Reflection

This class was overall a wonderful learning experience for me. As someone who thoroughly enjoys mythology, I absolutely loved learning about various creatures and folklore that exists all around us. Living Folklore did a wonderful job of explaining what folklore itself is as well as helping the reader discover examples of folklore that we may have known about since we were very young. Brittany did a wonderful job of explaining things in great detail as well as answering any and all questions the class had. Folklore was a very engaging class from day one and I would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in fairy tales and mythology. The very first thing we ever learned in the class was about zombies. Our traditional zombie is not what the media portrays them to be which is the source of the fine line between folklore and pop culture. We learned that there are specific differences between these two topics. Pop culture is fleeting and almost entirely made up where as folklore is something that a vast number of people may know about and or participate in; typically for centuries.

I personally enjoyed the interpreting folklore presentation the most. I loved seeing how our traditional fairy tales are in fact very old stories with origins in almost every part of the world. It opened my eyes to the fact that folklore is embedded deep in our cultures and all around us in every day life.

Overall, folklore was a very fulfilling class that brought a lot of learning and happiness to my life. I enjoyed every second of it and I personally feel that Brittany should teach a mythology class.

Representation of course work

Rites of Passage Presentation

Day of the Dead Poster

Hungry Ghost

By Kadin Mercer and RaeShelle Erickson

On the 15^th night of the seventh lunar month, Taoists and Buddhists hold a festival in China called the Hungry Ghost Festival. It goes by several names such as Ullambana Festival Buddhism, the Ghost Festival and Mid-July Festival. The seventh month of Chinese calendar is also called Ghost Month. The story goes that on the 15^th night of Ghost Month the gates to heaven and hell are left open, allowing ghosts and dead people into the world to seek out delicious meals. Back in the day, people lit lanterns and placed them on the road, in the river, and anywhere else to provide light as they wondered. Some left shoes off for the ghosts to use, and others prayed to ease any pain that their parents may be feeling on the other side.

A sacrificial altar is made for the priest in front of villages or at street entrances. Under the altar sits peaches and flour-made rice. Traditionally there are three spirit tablets and three funeral banners. At noon various animals, cakes and fruits are placed on the altar. These are donated by families. Any sacrificial objects placed will receive a triangular paper with three colors and special characters from the priest. The Buddhist priest rings a loud bell to call back the lost souls while other monks will sing chimes and incantations. After this the priest throws the rice and peaches in all directions for the souls. This festival is meant to feed the ghosts of the ancestors to avoid their wrath.

Interpreting Folklore Presentation