Claymont High School - Clay Tablet Yearbook (Claymont, DE)

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FROM RUSSIA TO AMERICA Tiny Nichols, 8T HEN my parents came to America, they brought with them many Russian customs. Our holidays are celebrated at different times from American holidays. We celebrate Christmas on january seventh. Our Christmas is not observed by giving gifts of candy and toys. Instead we have a big meal and give clothes and things that weireally need. We have a less elaborate Christmas on December the twenty-fifth. We celebrate New Year's Day on January fourteenth. Like the Americans, we blow horns and make a lot of other noise. Our Easter this year came on May second. The midnight before Easter we go to church and stay until six o'clock. ln church we have to stand up all this time. There are just a few chairs in the rear of the church for the old ladies. My mother brought many old recipes with her from Russia. These l cannot spell, but l could pronounce them for you. One of these is a ground meat ball baked in a cabbage leaf. Another is a sort of dumpling stuffed with mashed potatoes, beans or prunes. My mother specializes in making soups. Some of these are beet soups, vegetable, and cabbage soups. We also eat many American dishes and many kinds of cakes of which they have never heard in Russia. UKRAINIAN SUPERSTITIONS Mary Chiz, 1937 IKE those of other countries, the people of Ukraine have superstitions of their own. Although many have been forgotten there are some that still exist and are observed care- fully, and sometimes fearfully. These have been handed down from generation to genera- tion and may seem laughable, but then what superstitions are not? Many Ukrainians even today will not wash their hair on Friday, for it is said that the hair keeps on growing after death if it is washed on this day. l remember an incident that was elated to me some time ago. It seems that a farmer while digging for a well came upon a bony scalp on which was the most beautiful blonde hairfjust as alive looking as though it were on a living person. l-low much truth is in this story l do not know. lt may be a product of someonels imagination. If you want to make bread someday, don't pick Friday. Some terrible misfortune may come to you. One evening my father caught me in the act of sweeping the floor and told me to stop immediately. When l asked, Why7 l was simply told I could do it in the morning just as well. My curiosity getting the best of me, l made further inquiries and found that it is be' lieved sleep is driven out of the house when the floor is swept after dark. To those who are superstitious, here is another one to add to your collection. When two people are standing on the opposite sides of a doorway and some object is handed to either person, it is considered bad luck to take the object. Of course all superstitions bring bad luck of some sort, and the Ukrainians are especially careful when there is an infant in the house. For instance, a different word for rabbit must be used in the presence of an infant lest some evil befall the child. A neighbor or friend must not come to borrow anything after dark where there is a small child for it is believed that something may happen. Une day in November which is celebrated by the Ukrainian children in the same order as l-lallowe'en is in America, the young girls make a gala occasion. A group gathers and each girl is compelled to carry water from the well to the house to make biscuits. After the biscuits are made they are set down by each girl and a dog is called in. The dog sniffs around a bit and picks out a biscuit to eat according to his taste. The owner of the first biscuit that the dog has eaten is the first to be married. Every girl wonders whom she will marry. Cn Christmas Eve the girl may go outside and listen for the barking of a dog. The direction in which the dog barks signifies where her husband-to-be may be found. Some people still believe in these superstitions, even those who have been naturalized and are Americans. They have been brought along with Ukrainian customs and traditions to make up another ingredient in the Melting Pot of the world.

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A TRIP TO NORWAY Gerd Zwilgmeyer, 1938 N the summer of 1934 our family went to Norway. We had been there before, but such a trip never fails to arouse one's interest weeks beforehand. In addition to the actual trip, we looked forward to seeing our grand-parents and other relatives. It had been four years since we had seen them. We sailed to that land of endless adventures on the S. S. Bergensfjord. On the way over I met some interesting people. A kind looking man was sitting on the upper deck looking idly at the sea. Beside him was an empty chair. He asked me if I wished to sit beside him and chat awhile. The stranger asked me several questions, and before long we were deep in conversation on art. It was not until the next day that I discovered his identity. A friend told me-Jonas Lie! Here I had spent a whole afternoon chatting with one of America's foremost artists. On the Scavenger Hunt, held when we were several days from America, one thing we were to get was a poem written by Herman Wildenvey, a Norwegian poet. I went to Mr. Wildenvey and asked him to write me a poem. Certainly, he said. He sat down and thought a minute, pen in hand. With a flourish he wrote a few lines and handed me a slip of paper. A poem! By Herman Wildenvey, too! On the eighth day of our voyage, we saw rising out of the sea before us a glorious country full of rugged mountains. A few hours later we arrived at Bergen, one of Norway's largest cities, situated among seven mountains. One of the most interesting places in Bergen is the German dock. Six hundred years ago the Germans went up to Norway and tried to take away Norway's flshing business. Along the dock is a long line of houses-the homes of the invaders. We went into one house. There were secret passages everywhere. They lead to secret rooms which we never suspected. Oftentimes there were secret passages between the houses. These were necessary in case the Norwegians raided the Dock Section. The beds were the queerest ones I had ever seen. They were like boxes in the wall. You pulled out the door of the box and crawled in. We spent a couple of weeks out in the deep farm country. It took a whole day of steady hiking to reach the little mountain village of Hallingdal from the station of Aal. The only means of getting to Hallingdal were walking and riding horseback. While we were there we made goat cheese. My cousin took out a large kettle about four and a half feet in diameter. We poured goat's milk into it and built a fire under it. It ml1St be stirred constantly for days. This was not such a hardship though, for we all took turns. Our neighbors helped us. When there are fifteen children and three maids in a family, there is plenty of stirring-power. Finally the cheese was brown and creamy. Then we poured it into moulds and let it cool. One of our most thrilling experiences was riding on the same train on which the royal family traveled. The King, Haakon VII, walked to the train on a long golden carpet which was laid on the station platform. Others of the family are: Queen Maud, their son, Kron- prince Olav, Princess Martha, his wife, and their children, the lovely princesses, Astrid and Ragnhild, and the new little Prince Harald. In Oslo, the capital, there is a large castle. Each Norwegian boy must serve as a castle guard at some time. We went to see the castle. While the rest of the family were talking about how large and beautiful it was, I decided to do some exploring for myself. I went around the corner of the castle and was inspecting an unguarded entrance. Suddenly, from nowhere, a guard popped out. He leveled his bayonet and commanded me to tell him where I was going. I didn't wait to answer. I turned around and fled. In September it was, Home again and home again, America for me. I am now looking forward to another wonderful trip to the beautiful country of my ancestors. We shall sail on the S. S. Bremen, on the 22nd of May. l

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FROM CASOLI TO CLAYMONT Carmile Gentile, 1938 1920 my father came to Claymont from Casoli, Italy to seek work with the idea of making America his home. He arrived at a time when there was a great demand for labor, but since he could speak no English, he found it difficult to make his way. Soon he learned about night classes in English which were conducted by the Adult Education Bureau of the State of Delaware. He attended these classes three nights every week, learned very quickly, and was soon reading, writing, and speaking English. He worked very hard to earn enough money to bring his family to America, which he succeeded in doing in November, 1929. On November 27, my mother and I landed in New York where my father met us. Later we came to Claymont and joined my brother who had come over in 1928. He had learned his trade in Italy and is now a successful tailor in one of the largest cities of our country. My father has risen to the class of skilled laborers and is giving his best to his employer and to his community. He has become a naturalized citizen. Since my mother does not speak English, we use the Italian language at home. My only American companion there is the radio. Although I am an American citizen, I should like to visit my native land and see the beautiful things that I have been reading about in our American books. EDITOR'S Nora:- There is in our school no better example of the significance of the term The Melting Pot than the boy who wrote this article. Carmile had reached the fifth grade in school in Italy, but as he knew no English, it was necessary for him to enter grade one when he came to our school in September, IQ3O. He also attended night school, and because of his rapid pro- gress, he was soon transferred to grade four. Each year thereafter brought promo- motion, until, at the end of grade seven, he received a double promotion. After attending summer school, he entered the ninth grade the following September. Next year he will be graduated from our school with scholastic records above the average. But even more important than his scholastic standing is the type of citizen he has become. In cooperation, loyalty, and courtesy he is outstanding. Italy gave to America this boy of good mind and character. America has given to him oppor- tunities to develop them. Italy and America have produced a fine citizen. CHRISTMAS SPIRIT IN UKRAINE fAs Told Me by My Motherj Myrtle Morrison, 1937 O sooner had the fast of Christmas commenced, than the people began preparations for the most important and the most joyous holiday of the year. Father selected a large, stout sheaf of wheat which he placed in the honorary corner behind the table and spread hay beneath the table. In the center of the table Mother placed two loaves of white bread, one on top of the other, and a candle in the top loaf. The candle was the only means of illumination and was burned in honor of the deceased. The Christmas Eve supper was a family festivity, and all members of the family joined in the common holy supper. A dish and a place at the table were reserved for each member who had died since the last Christmas so that their souls might come to be with the family. The holy supper commenced when the first star appeared in the sky. Mother had prepared a twelve course supper-a course in memory of each of the apostles-and all of them were fast dishes, prepared without meat and dairy products. The entire family prayed, and the meal began with kutya. This exclusive Christmas Eve delicacy had been prepared from whole wheat grains cooked for many hours and seasoned with honey and poppy seeds. Father took a spoonful of it and threw it against the ceiling. The greater the number of grains that adhered to the ceiling, the more prosperous would be the new year. Dish followed dish. There were soups: borshch, the typical