Author Archives: Samantha Beatty

Superstition – Mexican

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 27
Occupation: Barista
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 17, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Don’t set your purse on the ground

Notes:

I encountered this superstition twice in my collection. This subject said that it is a popular belief in Mexican culture not to set your purse on the ground, saying that it is considered bad luck because you will not receive any money. She was not sure of the exact reason why it had to do with the ground or anything, but that all of the women in her family followed it.

I think that this superstition could possibly stem from an idea that the ground is the lowest point, and setting something as important as money down on the ground is sort of careless and disrespectful. Maybe the idea is that the fact that you are so careless and therefore you will not receive any money.

The second time I encountered this it was a Brazilian superstition and the subject told me that his mom and grandmother followed it, and that they believed that if you set your purse on the ground than your money would disappear. He said that his mother never sets her purse on the floor for fear of this.

I think that his version is much like the first in regard to the disrespect and carelessness by setting your purse on the floor. I also think that his version could have something to do with lower mythology, and perhaps setting the purse on the floor makes it easier for trolls to come and steal the money and thus it would disappear.

I think its interesting to see the difference between the two variants, one has the idea that you will not receive any money and the other is that the money you have will disappear. I looked up the superstition on the internet but could not find anything that stated why or the origin of it.

Ritual – Mexico

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 27
Occupation: Barista
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 17, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

When a girl is still living in her parent’s house, any boy that wants to go out with her must come and ask her parents first. He has to sit down with them and ask permission before she is allowed to see him. This occurs for every new boyfriend she has, not just her first.

Notes:

The subject told me that in Mexican culture, the daughter is very protected, and that when she becomes old enough to date, it is still gone about in a very special way. She said that the boy had to come to her house and ask her parents, in particular her father for permission first before he can go out with the girl. The subject said that a few boys had to come over to her house when she was younger and that she was very embarrassed because her father gave them hard times, and that he was a very strict man. She was afraid that all of the kids at school would make fun of her, but to her surprise her father let her go out with the boys. She said that this is widely practiced in Mexican households, and that that is probably why boys actually did come over, because she said she was afraid no one would want to come to her house just to go out on a date. Then I asked her if it was only for her first boyfriend, and she shook her head and told me that every new boy that wanted to ask her out had to come to her father and ask permission.

This tradition reminds me of the idea that the boy needs to ask the parents permission to take the girl’s hand in marriage, which I think that this custom is derived from. In the past, girls were married at a much earlier age, (the same age that they are now allowed to date), and therefore the boy had to come ask for the hand in marriage, but now since girls don’t get married at 15, they ask permission to date the daughter. This tradition also reflects the idea of respecting your elders, a popular belief in Mexican culture. The fact that the boy has to ask the father for permission shows the importance of the father in the daughter’s life, he is her protector, and thus acts as a guard to turn the unsuitable boys away. The subject said that for the most part her father let most of the boys date her, and that he was not too harsh. Its hard to imagine this custom in American culture, because kids have “boyfriends” at 10, and I think that a lot of the boys even at age 16 would shy away from having to talk to a girl’s dad. There has definitely been a loss of respect for the elders in American culture. This is why it is so interesting that this custom is still practiced. It is much like the quinceanara, the celebration of the daughter’s fifteenth birthday in which she becomes a woman and is allowed to dance with a boy after she dances with her father. It is obvious that the father and boy are two recurring symbols in the girl’s life, and the father always comes first. This reflects the respect issue and the idea that she will always have her father to support her.

Legend – Mexico

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 3, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

In my family, all of the children are told the story of La Llorona (Lah-yoh-roh-nah) from a young age to make sure the kids listen to their parents. La Llorona lives in a remote village in the mountains with her husband and her two kids. One day she went crazy because her husband cheated on her and killed her kids. So she killed her husband and roams the country for her kids. And she would come to get you if you didn’t listen to your parents.

Notes:

The subject told me that La Llorona is a popular legend for Mexican children between the ages of 2 and 11. She said that it was often used to keep the kids in line. Her mother told her of the lady who roamed the country for her kids, saying that if she did not behave, La Llorona would come to take her away. The subject said this frightened her greatly, and she was terrified of La Llorona for most of her childhood.

I had heard the tale of La Llorona before, although the version I heard was a little different. First of all La Llorona was also known as the weeping woman because she, not her husband, was said to have drowned her children after her husband left her for another woman, and unlike the subject’s version she did not kill her husband. However the gist of the story was the same, with La Llorona spending the rest of her life as a ghost that searches the country for her children.

What I found interesting about this version was that it was used as a means of keeping children in line and behaved. Most times I have heard of this legend before it was recited as a scary story at campsites or in festivals to talk about the woman that could be heard weeping near the lake. However the subject’s parents used the scary story to frighten the children into staying well-behaved so they would not be taken away by La Llorona.  Since they were taught about La Llorona and how she goes after young children at such a young age, it was definitely engrained into their heads to behave.

This story is very common in Mexican and New Mexican culture, and because of this there are many variants, as there was a difference between the story I heard and the one she told me. However when I looked up La Llorona, there were an abundance of sites dedicated to La Llorona. One of then offers a few different versions where she is either considered a bruja (witch), sirena (siren), ramera (harlet), or a virgen (virgin). Each story is a little different with different reasons as to why she had to kill her kids. There is also a timeline of events that chronicles the first mention of La Llorona. The first mention of crying out to children occurs in 1502 in Tenochtitlan, where the goddess Cihuacoatl takes a woman form and cries out in the night, “Oh hijos mios… yaha llegado vuestra destruccion. Donde os llevare?” (Oh my children… your destruction has arrived. Where can I take you?) They believe she was talking about the future conquest of Mexico. (www.lallorona.com). The woman believed to be La Llorona is known as La Malinche, and her husband Cortes does not want to come back home because he is conquering more terrorities, so they send a beautiful woman to entice him. When Cortes returns, he intends to leave her behind, and La Malinche prays to the gods, they respond telling her that if she lets her children go with him “one of them will return and kill your people.” She then taks her babies to the lake bordering Mexico City and stabs her babies in the hearts crying out, “Oh hijos mios!”  In 1530 she dies, and is given the name La Llorona (the weeping woman).

The website also has a list of poems, songs, and artwork dedicated to La Llorona as well as a list of people’s encounters and sightings.

www.lallorona.com  Apr 24 2007.

Celebration – Mexico

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 3, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

The entire village or neighborhood goes to the tombstones of family friends and relatives. They bring flowers, the dead person’s favorite food (which is necessary), water, and fruit to leave at the grave. The also stand around and sing traditional mariachi songs.

Notes:

The Day of the Dead celebration is a traditional Mexican custom occurring on November 1 (All Saints Day) and 2nd (All Soul’s Day). The subject said that it is a huge celebration for their ancestors and relatives who have recently died. I asked her who went with her to the graveyard and she said the entire village (when she goes back to Mexico) or the neighborhood (when she stays home in Los Angeles). She said you can see droves of people walking to the graveyard with tons of gifts for the dead. She said that flowers and the dead person’s favorite food is necessary. Fruit and water come next in line to leave at the grave.  She said that everyone stands around the graves and sings traditional mariachi songs. She said that it was a time of celebration not one of mourning.

I have heard of the Day of the Dead celebration, especially since I am from Arizona, there are huge festivals and art galleries dedicated to different art work (such as altars) in light of the Day of the Dead. When I looked up the Day of the Dead, one of the first websites was one from the Arizona paper, so I clicked on it and found links to all of the celebrations in my hometown where you can make arts and crafts, watch films, view different altars and make sugar skulls. It cites the history as, “More than 500 years ago, when the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico, they encountered natives practicing a ritual that seemed to mock death. It was a ritual the indigenous people had been practicing at least 3,000 years. A ritual the Spaniards would try unsuccessfully to eradicate. A ritual known today as Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. The ritual is celebrated in Mexico and certain parts of the United States, including the Valley… Although the ritual has since been merged with Catholic theology, it still maintains the basic principles of the Aztec ritual, such as the use of skulls” (Miller 1).

Another website went a little more in depth with the history of the celebration saying that it went back to Aztec culture in which they observed a month of the dead dedicating the festivities to the goddess, Mictecacihuatl, known as the “Lady of the Dead”, which is now known as Catrina (picture below). The website lists some of the customs, including building graves and offering food to the dead. It also mentions the orange marigold, which is now called the “Flor de Muerto” or flower of the dead and is meant to attract souls of the dead to the food. As you can see the subject celebrates it very traditionally with offering flowers and food.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead#Observance_in_Mexico

Miller, Carlos. “Indigenous People wouldn’t let ‘Day of the Dead’ die.”  Azcentral.com. Apr 7                07. http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/history/

Superstition

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 3, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Don’t sleep with a mirror/computer screen/TV screen/ or alarm clock facing or around your head, because they rob you of your sleep

Notes:

The subject told me that she learned this from her neighbor when she was complaining about insomnia problems. Her neighbor told asked her if she had anything near her head when she spoke, things like computer screens, TVs, alarm clocks, etc. When the subject responded yes, the neighbor told her that those were bad omens and that they stole your sleep from you. The subject told me that she took the things away from her head, and placed them at the foot of her bed and she was able to sleep a lot easier. Her neighbor did not tell her what culture is responsible for this superstition.

This particular piece of folklore reminded me of the dream catcher idea, which is a part of Native American folklore. A dream catcher is a hanging woven net-like piece that hangs above your bed with the intention of catching nightmares. This idea of different items stealing your dreams sort of relates to this idea of a net to catch dreams. This piece of folklore also brings up the idea that it is widely believed that you should not watch TV or be on the computer before you go to bed because the lights are harsh on your eyes, and when you do go to bed it takes awhile for your eyes to adapt to the darkness and thus takes you longer to go to sleep. This superstition could have grown from this belief. I also think that this superstition brings about the motif of man vs. technology. This motif is often found in literature, and basically represents this conflict between man and nature with technology. Basically, man is always reluctant of technology because it contrasts with the traditional ways. I think this superstition represents a hestitance to accept the new ways of technology. And through prohibiting the use of TV, computers, and alarm clocks, the old ways of going to bed with complete darkness without anything to disrupt you are still withheld. The technology age is hitting fast with the prominence of everything digital in our world today, and this superstition seems to be rooted against it. Personally I have to have my alarm clock near my head so that I make sure to hear it in order to get up.

The idea of the mirror however does not relate to this reluctance of technology, and therefore I believe that mirror’s significance is that it reflects your world. I think that the mirror is a distraction because it gives you your reflection and you can be distracted from sleeping as you watch in your mirror your inverted world. There are numerous superstitions revolved around mirrors as well, so I believe that this is yet another one obsessed with mirrors. The most common of mirror superstitions is the one that if you break a mirror you will have seven years of bad luck. This bad luck idea generally holds mirrors as a positive force, however the above stated superstition portrays mirrors as bad things, stealing sleep. I am not quite sure of the reason why mirrors are held in such different lights, but perhaps it has to do with the mysterious nature of the mirror.