Weblog Assignment #3: Living Folklore

Before I read this, I was a bit confused on what the concept "folklore" actually meant. These chapters helped me to better understand what folklore was, and what it was not. Sims and Stevens offer their definition:"Folklore is informally learned, unofficial knowledge about the world, ourselves, our communities, our beliefs, our cultures and our traditions, that is expressed through music, customs, actions, behaviors and materials." From what I understood, folklore basically is the story behind each tradition, and the tradition itself.
According to Sims and Stevens, folklore can be catagorized as verbal, material, and customary. Verbal folklore includes all oral traditions, including stories and tales, music, and phrases. I was suprised to know that material folklore can include architecture. I have always placed architecture in a solely historical persepective, never really tying in the ideas and stories behind the architecture itself. Other objects in material folklore included dreidels, and how they were used by different ethnic groups. As they go on to describe it, the term "folklore" becomes clearer, and also more abstract. It can inculde many different objects and stories, yet excludes objects that are part of "pop" culture that are often temporary. Customary lore, is a consistent way of doing something, that indicates involved membership. They give the example of one that encompasses the definition completely, a fraternity's secret handshake.
I have often overlooked many of these materials and stories; I never gave much thought to how they would be categorized, or the meanings behind them. I now see the value in studying and researching folklore, as it is something that brings and holds communities together. After reading the article, I believe it is even more essential to study folklore in places such as Jerusalem, where people are divided by walls and checkpoints, yet many of their traditions and ancient histories are similar. I found it interesting when Professor Horowitz mentioned that after researching the three different types of music found in each religion, all three monotheistic faiths had the same melody in which they prayed. *I hope I am remembering this correctly; it was something to this extent.* I hope the study of folklore in Jerusalem will be a way to connect the different people that live there, rather than separate them further.