Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Halluchila Sickness Remedy

Age: 23

Interview:

“In both TCM and ayurvedic practices there is the notion of hot and cold foods. Not to do with temperature In real life, they loosely map to inflammatory/heavy and anti-inflammatory/light foods,

hot: deep fried foods, avocado, chocolate, meat
warm: rice, corn, bread
cool: onion, mushroom, cheese
cold: watermelon, mango, bok choy (typically watery foods)

In cold weather you wanna eat hot/warm foods, in hot weather cold/cool.

When i was sick my parents would make the most gnarly combo of cool/cold foods to make me feel better. One called Halluchila, hallu=turmeric, chi=hot, la=water. It would be turmeric water with salt, black pepper, ginger, honey, garlic, sometimes onion, and some other stuff. It was genuinely awful but unfortunately it did make me feel better”

context: The informant is a 23 year old friend attending USC. They are Nepali, and grew up in the DMV area, specifically Maryland. When interviewed they gave this interesting home remedy for sickness.

Analysis: This Folk Medicine is a remedy that is learned within the informant’s family, and use ingredients that are commonly associated with “healing” across a lot of other cultures. It is a form of family folklore, since it was specifically passed down from the informant’s parents to the informant. It also demonstrates how a medical understanding of the body isn’t only demonstrated in western medicine, but has been demonstrated through these traditional remedies that have been passed down multiple generations over a long period of time. This specific remedy is also, in a way, a reinforcement of the informant’s Nepali cultural identity, since Ayurveda is so embedded in Nepali culture. This is also an example of social norms within a Folk group, like specific foods being associated with hot and cold, even if the food items themselves aren’t typically served hot or cold.

Musical Theater Ritual

M: “So basically, when I was in high school, I did a lot of like musical theater and stuff, and we had a ritual before every show where like after warm-ups and rehearsals and stuff, we would, everyone would stand in a circle, crew, cast, directors, and then hold hands and close their eyes. 
And we did this thing. It was called, like, ‘pass the squeeze’, where you basically, one person starts, and they squeeze their person next to them’s hand, and it goes around the circle, but everyone has to keep their eyes closed. Um, and it was basically just a way to, like, calm everyone down and take their focus off of it and just focus on like one particular thing. 
And then it was also like, I think the explanation that our director gave was also to, like, connect everyone in a way before the show. We did 4 shows every year, so we would do it every time for those. But, yeah.”


interviewer: “I was gonna ask, is it usually, like, um, everyone who’s within the show? When do you learn this? And, like, who teaches?”

M: “Yeah, so we would do it, like, literally on the day. 
So, you know, by like the 2nd year of doing the shows in high school, I knew it. But the 1st year, it would be show day or technically our 1st show was like a dress rehearsal for the community. But, um, it would be that day, which was usually like a Monday. You would get in a circle, the director would be like, okay, everyone circle up, hold hands, and then she would just explain it in that moment. 
And usually on the 1st day, it took, like, 2 or 3 tries for everyone to kind of get it, but then once everyone got it, by the next couple of days, it was just, like, instinctual because it wasn’t, like, crazy hard or anything, you know? So she would just explain it in the moment.”

context: Maggie is a CS games major at USC who went to High school in New York City. She grew up in the area and was heavily involved in her school’s theatre group.

Analysis: This pre performance ritual is a rite of passage. It functions as an initiation from an “out” group to an “in” group (esoteric and exoteric). Freshman being taught this ritual are now part of this folk group once they perform at their first show, signifying their entry into the theatre community. I would argue that this is also a type of contagious magic ritual that prevents anxiety before a show. Its a transfer of energy from one person to the next through physical touch. It reinforces group identity as well.

Theater Superstition

“Bad dress, great opening”

Informant: “Basically it’s this superstition that if the dress rehearsal is terrible, then the opening night will be incredible. I’m pretty sure we just say this to make ourselves feel better about a bad rehearsal.”

context: The informant has performed in multiple plays and has many years of experience acting and singing on stage. They are heavily involved in theatre culture and has heard and participated in many theatre rituals and folklore. They also frequently travel in order to perform in or be on the crew for plays across multiple states.

analysis: This could technically fall under occupational folklore, since the informant has experience working in this field, and the beliefs are shared amongst performers specifically. This is also a proverb that specifically helps calm anxiety before they have to perform. I also understand the need for sayings like this since acting on a stage and putting on a show is such a high energy and chaotic activity to do. It also helps to reframe something bad into something positive, since a lot of things can go wrong during a theater show. It is a way to recognize and recontextualize the meaning of an uncontrollable event. This proverb also strengthens group identity as performers of the show.

Ouija Board Experience

Age: 19

Interviewer: Well first off, what is an Ouija Board?

CJ: The Ouija board is like a board full of numbers and letters to help, um, What’s it called? To help speak to people who have passed away. They help you learn more about that person. [The ghosts] could be good or bad.

Interviewer: Mm-hmm. And um, okay, who, who related to you uses the board?

CJ: My mom, friends. A lot of people around me actually.


Interviewer: So, okay, so when your mom uses the board. Who would she use it with? Would she use it by herself?

CJ: She was younger when she would use it. I don’t think my mom has an Ouija board anymore, but she would use it with, um, like her, her siblings. Like, they were really into that stuff.


Interviewer: What were the stories that you heard from her or any one of them about the board?


CJ: When she was younger, and like, when she used the board, she would try to talk to her mom’s mom. My great grandma. She was trying to um, figure out her name.


Interviewer: Mm-hmm.

CJ: My grandma wouldn’t tell my mom her great grandma’s name. I don’t know why. I feel like something followed her from the Ouija board because I feel like they were really young when they were doing that shit. There’s rules to it. Me and my cousin Isabella would always talk about how there was something in the house and like, my grandma heard stuff in the house.

Interviewer: You feel like a ghost followed your mom?

CJ: There’s just always weird vibes around her house. I think. I kind of stay far away from that shit because I get scared.

Interviewer: Mm-hmm. Can you explain some of the rules? Of the board?

CJ: I think you put your hands on a mold. Put the um- it’s kind of like a, it kind of looks like an illuminati symbol. kind of. You put it on the board and you put your fingers on it and kind of ask questions.

Interviewer: Mm-hmm. To the ghost?

CJ: Yeah. And the ghosts will guide your fingers on that mold across the board to help communicate.

Interviewer: Mm-hmm. And then is there a specific way to, like, start communicating and end it?

CJ: Um, I don’t know the way to end it, but you kind of just- you- I think you kind of have to put yourself in that headspace to communicate with ghosts, and that’s how you start it, but I don’t know how you end it. I think you’re supposed to say like, goodbye to like, completely disconnect yourself from those bad spirits. I’ve never done it personally. I’ve never touched anything like that before because I don’t want to play with my life like that.

Interviewer: Yeah.

CJ: But, um, my mom did something to herself because of it. We’ve all felt bad stuff in her house. I think that’s why they don’t talk about it though, because, my Tia Miriam also used to do tarot cards. It’s similar to what my mom was doing. She said she’s had like bad experiences with seeing um, spirits. In the process of it.

Interviewer: Oh.

CJ: it’s just something she doesn’t really talk about because she got traumatized by it. Um, and like, Um, I’ve seen it at, or- I’ve heard it at my mom’s house.

Interviewer: And what would you hear and see?

CJ: I’d see like- I never saw anything, but I would hear things. Like, for example, like, I’d hear footsteps walking up and down the hallways. Then one time, I tried to use the restroom, but both doors- because our bathroom had 2 doors in it. One door was leading into the, um, like sink room where you kind of wash your hands, and then there was a separate door in that bathroom where the shower and toilet was. Both of those doors closed, like, they slammed shut and locked. I remember, I was thinking to myself like: oh, it must have been the wind. I kind of waited 5 minutes for somebody to come out, but I realized nobody was coming out, so I unlocked it with a penny. It kind of just made me think, like, these doors would never, like- yes, they could close to the wind, but they would never lock on their own. Both of those doors locked.

Interviewer: Yeah. That’s scary.

CJ: You know? And in the middle of the night, we’d hear like, footsteps running up and down the hallways when I was younger.

Context: The informant says a specific ghost has been following her family for years. Her family has a history of dabbling in activities that involve communicating with the dead, or have strong ties with spiritual guidance. Her family very strongly believe in ghosts, and have all shared some paranormal experiences while living together in her mom’s house in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Although her family hasn’t used an Ouija board in years, her mom still practices using Tarot cards for spiritual guidance, and frequently engages in other activities that involve speaking with spirits.

Analysis: Most people encounter an Ouija Board as children. It is a combination of ritual and social experience between participants who use the board. Its used as a ritual for spirit communication, and kind of represents human curiosity about the afterlife. A lot of Memorates emerge from this ritual specifically, and I have found myself recalling many other stories I’ve heard about a friend or friend of a friend’s encounter with an Ouija Board. I also think that its really interesting how individual and cultural experiences and backgrounds can effect how this ritual is viewed. Charlie’s personal experiences makes the idea of talking with spirits dangerous and taboo, while her mom frequently uses various methods to communicate with spirits regularly.

Throwing Salt Over your Shoulder

Age: 22

“I feel like this is a fairly common superstition slash like, like little thing that you do, um, but this was particularly common on my dad’s side. I don’t know why. He’s from the Midwest, and I think that maybe people are just more superstitious there. They’re like pretty rural Midwestern. My dad was the one who taught me to always throw salt over my left shoulder when I’m cooking. So, if I’m grinding salt from a salt grinder, I won’t do it. But if I pour salt into my hand to put it onto something, you always have to take a few grains and throw it over, specifically your left shoulder. The left is the side of the devil. If you throw the salt grains over your left shoulder, they’ll hit him in the eye, and he’ll run away from you, which I think is also an Italian thing. It’s weird, because I don’t have any Italian ancestry.”

Context: The informant, who is ethnically Irish and grew up in California, recalls an Italian tradition that was taught to her by her dad. She typically does this while cooking, and notes that her family is very superstitious and follow many rituals that center around good and bad luck.

Analysis: I think that it’s interesting to note that Folklore is so strongly spread across cultures and places that even the informant was wondering how her family came across this specific ritual even though she has no Italian ancestry. Different kinds of folklore can be removed from its origins and put into different cultural contexts, even though the Italian ancestry is absent, its still meaningful within the informants family. Folklore has a common connection to good or bad luck based on rituals, and this salt throwing example is no different. Life is very unpredictable, stressful and sad, so it makes sense why this ritual emerged in order to “take control” of the uncontrollable (life). Since it involves protection against the devil from the Bible, I believe this may also fall into Folk magic since it is a way to ward off evil.