like this in general. I don’t want to rely on stuff like this. But sometimes it just makes me feel a little better.”

Collector’s Comments

  • I can empathize with the informant’s concerns regarding how bizarre this superstition may look. I went to a Korean middle school, and the competition was definitely intense enough for a student to resort to measures such as this.

Collector’s Name: Jea Mo

Tags/Keywords

  • Korean
  • Customary Folklore
  • Pre-test ritual

“This Little Piggy” (Jennifer Wendelken)

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Title: This Little Piggy

General Information about Item:

Verbal Folklore Language: English

Language: English

Country of Origin: United States

Informant:  Adelia Rattray

Date Collected: 10-9-21

Informant Data: 

Adelia “Dede” Rattray was born May 23, 2001 in Providence, Rhode Island. Both of her parents are from Long Island, New York. She is a junior at Dartmouth and a member of Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority on campus. Dede has an older brother and a younger sister. Dede noted that “This Little Piggy” was one of many lullabies her parents would both sing to her and her siblings as children, but that this lullaby was her favorite and most prominent memory growing up.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: 
“This Little Piggy” was one of many lullabies sung to Dede growing up, but she noted that this one was her favorite because when her dad sang it to her, he would soften his voice every time he sang it through until he was whispering and she fell asleep. She thinks that her dad put the children’s rhyme to a tune because she noted that everyone she knew growing up did not think there was a lullaby tune to it.

Cultural Context: 

This lullaby originated in London in the 1760s with ‘pigs’ instead of ‘little piggy’. It was not until the mid-20th century that ‘little piggy’ became popular. Dede’s parents are both from New York and were familiar with the rhyme. This shows how songs and folklore can be shared and change over time. Dede and her two siblings share fond memories of this lullaby so it has brought them together as a family.

Item:
This little piggy went to the market
This little piggy stayed home
This little piggy had roast beef
This little piggy had none
This little piggy went wee wee wee
All the way back home

Associated file: 

This-Little-PiggyDownload

Informant Comments: 
Thinking about my childhood with lullabies right now has brought back significant and happy memories from growing up. This reminds me of my dad and the gentle impacts he had on my upbringing.

Collector Comments: 
I really enjoyed hearing Dede talk so passionately and candidly about her childhood experience. She is a friend of mine so getting a glimpse into her family and fond memories was so special and made me reflect on my own experiences.

Collectors Name: Jennifer Wendelken

Tags: Dartmouth, English, female, student, verbal folklore

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep (Jennifer Wendelken)

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Title: Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

General Information about Item:

Verbal Folklore
Language: English
Country of Origin: United States
Informant:  Peter Rizzotti
Date Collected: 10-2-21

Informant Data: 
Peter Rizzotti was born on May 13, 2000, in Sudbury, Massachusetts. Peter’s mother is from Boston, MA and his father is from Ridgewood, New Jersey. He has one younger brother. Peter is a senior on the men’s lacrosse team at Dartmouth and a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity. He was raised Catholic in a traditional family home. Peter shared that some of his earliest memories were his mother singing Ba Ba Black Sheep to him before bed as a child.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: 
“Ba Ba Black Sheep” was the only lullaby that Peter’s mother sang to him growing up. She would sing this lullaby to his little brother and him whenever they could not fall asleep or if they awoke from a nightmare and were scared. He talked about how his mother is not the warmest individual, but whenever she sang them “Ba Ba Black Sheep” she was tender and loving.

Cultural Context: 
This lullaby was first written in England in 1744 but matched to a tune in Philadelphia in 1879. There is now controversy over the negative racial implications associated with the lyrics, and there are now versions released with adjectives other than ‘black’ including ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘hopping’, and ‘pink’. Peter was sung “Baa Baa Black Sheep” by his mother because her own mother also sang the lullaby to her growing up. This shows how family traditions are passed down through generations.

Item: 
Ba Ba Black Sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full.
One for my master,
One for the dame,
One for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.

Associated file: 

Ba-Ba-Black-Sheep-_Master-Recording_Download

Informant Comments: 
My parents did not really sing lullabies to my brother and me often, but my mom sang “Baa Baa Black Sheep” to us whenever we had trouble falling asleep or had a bad nightmare. I really used to like it when she sang to us and sometimes I would fake not being able to sleep just so she would sing to me.

Collector Comments: 
Peter is one of my very good friends who does not share much about his childhood so it was great to hear him talk about a tender memory he has with his mom. It was harder to get information out of him which I think can be attributed to masculinity.

Collectors Name: Jennifer Wendelken

Tags: Dartmouth, student, male, English, verbal, family, childhood

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Jennifer Wendelken)

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Title: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

General Information about Item:
Verbal Folklore
Language: English
Country of Origin: United States
Informant:  Jason Montima
Date Collected: 10-14-21

Informant Data: 
Jason “Jay” Montima was born on June 24, 1999, in Groton, Massachusetts. His parents are both from Haiti and work in the medical field in the Boston area. Jay is a senior on the squash team at Dartmouth and is a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity. He has one older brother. Jason speaks Haitian Creole fluently and talks with his parents in Creole around their family home. Interestingly, Jay’s parents sang English lullabies to him as a child to help assimilate him into American culture and to help with their own English-speaking abilities.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: 
Jay’s parents sang a few lullabies to him and his brother growing up when he was too energetic to fall asleep, but Jay has the clearest memories of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. His brother is 9 years older than him, so when his brother would babysit him, he would also sing it to Jay. Jason talked about how he never thought much about why his Creole-speaking parents chose to sing to him in English until he was in high school but says it made sense to him when they told him they wanted to practice their own English.

Cultural Context: 
Coming from a strong Haitian family heritage, Jay is very familiar with other Haitian music and stories, but he noted how his lullabies were all sung in English. Mixing American and Haitian culture has been a theme in Jay’s life across most of his experiences. His parents wanted Jay and his brother to have an American upbringing, sending him to Boston preparatory schools his whole life. He says it makes sense to him that his childhood lullabies were all sung in English because his parents would also read English children’s books to him growing up.

Item: 
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are

Associated file: 

Informant Comments: 
I appreciate my parents putting effort into exposing my brother and me to both American and Haitian traditions growing up. I am very comfortable with both my identities and how they have mixed all my life. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is a staple from my childhood.

Collector Comments: 
Jay is one of my closest friends so learning about his mixed background was super interesting. I haven’t talked much with him about his early childhood so hearing about the balance of Haitian and American culture in his earliest days was really enjoyable.

Collectors Name: Jennifer Wendelken

Tags: Dartmouth, student, male, family, English

“A Bushel and a Peck” (Jennifer Wendelken)

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Title: A Bushel and a Peck

General Information about Item:
Verbal Folklore
Language: English
Country of Origin: United States
Informant: Rosie McCarthy
Date Collected: 10-17-21

Informant Data:

Rosie McCarthy was born on November 16th, 2001. Her mom grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and her father grew up in Portland, Oregon. She currently lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her parents. Rosie is a sophomore on the lacrosse team at Dartmouth. She has three older sisters whom she is very close with. She shared with me that the lullaby “A Bushel and a Peck” we collected was a key part of her childhood, as well as in her mother’s life because her grandmother would sing it to her mom.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

This lullaby was sung to her and her sisters every night before falling asleep when they were little. Her mom wanted to continue the tradition of singing this lullaby to her daughters because it was sung to her. Rosie’s mother would pat her back to the tune of the lullaby, just as her own mother would do for her. When her mom couldn’t sing it to her, her older sisters would sing it to her instead.


Cultural Context:

Rosie’s family’s tradition of “A Bushel and a Peck” being sung on her mother’s side is remarkable. Rosie’s mother and grandmother both sang this lullaby to their daughters growing up and each generation was impacted by it. Rosie and her three sisters all feel a special connection to the lullaby and plan on continuing the family tradition with their children, daughters and sons alike. This lullaby originated from the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls in 1950. Rosie was not sure if that was how her grandmother first heard it.

Item:
I love you, a bushel and a peck,
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck
A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap
A barrel and a heap and I’m talkin’ in my sleep,
About you

Associated file:

A-bushel-and-a-peckDownload

Informant Comments:
This lullaby is super special to me and one of my earliest childhood memories. My mom would pat my back to the tune of the lullaby the same way my grandma would do to my mom. My sisters and I have talked to my mom about her childhood a lot so feeling connected to her upbringing through A Bushel and a Peck has been a great experience.

Collector Comments:
Rosie is one of my teammates and I know her family pretty well. It was awesome to hear such a special family tradition surrounding a lullaby. It was super interesting to see how Rosie’s female family members were brought together in this way.

Collectors Name: Jennifer Wendelken

Tags: Dartmouth, female, tradition, family, student

Yale Superstitions

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Title: Yale Superstitions – Grace Lee

General Information about Item:

  • Customary and Verbal Lore, Magic Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Grace Lee
  • Date Collected: 11/15/21

Informant Data:

  • Grace Lee is a female student-athlete at Yale University and is in the class of 2023. She is from Colorado and is currently 21 years old. She is living in Connecticut and is currently out of the lineup of her team due to a hamstring injury. She plans to pursue a career in business after college. 

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The cultural context is being part of a group that participates in the chant that is passed down from team to team.  
  • Social Context: The social context is chanting with a group of girls and saying the same words at the same time. They collectively put their arms around each other and say the words in unison. 

Item:

  • This item is a customary type of folklore under the genre of magic superstition, and also includes verbal folklore. Grace performs this superstition before each home game. 

Transcript:

  • “My coach calls each line into the hallway for a line meeting before each game, encouraging us to work together and we do a small cheer to bring up our energy levels. This allows us to feel motivated and have a positive attitude while working on communication.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • Grace described being part of group superstitions rather than individual, commenting that she recommends expanding groups to feel inclusive and more part of a team. 

Collector’s Comments:

  • I thought it was unique that Grace only described this superstition and did not mention and individual ones, placing emphasis on how the meeting and chant created a uniqueness to her team that she has never felt before and if they met and did the chant together they had complete trust in each other and would play well. 

Collector’s Name: Currie Putrah 

Cornell Superstitions

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Title: Cornell Superstitions – Izzy Daniels

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Lore, Magic Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Izzy Daniels
  • Date Collected: 11/15/21

Informant Data:

  • Izzy Daniels is a female athlete at Cornell and is in the class of 2024. She is from Edina, MN and has lived there her whole life. She is currently living in Ithaca, NY and is playing for the women’s ice hockey team. She is involved in many things on campus and loves spending time with her teammates.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The cultural context is that many teams pass down superstitions from one class year to the next.
  • Social Context: The social context is being in a small group of people participating in the same action of wearing the bracelet. 
  • The magic substances in these superstitions are the bracelets. 

Item:

  • These items are customary types of folklore under the genre of magic superstition. Izzy wears the bracelet with her teammates before and during each home game. 

Transcript:

  • “Every other year three seniors hand down special bracelets to three juniors on the team. I received one this year along with my three closest friends and we have to wear them for each game or we will not play well. This has been going on for as long as I can remember.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • Izzy adopted these superstitions from teammates before her who she was friends with, and now does these things with two of her closest friends on the team.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I think it is very unique that a group of three people has the opportunity to wear these bracelets each year, and it is a superstition that is passed on to new teammates every other year that helps players gain confidence in their new teams and feel connected to the people that came before them. 

Collector’s Name: Currie Putrah 

Cornell Superstitions

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Title: Cornell Superstitions – Lily Delianedis 

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Lore, Magic Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Lily Delianedis 
  • Date Collected: 11/09/21

Informant Data:

  • Lily Delianedis is a female athlete at Cornell and is in the class of 2025. She is from Edina, MN and moved there when she was in middle school from Cape Cod. She is currently living in New York and is undeclared for her major. She plans to get her Master’s Degree after Cornell and wants to live on the East Coast when she is older.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The cultural context is that many hockey players go to coffee shoes before games and re-tape their sticks as well.
  • Social Context: The social context is interacting with people who participate in the handshakes and re-taping their sticks together. 
  • The magic substances in these superstitions are hot chocolate, tape, and the team sign. 

Item:

  • These items are customary types of folklore under the genre of magic superstition. Lily performs these before each home game. 

Transcript:

  • “I have to drive to a coffee shop and get a hot chocolate, then drive around and listen to music. When we have our team warm ups I have to tap a certain wall during warmups, and do a specific handshake with one of my teammates. I have to tape my stick before our team warm ups and tap our team sign in the locker room with my stick on the way out to the ice before the first period. If I do not do these things then I will feel off and I will not have a good game.”  

Informant’s Comments:

  • Lily said she adopted these superstitions from teammates before her who she was friends with, and now does these things with two of her closest friends on the team, recommending others to do so as well.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I was interested that their team does not have any collective superstitions or group superstitions, but they do have rituals that they like to complete before games such as playing spikeball or participating in a race. However, these things are not cause and result and are not necessary to be completed in order to play well. 

Collector’s Name: Currie Putrah 

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary Lore
  • Magic Superstition 
  • Sticks
  • Tape
  • Sign
  • Hot Chocolate

Princeton Superstitions

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Title: Princeton Superstitions – Annie Kuehl 

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Lore, Sign Superstition, Magic Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Annie Kuehl 
  • Date Collected: 11/10/21

Informant Data:

  • Annie Kuehl is a female Princeton student in the class of 2024. She is from Edina, Minnesota and lived there her whole life. She is currently living in Princeton, NJ. At school Annie is on the Women’s Ice Hockey team and plans to pursue a career in business. She has 2 superstitions that she follows strictly before games. 

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The cultural context is being part of a team where other girls use white stick tape as well, which is a superstition passed down from team to team. 
  • Social Context: The social context is interacting with people who also tape their back-up sticks before games, along with getting caffeine. 
  • The magic substance in the superstition about taping her sticks is the white tape. 

Item:

  • This item is a customary type of folklore under the genre of magic superstition. Annie performs these before each home game. 

Transcript:

  • “If CVS is out of Celcius Green Tea Lemonade then I will go to Starbucks and get a Venti Iced Vanilla latte. I tape all 3 of my sticks with white tape before our team warm ups.  ‘I once broke my stick and had to use my backup, which had the worst tape job of my life, so ever since then I’ve starting taping all 3,’”

Informant’s Comments:

  • Annie mentioned that if she did not do these two things or if she only taped two sticks then she would play badly and not be able to communicate with the women she plays with. She also said she now tapes her backup sticks with her linemates in order to play well. 

Collector’s Comments:

  • I was very intrigued by Annie’s superstitions because she was the first person who mentioned a sign superstition. It was also interesting to hear about the reason she tapes all three of her sticks based on something that happened to her, but that how she started using white tape initially was because her idol on the team did before her. 

Collector’s Name: Currie Putrah