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Historical
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Traditions:
South Florida Folklife Oral Tradition
Among the Jewish people, however, storytelling has been maintained as an intrinsic part of the faith. Folktales have been a vehicle of Judaic religious instruction since the earliest times. The Old Testament contains moral tales, parables, and proverbs based on stories; the Talmud (legal code) records many legends concerning wise men; in postbiblical times, the Midrash (a compilation of legalist commentary and interpretation of the Old Testament) recounted oral traditions, or Hagada, about the wisdom of Abraham, David, Solomon and other spiritual heroes. Since the sect was founded in eighteenth century Eastern Europe, the Hasidim have fostered the transmission of legends celebrating the miraculous gifts of holy men. Jewish folktales often share the same plots as tales told in other cultures, but they differ in the elaboration of details such as time, place, characters or message. For instance, the tales may reflect important points in the Jewish yearly cycle, such as the Sabbath or holy festivals, or recount the philosophy and adventures of famous rabbis. In most cases, Jewish tales illustrate a moral lesson. Today it is apparent that written Jewish literature and rabbinical teachings have encouraged rather than destroyed the culture’s oral traditions. For instance, many folktales derive from sermons delivered in the synagogue. Storytelling also has a well-established place in their religious or festive activities. Folktales are used in Hebrew schools to educate youngsters about Jewish history and tradition. In addition, certain stories are traditionally told at appointed times, such as during mourning, marriage celebrations or Sabbath meals. Less serious tales may be told in the informal context of family gatherings. Religious Beliefs and Customs Religion is an area particularly rich in traditional belief and custom. All formal religions include rituals, material culture, celebrations, and beliefs that are maintained and communicated outside official church doctrine. Moreover, some religions are based wholly upon beliefs and customs learned orally or through example from other members of the faith. Both categories of traditional religious belief and practice are considered folk religion. Santeria, a folk religion brought from Cuba, is growing in popularity in South Florida. Derived primarily from the West African Yoruba religion brought to Cuba by slaves, many aspects of Santeria are similar to those existing in Africa today. However, long contact with Catholicism produced a blending of numerous elements. For instance, each deity, or orisha, is identified with a particular Catholic saint on the basis of similar characteristics: African Chango with Santa Barbara, Babalu-Aye with San Lazaro, Obatala with Our Lady of Mercy, and so on. Practitioners of Santeria, or santeros, believe that the world exists on two planes — an earthly human plane and a spiritual one where the orishas reside. Human beings are expected to conduct a moral life by living in harmony with people, the orishas and the natural environment. A hierarchy of priests teaches the santeros the tenets of the religion and reveals the wisdom of the orishas through several types of divination. The most important divination system is Ifa, in which a priest throws a chain of eight seed pods, called an opele. Each of the pods may land on the up or down side, resulting in 256 possible combinations, each of which is associated with verses, stories, and prescriptions for behavior. Music and dance are essential features of Santeria. Religious parties called bembes are held to honor a deity, celebrate the initiation of a practitioner, or mark the birthday of a believer into the faith. At the bembe, one of three types of musical ensembles performs music and songs to praise the orishas. The bata ensemble, composed of three musicians each playing a double-headed, hourglass-shaped drum, performs the most sacred type of music. Many objects are important to devotional activities, and santeros learn to make, use, and understand them during their initiation. Each santero specializes in certain aspects of the religion and acquires a profound understanding of the arts associated with that specialty. For instance, beadwork is a common decorative element on many artifacts used in Santeria, such as the collares, or necklaces bestowed upon initiates. Each collar contains the protective power of the orisha it represents and is beaded in the pattern symbolic of that orisha. A necklace dedicated to Chango may consist of repetitions of six alternate red and white beads.
 
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Folktales are one of many
types of oral folk literature. In times past, they served to entertain
after the day's work had been done and to educate the young about the
group’s history and values. The combination of today's hectic pace,
the fragmentation of families and communities, and the entertainment supplied
by the mass media have diminished the importance of folktales in the lives
of most Americans.
