Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

A Georgian Good Luck Superstition

Interviewer: What is something you do for good luck?

MK: Well, whenever you see a new moon, you must take a large banknote and show it to the moon. I was taught this by my grandpa when I was younger, and it’s supposed to bring good luck for the following month.

Interviewer: How exactly do you show money to the moon?

MK: Well, you take the note out of your wallet, unfold it, and tell the new moon to bring you wealth and prosperity in the following month. 

Interviewer: Has this practice brought you good luck in the past? 

MK: Well, I don’t know if I fully believe it, but it can’t hurt to try, I suppose. 

Context:

The informant is my grandfather, and the conversation was recorded during a walk in the park. He currently lives in Georgia, where he grew up. He is a secular person and does not allow many superstitions for himself but continues to perform small rituals such as this one that he inherited from his family. 

analysis:

This is an example of folk belief meant to bring good luck. The new moon is a marker for a transitional period. Prosperity-oriented traditions often are performed during transitional periods to break a pattern. The moon functions as a symbolic force that connects lunar cycles to economic cycles. This practice can additionally be read as sympathetic magic. The idea of “like produces like” is apparent. Showing money to the new moon will attract more money in the following month.

Tell It to Running Water

Interviewer: What should I do if I have a bad dream? 

MJ: Well, something I do that I was taught as a kid is to tell whatever is mothering me to running water.

Interviewer: Tell it to water? What do you mean?

MJ: Well, you find running water, which can be a river or more commonly a bathroom faucet. And you tell it all the bad thoughts that are bothering you. The water will take the bad thoughts with it, and the bad dreams should stop. I promise you this works. I’ve been doing this my whole life, and I’ve never had trouble sleeping. 

Interviewer: I’ll be sure to try this next time I’m feeling anxious about something.

Context:

The conversation is between me and my grandma. She inherited many such beliefs and practices from her mother, who was Polish. This conversation happened during our weekly phone call. 

Analysis:

This is an example of folk belief because it assumes that anxious thoughts can be transferred, in this case to water, through a symbolic action. The water removes bad thoughts through transference. This practice can be described as apotropaic; it is meant to ward off fear and negative energy. We can choose to disregard this practice as outdated or see it as an analog to therapy of the past. Talking about the problems that are bothering us, even to the water, helps us suppress the immediate alarm system, work through them, and find solutions we wouldn’t otherwise have found.

Georgian Home Remedy for The Cough

Interviewer: Does your family have any strange ways of curing a cough?

IK: Definitely strange. I doubt it cures anything, though. 

Interviewer: Tell me more, please.

IK: Whenever I had a cough as a kid, my grandma used to take a leaf of cabbage, smear honey all over it, and place it on my throat. I wasn’t allowed to speak during this, and it often lasted for an hour or maybe more. 

Interviewer: Wow, that sounds uncomfortable. Was this a common practice?

IK: Not really, only if the cough was very bad.

Interviewer: How did you feel afterwards?

IK: Well, I don’t know. I love my grandma very much, so I wanted it to work, but to tell you the truth, I think it’s the not talking part that made my throat feel better.

Context:

The informant is 23 years old, and she grew up in Tbilisi, Georgia, where she currently lives. The interview was conducted over Zoom and lasted about 15 minutes. This practice was passed down to her grandma matrilinearly. She was skeptical towards healing practices her grandma used to perform but said that she might do the same for her own children one day. According to her, the true merit of these practices is to calm the child down and reassure them that everything is being done to make them feel better. 

Analysis:

This is an example of folk medicine or home remedy. The cure functions as a caregiving performance. Even if the remedy is medically uncertain, the informant experienced touch, attention, and reassurance from her grandmother. It is worth noting that her skepticism towards the practice does not remove the folklore value, and she plans on herself becoming a tradition-bearer by performing the same healing ritual for her children. Such domestic healing rituals are common, where typically an elder woman becomes the healer.

A Strange Hangover Remedy

Interviewer: Do you have any special hangover cures you can recommend? 

GM: Promise not to judge me? It’s a little strange. 

Interviewer: Promise!

GM: My friend taught me the method some time ago. After my 20th birthday, I woke up so hungover that I wished I hadn’t been born at all. My friend, who was in a similar situation, suggested a method his dad had taught him that never failed to cure him. Here is the recipe: you take the cold pickle jar from your fridge, drain the pickle brine, mix it with sparkling mineral water, and add one shot of vodka. That’s it. You drink the whole drink in small sips, and you’re cured.

Interviewer: That sounds like it might just work. 

GM: It totally does! I don’t know whether it’s the electrolytes in the pickle juice, the carbonation, or the hair of the dog, but this concoction took me from a walking corpse to a semi-functioning human, so I can’t complain. 

Interviewer: Wow, I will make sure to try it next time I find myself in a similar situation. 

GM: You should, and you know what? The taste isn’t even that bad. I actually kind of like it. 

Context:

The informant is a 22-year-old male from Georgia. He is a student at University College London, and he has been living in London since he was eighteen. He is a social drinker and utilizes this cure method after particularly heavy nights of drinking. The origin of the recipe is unknown past the dad of the resplendent’s friend.

Analysis: 

Hangover cures are examples of folk medicine. Hangover cures such as this one are passed down through social networks rather than formal medical authority. It can also be noted that they are more prominently passed down between men. Cures are a natural extension of drinking culture, and they therefore must exist all around the world in variation. The performative and sensory aspects of this practice additionally add merit to them being a folk practice. The making of the drink, the strange appearance, and the strange taste and texture are all part of the performance.

Bad Juju

Interviewer: Did your family ever warn you against any supernatural beliefs such as ghosts or evil spirits? 

E: I guess Nigerian is a very spiritual culture, so we have things like juju.

Interviewer: What’s juju? 

E: It’s a spiritual system of belief, I guess. My relatives used to tell me that some people have certain capabilities that they can use for evil.

Interviewer: Have you ever been warned to be careful so that somebody doesn’t use their capabilities against you? 

E: Absolutely. It was always vague and never fully described to me how somebody might hex me, but it sure did scare me as a kid. I guess it’s a good thing because I was extra careful with strangers. 

Context: The informant is a student at the University of Southern California, majoring in business of cinematic arts. Her family is Nigerian, but she grew up in England. 

Analysis:

Juju is a supernatural worldview that involves using charms and spells that are believed to hold power. The informant didn’t grow up in Nigeria, so her relationship with this belief was limited to her family. An interesting thing that she mentioned during the interview was that it deterred her from interacting with strangers. This belief functions as a form of protection. Warnings about possible bad juju might have protected her from trusting strangers. Folk belief can function as a way of enforcing social norms.