Age: 38
Hometown: Menlo Park, CA
Location: In a car

Context:
My mom has done this ritual for as long as I can remember. She does it whether she is the one driving or sitting in the passenger seat. She doesn’t remember exactly who taught her this but she remembers it was a popular thing to do when she was a kid in the 90s.

Content:
Interviewer: “Why do you always tap the dashboard when we’re in the car?”

Interviewee: “So when I was younger, my friend taught me to tap the dashboard twice then the top of the roof then the dash again whenever you see a [car driving by with] one headlight because it’s for good luck.

Interviewer: “Have you always done that? Where did you get that ritual from?”

Interviewee: “When we were kids we did it and I always have.”

Analysis:
This example is a representation of folk ritual which is rooted in superstition. The tapping sequence on the dashboard and roof shows how people rely on repetition and consistency to feel like they’re doing something right in order to get good luck. This habit seems to have started as something that people thought more about, but over time it becomes automatic. Overall, this example highlights a greater human tendency to search for good luck and fortune in places where it might not logically exist, such as a car.