Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Cross country good luck charm

Text:

CM reports that when he ran cross country in high school, he and his fellow runners would keep the bibs from previously won races as good luck charms. He explains that this practice was celebratory, to keep a trophy of achievement to look back on and remember fondly. However, beyond being a trophy, CM says that saving these bibs, which have a chip inside that records the time of the run, serves as a good luck charm for future races.

Context:

CM is a male college student at USC. For this interview, he was asked to describe good luck charms for sports and exercises he does.

Analysis:

CM’s practice of keeping race bibs as good luck charms serves as a good example of homeopathic magic, a form a sympathetic magic based on the principle that “like produces like.” In this context, the race bibs, imbued both with the mental memory (the runner’s recollection) and physical memory (the chip inside) of past victories, possess an inherent quality that can influence the outcome of future races. As technology advances, the way we practice and observe sympathetic magic evolves as well. The chip is a sort of digitial sympathetic magic, one that forever preserves one’s victory, which serves as the facet for influencing future races; success is reified by the chip and can be physically possessed by the runners. This practice makes sense in a field such as cross country, where much can be outside of one’s control, and where it is imperative to have continued, repeated wins in order to have success in the sport.

Black-eyed Peas for New Year’s

Text:

“I always make my kids a spoonful of black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. It’s something that my mother had me do as well when I was growing up.”

When asked why during the New Year, CR responded:

“They bring you good luck into the new year. I have them other times during the year, but as far as I know, they’re only lucky if you have the first day of the year.”

When asked what effect having a spoonful of black-eyed peas have:

“I don’t what specifically, just that it wards off bad luck in the new year. So I get nervous when my kids complain about not wanting their black eyed peas because I don’t want them to be unlucky. I’ve tweaked the recipe to have bacon so my son will actually eat it.”

Context:

CR is a sixty year old acting teacher. Originally from Virginia, she moved to LA when she was eighteen and has lived in various areas of the San Fernando Valley. This is the response she gave when asked if she has any favorite holiday traditions.

Analysis:

CR’s insistence on serving black-eyed peas specifically on New Year’s Day demonstrates the temporal significance attached to this ritual. The new year represents a liminal period, marked by transition from old to new, and individuals seek to ensure a favorable start to the coming year. The emphasis on consuming black-eyed peas as the first meal reflects the power of auspicious beginnings and the importance of setting a positive tone for the months ahead. The tradition is a blend of superstitition and culinary customs, where the consumptionof black-eyed peas brings good luck, likely due to its historical associations with prosperity and abundance. Moreover, CR’s adaptation of the recipe to include bacon illustrates the dynamic nature of folk traditions and how they can be adapted to personal preferences and contemporary tastes. Her anxiety for her children’s luck going into the new year is palpable and her effort to adapt the recipe for their tastes demonstrates its importance to her.

Soda as Medicine

Text:

The subject informed me that drinking soda could help someone recover from a sore throat or other kind of throat infection.  The subject was told that the carbonation from the soda was deadly to the viruses that cause sore throats, and that therefore, drinking a soda whilst having a sore throat could help them immensely with alleviating the symptoms and giving them some relief from the pain.  Furthermore, they were told that different sodas could benefit them more than other sodas when it comes to sore throats; while sodas like Dr. Pepper and Coke could help somewhat, Sprite and 7-Up helped significantly more, and even could help cure sore throats within a single day.

Context:

The subject, L.D., learned of this cure from their parents, and first learned of it from them when they were young and had a sore throat.  During this time, the subject was told that drinking some soda would be able to help with a sore throat, and that they can have some if they wanted to.  The subject also noted that they were often only given soda during these times when they were young, and that their parents were more lax when it came to them drinking soft drinks and eating junk food when they were sick as compared to when they were healthy.

Interpretation:

It is likely that giving the subject soda when they were a kid was a way for the subject’s parents to provide their child some comfort and support whilst they were sick so that they would be able to feel better whilst being so sick.  Because of their desire to keep their kids from asking for soda more often, the parents likely told them that soda would help with their sore throats so that their kids would only expect them whilst being sick.  They likely also wanted to make sure that their kids had some kind of medication that they could accept that they’d know well, would believe that it would help them, and would be something they would want to drink, as opposed to medication they wouldn’t want. 

Reiki Meets Catholicism

Text: “My mom has been practicing Reiki for a long time. It is an energy healing practice from Japan, also known as hands-on healing. The practitioner places their hands on the patient and uses their own energy and emotion to either detect energy from the patient or transfer energy. My mom does it kind of casually, but she can sense tension and soreness on someone else’s body just by hovering her hands over them. Whenever she knows I’m nervous or tense, she hovers her hands over my shoulders and transfers healing energy into them. I’m not very knowledgeable in Reiki, but it’s a weird thing where you feel warm and tingly in the areas that you’ve had energy transferred into, and the tension does dissolve.” 

Context: My informant – a 21-year-old woman from Los Angeles, California – explained the role Reiki has played in her family and in the relationship she has with her mom. She explained to me that this was something she remembered her mom doing for her whole life, and she cannot doubt the healing power of it because she truly feels that it makes her feel better and it relieves a lot of tension in her mind and body. She went on to explain that her mom is also Catholic and comes from a Mexican family of witches, which she said is a weird mix because in Catholicism, “witchcraft is the Devil’s work.” However, her mom connects her beliefs and cultures because she believes that the healing properties that Jesus had were actually Reiki practices, or some form of it. My informant explained to me that the connection her mom made between Japanese and Mexican culture – along with the role of religion – has shaped her own beliefs regarding Catholicism, and she feels like it has made her feel a bit more connected to her own spirituality.

Analysis: The practice of Reiki within my informant’s family exemplifies a unique blend of cultural beliefs and healing traditions that bridge diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. Reiki, originating from Japan as an energy healing practice, has been integrated into my informant’s family dynamics and relationship with her mother as a source of comfort and healing. Her approach to Reiki reflects a personal and intuitive understanding of energy healing, where she uses her own energy and emotion to detect and alleviate tension and soreness in others. This hands-on approach to healing underscores the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit within Reiki practice.

What stands out is my informant’s mother’s ability to reconcile her Catholic faith with her practice of Reiki, despite potential religious tensions associated with practices labeled as “witchcraft.” By interpreting Jesus’ healing miracles as akin to Reiki principles, her mother synthesizes elements of Japanese and Mexican culture with her Catholic beliefs, creating a unique and deeply personal spiritual perspective. For my informant, witnessing her mother’s integration of Reiki into her family’s spiritual and healing practices has shaped her own beliefs and sense of spirituality. The blending of cultural influences and healing traditions fosters a sense of connection to her heritage and spirituality, providing a holistic framework that embraces both diversity and personal growth.

An Auspicious Day

Text: “An Indian superstition I grew up hearing is the belief in starting a new job or aspiration on a Monday or a Wednesday. I think the superstition somehow stems from Vaastu, which is Indian astrology. It involves adding up the numbers of a date to check if they correspond to a number considered lucky for that individual. For example, if the date was 04/21/24, then you would add up all the individual digits in that date: 4 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 4. Those numbers add up to 13, and if 13 is one of that individuals lucky birth numbers, then it is auspicious to start your work or your personal journey on that date. Typically, my family would choose Mondays or Wednesdays to commence new endeavors.”

Context: My informant – a 23-year-old man from Bangalore, India – explained this superstition to me that was passed down to him by his parents. It involves calculating the numerical value of a chosen date by adding up its digits and checking if the resulting number corresponds to a lucky birth number for the individual. If the number is indeed a match to that lucky number, then starting work or embarking on a personal journey on that date is considered favorable according to this belief system. This cultural tradition reflects the importance of astrology and numerology in Indian customs, where specific dates and days are believed to have varying levels of auspiciousness based on these calculations. My informant’s family tradition of choosing Mondays or Wednesdays for new endeavors highlights the continuity of such beliefs across generations within Indian families. While my informant said he isn’t entirely of the belief that this superstition carries much weight, he said that the importance of it to his family is the reason why he tends to begin his own work or personal journeys on Mondays or Wednesdays. 

Analysis: In exploring this Indian superstition, I was struck by the profound cultural and familial significance embedded within this belief system. The practice of choosing specific days, such as Mondays or Wednesdays, to commence new endeavors reflects a deeply rooted tradition shaped by astrology and numerology in Indian customs. My informant’s account underscores the intergenerational transmission of folklore and the enduring influence of family traditions. Despite personal reservations about the superstition’s efficacy, my informant continues to honor this practice out of respect for familial customs. This highlights the complex interplay between personal beliefs and cultural heritage, illustrating how folklore serves as a conduit for preserving and passing down cultural values across generations.

The superstition’s association with Vaastu, a form of Indian astrology, adds another layer of cultural depth, emphasizing the importance of harmonizing personal actions with cosmic energies for auspicious outcomes. By aligning with astrological beliefs about favorable planetary influences, individuals seek to enhance their chances of success and prosperity in their endeavors. Furthermore, my informant’s adherence to this superstition reflects broader cultural values of interconnectedness with the cosmos and the belief in personal agency within larger cosmic forces. The choice of auspicious days for new beginnings symbolizes a desire to harness positive energies and navigate life’s challenges in alignment with cosmic rhythms. It highlights the enduring significance of traditional beliefs and practices in shaping individual choices and perspectives, underscoring the rich tapestry of cultural heritage embedded within Indian folklore and the broader cultural landscape.