Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Zodiac Superstition

Nationality: Chinese American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Georgia
Performance Date: 4/25/17
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin

The interview will be depicted by initials. The Interviewer is QB and the interview is CH.

 

QB: Are there any other superstitions you can tell me?

 

CH: For your Zodiac year…If its your Zodiac year it is thought you are more prone to dangers and misfortune…so…you have to wear red to ward away evils or evil things. A lot of people wear red bracelets or necklaces, but my family and I wear red underwear. It has to be, like, the duration is a whole year starting on Chinese New Year. Or it has to just have red on it?

 

QB: So you wear it for a whole year?

 

CH: Mhmmm…but its only every 12 years so its not that bad.

 

Analysis: The seems to be a little different from other traditions. While it follows the universal meaning of wearing red for protection, it is interesting that it only pertains to the students underwear. They seemed a little uncomfortable speaking about this certain ritual, but confirmed that each year they never failed to follow the rules.

Protection Against the Evil Eye

Nationality: Peruvian
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Francisco
Performance Date: 4/25/17
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

The interview will be depicted by initials. The Interviewer is QB and the interview is VS.

QB: Do you have any stories or superstitions that stick out to you at the moment?

VS: Well we do…like…if um…so for babies we put a little red bracelet to ward off the evil eye. But for adults if you have the evil eye…some symptoms are like fever. But its usually in kids because if someone stares at your kid long enough you get it. And the process to get rid of it for adults and kids is like an elder rubbing an egg all over your body to absorb the negative energy. Then they crack the egg in the water and if it floats then it means you had the evil eye but if it mixes you never had it.

Analysis: The most interesting fact is that the evil eye is mainly focused on children. While the student said it was possible for the adults to get it as well, the main focus for warding off the evil eye is with infants. Also it is interesting how to “test” if one has the evil eye. One may assume, however, that no matter what the egg does you are gratefully rid of the curse.

A Lucky Welcome

Nationality: Chinese American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Georgia
Performance Date: 4/25/17
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin

The interview will be depicted by initials. The Interviewer is QB and the interview is CH.

QB: Are there any everyday superstitions that your family follows?

CH: Ok…so, you see this a lot on Chinese New Year but it can be done everyday. But many people hang a…um…a red piece of paper diagonal that has the Chinese word “fu” that means fortune or good luck. But the word is usually hung upside down because the Chinese words upside sounds very similar to the Chinese word “arrive”. So if you hang it upside down it is similar to saying “good luck” or “good fortune arrives”. And those hang on doorways all the time.

Analysis: It is interesting that the student noted that the superstition can take place on either Chinese New Year or everyday. It is understood that just because a person decides to do this everyday, they are not considered more “superstitious” than another person. In fact it is very welcomed within the country.

Bloody Mary

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Gilbert, AZ
Performance Date: 4/25/17
Primary Language: English

The interview will be depicted by initials. The Interviewer is QB and the interview is AS.

QB: And what stories did you have as a child?
AS: When I was a kid I played Bloody Mary. The way it worked was you went into the bathroom with the lights off. You would say her name and spin around three times, and she was supposed to appear. The other way that you would check to make sure she was there was to turn on the sink and see if blood ran out of the spout.

Analysis: This follows the steps that many Bloody Mary rituals take place. However, it seems to be darker as the student and their friends looked to see if “blood” would run out of the spout. The student of course laughed about the ritual, but said that they attempted it many times just to see if they would ever be “lucky” enough to see Bloody Mary.

The Rule of 3

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Gilbert, AZ
Performance Date: 4/25/17
Primary Language: English

The interview will be depicted by initials. The Interviewer is QB and the interview is AS.

QB: Is there anything in particular that your family followed as a rule?

 

AS: I would say that the major one was that death comes in threes. Whenever someone in the family dies, we always make sure to prepare ourselves in whatever way we can. Sometimes it has been the dog or rabbit, and we will count that, but we mainly focus on humans.

Analysis: I have seen that a lot of people look to follow this rule, however, the student and their family follow it only with death. They will even go so far as to take the death of an animal to finish the rule faster. The student said that it helps them prepare for hard times and is actual a welcome to get through hard times faster.