The twenty-two year old female informant born in the Gabonese Republic, a state located on the west coast of Central Africa, revealed that in her country people are discouraged from sleeping in the nude or in undergarments. Nudity attracts evil spirits. If a person sleeps naked they risk being raped by a spirit. It is also known as a wet dream. The spirits will seduce a person’s mind and spirit usually by take the form of someone you know like a neighbor or friend.
Author Archives: Renee Simpson
Dogs vs. Cats
The twenty-two year old female informant born in the Gabonese Republic, a state located on the west coast of Central Africa, revealed that in her country dogs are valued pets where she is from. Dogs supposedly protect from evil spirits. “When a spirit comes the dog will tell the spirit to count the hairs on his body. The spirit will begin to count but will eventually give up and flee.” Cats, on the other hand are perceived, as evil creatures that can be used by spirits, especially black cats. It is rare for them to be kept as house pets.
Don’t sing at night or a spirit will steal your voice
The twenty-two year old female informant born in the Gabonese Republic, a state located on the west coast of Central Africa, revealed that people are “not suppose to sing at night because a spirit will steal your voice.” My informant even as a child ignored this superstition and use to sing into early in the morning. I asked if her mother or family ever told her this she replied no. Not everyone believed this superstition.
Don’t open an umbrella indoors
The twenty year old informant from Hong Kong claimed “My grandma… she use to… she use to scare me as child because I played with an umbrella… you know how some umbrellas are pretty” She shyly admitted, “I used to play with them indoors but my grandma said I would be short and I believed her.”
As in most cultures, the elder is the keeper of traditions. In this particular case the superstition was passed orally as a warning from one generation to the next and was only talked about when someone defied the superstition. Another informant re-confirmed this superstition claiming to have learned it from his parents. I asked if there was something wrong with being short she informed me that there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. “It was just something to scare me.
Gifts not to buy your boyfriend
The twenty-one year old informant from Hong Kong revealed that “you’re not supposed to buy your boyfriend or girlfriend a pair of shoes because it means you want them to walk [pause] like away from you.” I jokingly asked if you want to break up with someone could just buy a pair of shoes she said, “you could.”
My informant believes in this practice and says that many of her peers back home believe in it as well. While hanging with friends on of which was considering what to buy a boyfriend for her significant other was warned not to buy shoes.
I believe this superstition is enforced because the feet literally and symbolically symbolize carrying a person to a destination. I think giving a new pair of shoes symbolized change, a change in direction that will lead them away from where they are.
To add to the list of gifts not to buy it is not good to “give your…like boyfriend [or girlfriend] a glass or cup” when asked why she explained that cups come as a set and is synonymous with sending some on off to their death bed. It is interesting that this form of lore is earned or enforced not during childhood but once a person is old enough to date.