Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

No Hitter Jinx

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student

Residence: San Diego, CA

Text:

When a pitcher is throwing a no hitter or a perfect game, nobody in the dugout is allowed to talk to the pitcher and nobody at all (including teammates, fans, broadcasters, and anyone else watching) is allowed to say the words “no-hitter” or “perfect game”. If you talk to the pitcher or if you say no-hitter you will jinx the pitcher and they will give up a hit.

Context:

Both of these rules are common practice across baseball, and my friend has experienced both of them first hand. In high school, one of his teammates had a perfect game going through 6 innings; when he was not on the mound the pitcher sat by himself at the far end of the dugout and nobody, including the coaches would talk to him. Normally coaches would ask how a pitcher is feeling after every inning and give them advice, but the coach stayed far away. The pitcher successfully finished the perfect game. As a fan, my friend was in attendance when the Mets pitched a no-hitter in 2022. Everybody knew that the Mets had a no-hitter going, and the crowd became more and more excited as they got closer to closing out the game, but nobody ever said the words “no-hitter”. People would count down the number of outs left, or ask each other questions like “do you think they’ll pull it off” but everyone carefully avoided the words “no-hitter”.

Analysis:

Both of these rules are in line with Frazers principles of sympathetic magic. The refusal to talk to a pitcher can be seen as wanting to avoid contact with the pitcher along the lines of the Law of Contact. If a pitcher has a perfect game going and you come into contact with him, then your imperfections could influence the pitcher and ruin his perfect game. The refusal to say the words “no-hitter” or “perfect game” follows a similar idea, but here you are not interacting with the pitcher but rather with the perfect game itself. By saying “perfect game”, a person is indirectly contacting the perfect game (if the perfect game is to be thought of as an object), and by contacting the perfect game the person risks magically ruining the game. Beyond the magical beliefs of a perfect game, there is major societal pressure involved with these rules. If you break one of these rules and a pitcher gives up a hit, people will blame you for it. To avoid the risk of being blamed, people follow these rules whether they believe in magic or not.

Collard Greens and Black Eyed Peas for Financial Luck

“While I don’t have a whole lot of rituals or superstitions my family does have a few things we do every year around the holidays. The first is that on New Year’s Day we always have collard greens and black eyed peas with dinner. The greens symbolize paper cash and the peas coinage. The idea is that eating these foods will bring us wealth and success in the New Year.”

Context

“Though both are soul food staples and are enjoyed across the country, I’m not entirely certain where this tradition comes from. My Dad was born in South Carolina and my Mom was born in Michigan and I think it’s a tradition from my Dad’s side of the family more so than my Mom’s so it’s possible the tradition stems from the Black community in the American south.”

Analysis

Personally, I saw an immediate connection between the superstition and the symbolic representation of the greens and peas. Similar to communion bread and wine representing the body and blood of Jesus Christ, the collard greens and black eyed peas represent financial symbols. I assume this metaphor is based on the visual similarities that the food has to their symbolic objects: collard greens evoke green paper bills, while the small collections of round peas could loosely reflect a collection of circular coins. The folkloric representation of these two objects as food is directly tied to observable and similar aspects both share.

Additionally, the act of ingesting these symbols as food is itself symbolic of the intent of the ritual: to gain financial success in the New Year. These symbols, and the folkloric power they carry, are digested and become a part of the energy needed to sustain ourselves into the new year. Financial success gets as close to us as it possibly can through the consumption of its metaphorical representations, becoming a part of our being that we carry into the future.

Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit

“Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit” is a saying performed on the first of each month to ensure good luck for the entire month.”

Context

“I’m pretty sure my mom is the one who started saying it – it’s an English tradition and she’s from India, so I don’t 100% know where she got it from, though. We differ in what exactly the rules are – I say you just have to say it first thing [in the morning], but my mom says someone has to hear you say it.”

Analysis

Wishes and rituals for good fortune or luck are universal. If your luck turns around, theoretically it would affect every aspect of your life. Wealth, romance, career prospects, health… there’s no need for a fortune teller when the universe seems to favor you. Luck covers a lot of bases, so it makes sense that it would be something to wish for.

Rabbits are, historically, creatures that embody luck. Holding onto a rabbit’s foot is said to bring you good fortune. Thankfully, saying the animal’s name three times at the start of the month helps avoid possible animal cruelty. Still, it’s important to note the thematic, rabbit-y overlap between two luck-based superstitions, as it shows how rituals that cover the same areas can draw from the same inspiration, but be performed differently.

Speaking of performing differently, it’s interesting to see the divergence in this superstition between the informant and his mother. Even within family units, the exact specifics surrounding a superstition can differ and be performed differently. For the informant, it’s enough to invoke the saying to only the universe. For the informant’s mother, the act only works if another is there to witness it. Why does this difference exist? Did the informant’s mother re-interpret the ritual when she adopted it? Did the informant develop their own version of the superstition after interacting with other demonstrations of it?

Family Hamsa

Nationality: Algerian, American
Occupation: Student
Residence: Champaign, Illinois
Language: English

TE has a family heirloom in his pendant necklace, which he says is a hamsa. This necklace was given to him by his father last year. When not wearing it, he keeps it by his front door. The necklace is said to prevent evil spirits and bad luck from harming its wearer.

TE is unsure of the origins of the hamsa, saying its either a part of his culture as either north African or from Islamic roots. This necklace came from his father, who was born and raised in Algeria, and TE is pretty sure that it was passed down from generations upon receiving it last year. As a piece of his cluture, TE is very proud of his hamsa and wears it almost every day.

This necklace is a piece of tradition from either North Africa or Islam, and helps TE connect with parts of their heritage they come from. As part North African, he feels a responsibility to honor his familial roots, especially seeing how this necklace has been directly passed down to him from his father. The ancestral connection to this necklace may be why it is said to ward off evil spirits, as the spirits of his ancestors are protecting him as they did his father before him. While speaking to TE, it was clear that in the year since receiving the pendant, he cared deeply about it and made sure to take care of it. The deep respect for his past was solidified in his hamsa, and thefolkloric tradition of passing it down makes its significance personal for TE. As a piece of protection, TE didn’t seem to necessarily believe that it would ward off evil spirits, but was of the impression that it was far better safe than sorry in regards to its spiritual powers. The notion that it wasn’t belief of spirits, but rather lack of evidence to disprove spirits, is an interesting as it shows the trust in their heritage, drawing upon the beliefs of those before him as indication of its efficacy. This necklace is a strong piece of contagious magic, requiring the user to physically wear it to appreciate its effects, or to hang it up by the front door when protecting the home from spirits entering.

Olive Oil Cure-All

Nationality: Algerian, American
Residence: Champaign, Illinois
Language: English

Whenever TE is sick with any ailment of any kind, his father without fail recommends a spoonful of olive oil, claiming it can cure any problem.

TE is very unsure of the effectiveness of his father’s solution, but was often taking it during his childhood. This happened so much that it developed into a family joke where any problem someone had would be solved by a spoonful of olive oil, regardless of the nature of the problem. Thus, trouble solving a homework problem could be cured with a dash of olive oil.

TE’s heritage as an Algerian on his father’s side likely had a very large impact on his insistence on olive oil. As a northern African country next to the Mediterranean, the prevalence of olives both historically and currently in culture stretching as far back as ancient civilizations likely led to the reverence of olive oil for myriad uses. This knowledge had been passed down for thousands of years, becoming second nature to people from around the Mediterranean sea. TE’s father then brought this wisdom into the states and passed it on to his children. While TE is very doubtful that it works, the fact that it was such intrinsic knowledge to his father makes him much more accepting of the idea than someone who has never encountered the tradition. Turning the solution into a family joke has both solidified TE’s family together, but could also potentially connect them to other people who come from around the Mediterranean, as they would also be familiar with this concept.