As I was sorting through the enormous amount of books we have in our ‘classroom’, I found a book I had forgotten I had.  Not sure how I acquired it but it is very interesting.  The book is called Curious Customsby Tad Tuleja.

This book contains stories behind 296 popular American rituals.  For example, have you ever wondered why we blow out candles on birthday cakes or throw rice at weddings?  This book will explain all the rituals we do without really knowing the meaning behind them.

Have you ever wondered why we cross our fingers to wish someone luck, to avoid bad luck or when we are saying something untrue and don’t want to held accountable for it?  We always say, ‘keep your fingers crossed’ or ‘that didn’t count, my fingers were crossed’.  Well it all started with Desmond Morris and his colleagues and it was called the ‘cryptic version’ of the cross.  This was a way for Christians to display their beliefs without attracting the attention of pagan eyes.  It was only after its origins were obscured by longstanding repetition did the crossing of the fingers, turn into a social gesture performed by Christians and non-Christians.

How about the term, ‘going dutch’?  This term to us means sharing in the expenses of a social engagement.  In the late 19th century, there were Dutch lunches and Dutch suppers that were more like our potlucks of today.  Everyone contributed to these meals bringing a covered dish of their liking to share.  But linking of the Dutch with things that shouldn’t be done and particularly cheapness and shams dates back to the 17th century.  At that time the Dutch and the English were mercantile and military rivals.  At that time a ‘Dutch bargain’ was an uneven or one-sided deal and ‘Dutch widow’ was the slang word for harlot.  So in essence to split expenses with a femal was to behave, according to the cavaliers of the mother country, like those suspicious folks from across the Channel.

This is a very interesting book and one we will use in our home schooling curriculum this year.  It contains facts that one would not normally think about when it comes to our customs.  Another great find amongst the enormous amount of books I have acquired through out the years.  If you are able to obtain a copy of this book, please do, you won’t be disappointed.

The Chronicles continue…..

Trackback URI | Comments RSS