Folklore includes proverbs.
Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people ; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture , subculture or group .. These include oral traditions such as tales , proverbs and jokes .. oral traditions. oral traditions. tales. Narrative. proverbs. proverbs. jokes. jokes. They include material culture , ranging from traditional building styles to handmade toys common to the group .. material culture. material culture. traditional. traditional. Folklore also includes customary lore , the forms and rituals of celebrations such as Christmas and weddings , folk dances and initiation rites .. customary lore. Tradition. lore. :wikt :lore. Each one of these , either singly or in combination , is considered a folklore artifact .. folklore artifact. Cultural artifact. Just as essential as the form , folklore also encompasses the transmission of these artifacts from one region to another or from one generation to the next .. For folklore is not taught in a formal school curriculum or studied in the fine arts .. fine arts. fine arts. Instead these traditions are passed along informally from one individual to another either through verbal instruction or demonstration .. The academic study of folklore is called folkloristics .. folkloristics. folkloristics. To fully understand folklore , it is helpful to clarify its component parts  : the terms folk and lore .. lore. :wikt :lore. It is well-documented that the term was coined in 1846 by the Englishman William Thoms .. William Thoms. William Thoms. He fabricated it to replace the contemporary terminology of `` popular antiquities '' or `` popular literature '' .. The second half of the compound word , lore , proves easier to define as its meaning has stayed relatively stable over the last two centuries .. lore. :wikt :lore. Coming from Old English lar ` instruction , ' and with German and Dutch cognates , it is the knowledge and traditions of a particular group , frequently passed along by word of mouth .. The concept of folk proves somewhat more elusive .. When Thoms first created this term , folk applied only to rural , frequently poor and illiterate peasants .. A more modern definition of folk is a social group which includes two or more persons with common traits , who express their shared identity through distinctive traditions .. `` Folk is a flexible concept which can refer to a nation as in American folklore or to a single family . ''. American folklore. Folklore of the United States. This expanded social definition of folk supports a broader view of the material , i.e. the lore , considered to be folklore artifacts .. lore. :wikt :lore. These now include all `` things people make with words -LRB- verbal lore -RRB- , things they make with their hands -LRB- material lore -RRB- , and things they make with their actions -LRB- customary lore -RRB- '' .. customary lore. Tradition. lore. :wikt :lore. Folklore is no longer circumscribed as being chronologically old or obsolete .. The folklorist studies the traditional artifacts of a social group and how they are transmitted .. traditional. traditional. Transmission is a vital part of the folklore process .. Without communicating these beliefs and customs within the group over space and time , they would become cultural shards relegated to cultural archaeologists .. For folklore is also a verb .. These folk artifacts continue to be passed along informally , as a rule anonymously and always in multiple variants .. folk artifacts. Cultural artifacts. The folk group is not individualistic , it is community-based and nurtures its lore in community .. lore. :wikt :lore. `` As new groups emerge , new folklore is created ... surfers , motorcyclists , computer programmers '' .. computer programmers. :Category :Computer folklore. In direct contrast to high culture , where any single work of a named artist is protected by copyright law , folklore is a function of shared identity within the social group .. high culture. high culture. Having identified folk artifacts , the professional folklorist strives to understand the significance of these beliefs , customs and objects for the group .. folk artifacts. Cultural artifacts. For these cultural units would not be passed along unless they had some continued relevance within the group .. That meaning can however shift and morph .. So Halloween of the 21st century is not the All Hallows ' Eve of the Middle Ages , and even gives rise to its own set of urban legends independent of the historical celebration .. Halloween. Halloween. urban legends. Poisoned candy myths. The cleansing rituals of Orthodox Judaism were originally good public health in a land with little water ; now these customs signify identification as an Orthodox Jew .. Compare this to brushing your teeth , also transmitted within a group , which remains a practical hygiene and health issue and does not rise to the level of a group-defining tradition .. For tradition is initially remembered behavior .. Once it loses its practical purpose , there is no reason for further transmission unless it has been imbued with meaning beyond the initial practicality of the action .. This meaning is at the core of folkloristics , the study of folklore .. folkloristics. folkloristics. With an increasingly theoretical sophistication of the social sciences , it has become evident that folklore is a naturally occurring and necessary component of any social group , it is indeed all around us .. It does not have to be old or antiquated .. It continues to be created , transmitted and in any group is used to differentiate between `` us '' and `` them '' .