In many parts of the world, when a child loses a tooth, the Tooth Fairy comes to collect it and leaves money in its place. However, in Hispanic countries they have a different tradition.
It all started in 1894 in Spain when the king’s little son lost his first tooth. The king, wishing to mark this special event, had a priest named Luis Coloma write a story for the kid about losing his tooth. The priest created the character “Ratoncito Perez,” also known as Perez the Mouse. The story was incredibly successful and is still beloved by Hispanic children. The English translation is here.
Interestingly, while many Hispanic countries use a similar mouse, his methods vary. For instance, the children in Argentina don’t put their teeth under their pillow, but in a glass of water. Apparently the little critter gets thirsty and these considerate children are putting a drink out for him. And in several countries he is known as the “magic mouse” instead of simply Perez.
Tossing it up on the roof
As with many American traditions, the tooth fairy has roots in European folklore. Historians say that the tradition of burying a lost tooth in the garden or surrounding field was done in hopes that the permanent tooth could then grow in the child’s mouth to take its place. This tradition was also steeped in superstition because of the belief that if a witch got hold of the tooth, a curse could be placed on the child or the tooth-holder could have power over the child. (Some more ancient European traditions even called for throwing the baby tooth into the fire to ensure a child was free from any magical intervention.) The tradition of burying the tooth changed because when cities began to grow, teeth were planted in flower pots or planter boxes as open space dwindled. The next progression of the story is that the dirt was done away with all together and the tooth was “buried” under a pillow. Who comes for the tooth? Well, it depends on where you live.
In England, Canada, and Australia, the tooth fairy tradition is the same as ours. In Denmark, the tooth fairy has the name “Tandfeen,” and leaves money behind. The idea of relationships as well as financial exchanges between people and benevolent fairies has been around for many years, especially in English literature. But fairies are not the only collector of baby teeth in the world.
In France, the “buried” tooth under the pillow is collected by “La Petite Souris,” a little mouse who will exchange the tooth for money or candies. In Spain, it is the mouse named Ratoncito Perez who collects the tooth and leaves treasure. In Argentina, children put their tooth in a glass of water. El Ratoncito comes to drink the water, takes the tooth, and leaves treasure behind in the glass. In Mexico, Guatemala, Columbia, and Venezuela, El Ratón, the magic mouse, has the honors. Some children chant, “Rat, rat, rat. I give you a beautiful tooth. Send me back an old tooth,“ hoping to trick the rat into giving the child what he/she really wants. In South Africa, the tooth is placed in a slipper and a mouse takes it and leaves a gift in its place. In some areas of Greece, a mouse also takes the tooth. In other areas, the tooth is not buried but thrown up on the roof of the house for a pig to take. A rhyme is chanted, which loosely translates: “Take sow my tooth and give me an iron one so that I can chew rusks.”
Throwing the tooth on the roof seems sort of odd compared to our way of doing things, but it is how most children in the world dispose of their baby or “milk” teeth. In India, the tooth is thrown on the roof in hopes that a sparrow will bring a new one. In parts of Africa, many children throw an upper tooth on the roof and bury a lower one in the ground. Some families believe that if a lizard sees the tooth, a new one will not grow in its place. Sri Lankan children throw the tooth on the roof and hope a squirrel will come and get it. In East Asia, children throw a lower tooth on the roof and an upper one is buried, thrown down on the ground, or hidden under the bed. The thought is that the new tooth will grow toward the old one and come in straight. A wish is often made as the child throws the tooth.
Other animals - including rabbits and birds - are involved with tooth exchange. Brazilian children throw the tooth outside and believe birds will come to take it, but only if it is clean. A dirty tooth is left behind and the child gets no treasure, which is great encouragement for good oral hygiene! Children in El Salvador think a rabbit comes to get the tooth. Some Alaskan tribes feed the baby tooth to another animal, such as a dog, and ask for the tooth to be replaced.
