Teeth:
The Early Years*
print
single page
What Tooth Fairy?
In Spain, the tooth is taken from under the pillow not by a fairy but by a mouse named Ratoncito Perez.
The Yupik people of Alaska wrap the tooth in a piece of meat or bread and feed it to a female dog. Then the child says, "Replace this tooth with a better one."
In Costa Rica, mothers have their child's first lost tooth made into a gold-plated earring.
In parts of Africa and Asia, a lost lower tooth is thrown on the roof, so a new tooth can grow upward. An upper tooth goes under the bed, so a new one can grow down.
These toothsome traditions were pulled from Throw Your Tooth on the Roof, by Selby B. Beeler.
< previous | 2
