Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Burmese Marriage Ties

TEXT:

I talked to my aunt about some Burmese folk traditions and superstitions and she told me it’s bad luck to gift knives or scissors to a married couple. If you do, you’ve ensured their separation (so I guess it’s a last resort if your crush is taken). This is related to the symbolic tying of a couple’s hands together with cloth at Burmese weddings. The bind signifies that it is their duty to love and protect one another – that they are a team now and forever. But, you may ask, what about that amazing set of knives you never use that you just KNOW your newlywed best friend needs? In that case, they can buy it off of you, for whatever price you agree upon. It could even be a quarter, as long as it’s received as a transaction and not as a gift.

CONTEXT:

My aunt and my extended family abide by this tradition. My aunt remembered someone exchanging a quarter for some knives once, but it doesn’t really come up that often. It’s avoided because it’s easy to avoid – better safe than sorry. I don’t think anyone in my extended family would be horrified if someone gifted a sharp object by accident. They might be a little nervous, thinking “well what if it’s true?”, but not horrified. My aunt’s grandparents might have been, however. 

ANALYSIS:

I definitely didn’t know about this superstition because I don’t think I’ve ever really been responsible for crafting a wedding gift. I think this superstition signifies how important marriage is in Burmese culture. What’s equally as important is family image, because in Burma, that somewhat determines who your friends are and how successful you are economically. Having a marriage end in divorce (which is currently legal in Burma) brings shame to the families of the former couple. This is because it’s the parents who give approval regarding who to marry. It isn’t exactly arranged marriage, but parents always have the final say. If you get divorced it looks bad for them because they were the ones who deemed your spouse right for you. 

Greek Fortune-Telling Coffee

TEXT:

I have a Greek friend whose family still practices lots of older Greek folk traditions. One of these is Greek coffee cup fortune telling, practiced specifically by his grandma. She has her subject drink a cup of Greek coffee, which leaves lots of residue in the cup after it’s drunk. Then, she flips the mug on its side, spins it three times clockwise, and then lets it dry on the side of a plate for a little. She would pick out certain shapes or patterns from the way the coffee residue stained the cup and use them to draw conclusions about her subject’s life. They’re usually scarily accurate, and predict specific things like falling in love, losing a loved one, or making successful decisions at work.

CONTEXT:

My friend witnesses this often at family gatherings. It doesn’t take long to perform and his grandma is an expert. He, however, does not really believe in the fortune telling, most likely because it doesn’t always pan out. He remembers one time where she told an uncle that she saw a rat for him, which meant that someone near him would die soon. The uncle was shocked, but my friend acknowledges that she could’ve been messing with him since he’s one of the only non-Greeks in the family (married in). Nothing bad ever happened to the uncle. My friend’s mother, on the other hand, does believe in the fortune telling along with some other traditional Greek superstitions. His grandma has taught his mother a few things about the process in hopes that one day she might be able to do it herself.

MY ANALYSIS:

The tradition is common to some others from around the world, like Chinese tea leaf readings. These types  I read online that that’s where it might have originated from. The coffee cup readings stem from a belief that there’s something in your being that becomes translated into the way you drink your cup of coffee that can reveal your fortune. I think the original purpose of the tradition was to provide hope in times of crisis and to have a way to be prepared for the possibly unpredictable future. Now, however, the tradition seems outdated and not that many Greek people believe in it. This could be a trait of the large Greek diaspora that lives outside of the homeland. It could also be a symptom of the times – science has progressed so far and we have so much faith in it that it seems impossible that something could tell our fortunes through just coffee grounds. The tradition functions as mere entertainment for the most part, now, and as a way to bond Greek families.

Welcoming the God of Wealth on the 5th Day of the Chinese New Year

Text: 

“On the 5th day of the Chinese New Year, my family used to have this ritual to welcome the God of Wealth into our home because the 5th day of the New Year is believed to be the birthday of the God of Wealth. We set off fireworks before they were banned, had a feast, and worshipped a portrait of the God of Wealth on this Buddha altar we had in our home which usually closeted a Buddha statue. Our worshipping usually involved burning incense and pouring him a cup of Chinese liquor. Though I believe the God of Wealth was not actually a Buddhist god, my family didn’t believe in either and it was rather a casual superstition to wish for prosperity in the following year.”

Context: 

The informant is a 23-year-old female who was born and raised in Guangzhou (the capital city of Guangdong province in China), and is currently a graduate student at USC. Her family is a typical Cantonese family that values tradition and according to her, is a little superstitious. Due to fire hazards, fireworks are now not allowed in cities like Guangzhou, so her most vivid memory of welcoming the God of Wealth dates back to when she was a child. The informant openly expressed her nostalgia for a grand celebration as a remnant of the past.

Interpretation: 

Though most Chinese families are atheists, worshiping the God of Wealth is more of a casual superstition and is often considered a part of the Chinese New Year celebration. This was reflected in the informant’s case, given how the family had a Buddha altar and placed the portrait of the God of Wealth there, yet they believed in neither Buddhism nor Taoism (the God of Wealth is considered a Taoist god). Wishing upon Buddha and the God of Wealth was a superstitious ritual carried out lightheartedly to wish for good fortune and prosperity, the typical wishes for a new year. 

On a personal level, this memory mattered to the informant because it reminded her childhood, her time spent with her family, and the many celebrations that had been lost as she grew up including fireworks. Today’s public discourse on Chinese mainstream media frequently complains about why the celebration of traditional festivals, most notably Chinese New Year, doesn’t feel as grand and enjoyable as it used to be. The informant acknowledged and agreed that the past was already lost, and spoke of this specific experience she used to have once a year nostalgically.

Cleansing a New House

Informant has heard of and participated in the belief of saging or “cleansing” a new house/living space. Whenever moving into a new house or space, the informant will sage or throw holy water in each room or space in order to cleanse the house of harmful or bad spirits and energy. This was taught to the informant by both friends and family but in different ways. The informant has heard of burning sage in a house and also using holy water, and has participated in both. Another way the participant has heard of cleansing the house but not participated is by using crystals and affirmations. The informant believes that by cleansing the house, they are making a clean, fresh slate in which they can come in and have the closest thing to brand new as they can. They also believe this creates good energy and intentions for them to have while living there, they will also keep holy water in the house and occasionally burn sage in order to keep the positive energy within the house.

Context – This practice is commonly used by new homeowners and those moving into a new apartment, it can be done multiple ways, as this informant has done, and allows the informant to feel safe and good in their new space.

Analysis – By cleansing the house, an individual may feel like they have fully cleaned and walked into a new space with no previous left over from anything that occurred or lived in the space before them. This also helps take some of the stress of creating your home away from a new homeowner and onto a higher power of being. This practice may help with the pressures and stress of moving while also creating the good intention of having a positive experience in a new home.

USC Knights Protection

The informant, a part of a special group on campus, helps protect and look after tradition and school spirit, particularly among the active student body. Once a year during the week in which the USC Trojan face off in football against the UCLA Bruins, the informants group will camp out and live on campus in rotations in order to protect Tommy Trojan, Traveler the Horse, Tirebiter, among other statues on and around campus. It is thought that if this does not happen, UCLA will dishonor our school and the rivalry by messing with the USC campus and students. This informant has participated in the exchanging of rivalry customs for the past four years and says there are often many fun and competitive actions between the two schools that commence throughout the week each year. Informant has heard many stories about past years when the statues were not protected well and UCLA students have defaced and messed up Tommy Trojan or Traveler the Horse.

Context – Every year during rivalry week, the Trojan Knights and the Helenes watch over the wrapped statues and figures of USC. This is done to make sure UCLA(“FUCLA”) does not do anything to mess with campus property or the statues of the University of Southern California figures. 

Analysis – This both serves as a fun activity for the students involved in the spirit leading groups but also as a way to invoke and celebrate the school spirit of two different schools. This also creates a superstition or lesson of protecting your “sovereign” against enemy forces especially a rival team such as the UCLA Bruins.