Author Archives: Joseph Soro

Always shave your hair so it grows faster?

AGE

51

Date of performance

4/30/25

Language

English

Nationality

American

Occupation

Business Owner

Primary Language

Arabic

Residence

San Diego, CA

Ritual: Shaving a baby’s head once they grow hair so it can grow back faster and healthier

Context + Text: The individual is my father and has told me the story of when I first started to grow hair, they immediately cut it all off because they believed it would grow back faster and healthier. “You know, it seems a little odd, but hair rituals have been a part of my culture for so long, some parents combine this with letting their kids grow unibrows because they believe it’s bad luck to cut that”. He explained further that while it may not have ever proven to work, as much of his family including himself are all bald men, he said that it’s been such a long tradition there’s no way they stop it now. According to him, the ritual went as far back as his grandfather, and he tells me that it is something I have to do when I have kids. The ritual does not only apply to men, as even the baby girls are shaven bald so that their hair can be healthier. He believes it is a little funny that it only works on the women, as they always grow long healthy hair while the men are going bald by 30. 

Analysis: The idea of shaving hair so that it can grow back faster and thicker has been adopted and transformed in so many different ways. Growing up, I had always learned that if you shave your beard with a razor, it will lead to thicker and quicker hair growth. Some of my friends took it as far as to shave even when they had no beard, so they could ‘cut their skin’ and promote hair growth. There are no scientific reasons for any of these rituals, but if we can convince ourselves that it does work, then we will believe that it works. A large part in the belief for these hair rituals is especially due to the lack of science that was around for this individual when he was in Iraq. There was never anything to disprove the idea that a bald baby would have the best hair, so the ritual was continued for generations as no one wanted to be considered an outcast. While I may not believe that this ritual plays a true role in hair growth, I may fall into still participating in this with my future children simply due to the fear of breaking the chain. 

Fanbases and their crazy superstitions

AGE

23

Date of performance

4/30/25

Language

English

Nationality

American

Occupation

PHD Student

Primary Language

Aramaic

Residence

San Diego, CA

Superstition: Every time I watch my favorite NFL team; I have to wear my pajama pants with my Lamar Jackson jersey

Context + Text: The informant is my brother. He is a fan of the Baltimore Ravens, an NFL team, and has been a fan for over 10 years now. When he was younger, he always believed that he had to wear his special jersey in order for his team to win. Now that he has gotten a bunch of Ravens gear over the years, he has increased his superstition. He has a new rule that he must wear his Ravens pajama pants and his Lamar Jackson jersey, the QB of the team. “You know I never took this superstition that seriously until we lost a super important game to a really bad team”. The situation took place in the playoffs when the Ravens were projected to win by more than 10 points but ended up losing the game. “Since then, I have taken it super seriously, I can’t have my team lose badly like this again”. Unfortunately for my brother, his superstition does not always work, as his team has failed to make a championship in over 12 years. However, they have gotten closer every year, and he believes that his actions have played a role in that.

Analysis: Sports superstitions have been around for decades, whether it be from the fans or the actual players themselves. Many famous athletes have discussed how they wear the same pair of underwear every game they play, because it makes them feel lucky and more “in the zone”. These superstitions are based on how the player performs or how the fan believes his team performed for that game and believe replicating the exact situation will lead to the same result. For the fans, these superstitions help them feel like play a true role in the team’s performance. “Every time I wear this jersey we win”, is something every sports fan has heard, and is it important to note the “we” from the fan, even though he is not on the team he believes he won because of his actions. Superstitions aren’t always negative and sometimes can be used to bring a sense of community as seen here. 

If I stand like this my sportsbet will hit!

AGE

20

Date of performance

5/1/25

Language

English

Nationality

American

Occupation

Student

Primary Language

Aramaic

Residence

San Diego, CA

Superstition: Where I sit, stand, or how I move affects all sports bet I have. 

Context + Text: The individual is my brother, and he used to be an avid sport better. He used to watch any professional league, from any professional country, as long as he could put a bet on it. He always believed it made games more interesting, and funny enough he developed his own superstition for how he would watch these games. “Sometimes, the team I had money on would be getting killed, so I’d get up to make myself a sandwich, and instantly my team begins to score like they’ve never scored before”. He continued to say he believed that because he got up and made a sandwich, he was changing the luck for his team. “I would literally just sit with my sandwich and not move, and it’s crazy how it works because my bet would get closer to cashing”. According to the individual, he claims that when similar situations like this have happened and he did not stay in the same spot, his team would start losing again. He has continued to hold this superstition for years, and it has led to many funny stories with the individual having his shirt half off standing on the arm of a couch because “his team was playing better”. 

Analysis: This superstition is similar to that of fans wearing jerseys or pants to ‘make’ their team win, but it is a lot more hectic and uncommon. The idea that sports bettors believe the angle at which they watch the game truly determines the outcome is absurd, but can we really classify it as absurd if so, many sports bettors have adopted this ‘strategy’? While it may seem ridiculous to those around them, there has been a community built on weird sport betting scenarios. Some of the funniest examples include not watching the game for my team to win, only watching on my phone or tv (no laptops), and even having to stand in obscure places to make the game more thrilling. While many argue that these superstitions are only adding thrill for the individual, and therefore they believe that they are more involved in the game, I have seen it work for numerous individuals and am getting close to trying out these superstitious rituals. 

Upside down sandals will curse you

AGE

21

Date_of_performance

5/1/25

Language

English

Nationality

American

Occupation

Student

Primary Language

Spanish

Residence

San Martin, CA

Superstition: Leaving shows or sandals flipped upside down or on the side is bad luck. 

Context + Text: The individual is my roommate in college for the past 4 years. He had told me about this superstition his mom taught him about leaving footwear not right side up. “Whenever I got home, my mom always yelled at me to make sure my shoes are right side up, or the next car ride would be bad luck”. He continued to say he truly believed in it and would make sure that no one in his family left their shoes in the wrong position. It was something he believed in so much that he would make sure his college roommates followed the same rule. “One time, I had come back from a midterm, and I didn’t believe I did well on it, once I opened the door home, I saw my sandals were upside down”. That was the final straw for him, and he became even more attentive to his footwear anytime he came home, as he could not afford any more bad luck. He has continued his superstitious acts till this day and has even converted all his roommates to follow suit, so no footwear is left in the wrong position in our entire house. While we may not have experienced bad luck from this situation, his strong belief and emotions about this have made us all believers. 

Analysis: The idea of bad luck stemming from misplacing footwear can have various different interpretations. Some believe that it is a message from the universe for mistreating our sandals and shoes. They protect our feet from the ground and dirt, the least we can do is put them right side up whenever we are done using them. This interpretation is interesting as it gives a life to the shoes we wear, treating them as if they were pets or even human. We must show them respect because they protect us, but it’s just shoes. Another way to dissect the bad luck can simply stem from the annoyance and clutter that shoes can cause if they aren’t set properly. People have bad days all the time but having a bad day and coming home to see your shoes all upside down and backwards can be the final straw. Whether it stems from a dislike of seeing your shoes messed up, or as a respect to your shoes for protecting you, the superstition has made many people more anxious about how they take care of their shoes, and more careful whenever they come home. 

Death Anniversaries

AGE

45

Date of performance

4/30/25

Language

English

Nationality

American

Occupation

Teacher’s Aid

Primary Language

Arabic

Residence

San Diego, CA

Ritual: Funerals, 40 days post death, and the 1-year anniversary

Context + Text: The individual is my mother, and she in an American immigrant from Iraq. I have learned many rituals following the death of people form my community, but the most interesting one’s stem from my mom. According to her, when an individual has passed away, if you are close to them, you are not allowed to leave the house for “happy” things for 40 days. Also, during those days, you should be wearing all black every day. “It’s for sure an interesting ritual we all follow, and it’s even different if you are super close to the individual, as the time period rises to one year instead of just 40 days”. On the 40th day since the death, the same individuals who were there for the funeral gather again to remember them, having a second funeral essentially. For family members, there is then another remembrance on the 1-year anniversary. (It is important to note that one year equals 11 months in this culture for historic reasons). “So, for me my father-in-law had passed away, and I did not attend any celebrations for one year and only wore black, I had to buy so many new clothes”, she continued. While it may be a little over the top, she believes that the new generation will slowly let these rituals die out as they are too much.

Analysis: The revering of the dead has been a tradition for centuries, stemming back to ancient civilizations, especially in the middle east. The individual and her family come from a long line of Iraqis who have held onto these ancient traditions revolving around the dead. Various religions and cultures have adopted similar rituals, as they believe that the one-year anniversary marks a significant period of time to mourn the individual. However, the rituals have subjective ‘guidelines’ as in who must participate in the one-year mourning. This creates all sorts of issues within small communities as they believe that some individuals should be mourning longer or not mourning at all, judging their closeness to the dead person. If an individual is seen celebrating or partying a little too early following the individual’s death, it can be considered disrespect by the family members, and has led to divisions between families and friends.