What is Folklore?

The Green Mountain Folklore Society was founded in 1948 to collect, preserve and make available the folklore of Vermont. After featuring many folklore items over the past few years, we decided that we really should have started with a definition and description of folklore! So, taking the lead from the Green Mountain Folklore Society:

Folklore may be divided into the following classes:

FOLKWAYS:  Ceremonies, customs, remedies, household hints, handicrafts, costumes, games, dances.

FOLKSAY:  Proverbs, puzzles, mottoes, diaries, local words and expressions, epitaphs, local sayings.

FOLK BELIEFS:  Supernatural occurrences, weather signs, dreams, omens, prophecies, planting beliefs.

FOLK TALES: Legends, ghost stories, anecdotes about historical figures, places or events, fables, myths.

FOLK VERSE:  Childhood verse, descriptive verse about persons, places, objects, poems that are patriotic, religious or humorous, and love poems.

FOLK SONGS:  Songs about heroes, tragedies, ceremonies, games, work, political campaigns, tavern songs.

Source: The Green Mountain Folklore Society Brochure.