Author Archives: rlederer@usc.edu

Door Knocking Superstition

Nationality: English
Age: 67
Occupation: Healer
Residence: New York
Performance Date: April 13, 2018
Primary Language: English

You must knock on doors to rooms nobody is in, so to not surprise the spirits when you enter. If you do, you can acquire a type of bad karma.

Healing Magic

Nationality: English
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: NY
Performance Date: April 10, 2018
Primary Language: English

Nicolette’s grandma believed she was imbued with magical gifts. For generations, her matriline thought themselves to be types of witches. Nicolette often visits her grandma to be relieved of bad spirits when she was feeling upset or physically hurt.

Haunted House Tale

Nationality: English
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: NY
Performance Date: April 10, 2018
Primary Language: English

Nicolette’s parents are fascinated by ghosts and purposefully bought a house that is haunted by the ghost of a previous owner who hung herself in it. They say that they regularly experience “chills” or the feeling of a spirit passing through their bodies at the same time when they are in the same room.

Irish/English Proverb

Nationality: English
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: New York
Performance Date: April 10, 2018
Primary Language: English

“He didn’t lick it off a stone”.

This one is really funny because Nicolette’s grandfather is English, but often says this Irish proverb so much so that it has become something of an inside joke amongst the family. Nicolette didn’t even really know what it meant, but I looked it up and found that it means someone’s attributes are always influenced by someone else.