American Tooth Fairy
For a short time during childhood, most American children believe in fairies. Not the type that sprinkle glitter or magical dust over your head, but ones that deliver shiny coins. When an American child loses a tooth, he or she places it under a pillow at night with the hope the "tooth fairy" will find it and leave coins behind. Apparently the coins are now replaced with dollars, as my nephew Aidan just lost his first front tooth and woke up to find $5 under his pillow!
I thought the tooth fairy was a worldwide tradition, but my Spanish friend told me that they have a mouse named Ratoncito Perez instead. It's customary for Spanish children to put a lost tooth under the pillow and the mouse takes it, leaving small gifts behind. In China, children bury their lower teeth in the ground and toss the upper teeth on the roof of a house. This is supposed to ensure that the adult teeth grow straight up and down. In some Middle Eastern countries, the first lost tooth is thrown into the sky as a present for Allah.
What do Russian children do? Did you know about the tooth fairy? I think it's always interesting to read and learn about folklore in other countries, especially as it pertains to childhood. This is the most magical and joyous time, when the mind is overly imaginative and curious. Pity that so many people lose these qualities as the teenage and adult years approach...