Ever since I can remember, my mom has been telling my entire family to never whistle at night. She claims that whistling will call the ghosts forth. Whistling allows ghosts and bad spirits to follow the whistler. Anytime she hears someone whistling in the house, she’ll immediately urge the person to stop.
When I asked my mom where and when she learned the item, she said that it’s a Chinese superstition that she learned from her parents when she was young. She spent her childhood in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. As a child, my mom read about many ghost stories and became very superstitious. There are many ghost stories in Taiwan with unexplained occurrences. My mom has become a big believer in ghosts and thinks that ghosts do exist, so the fact that whistling may bring forth ghosts worries her. She definitely believes in this superstition because of her belief in ghosts. Since she believes that ghosts do exist, whistling at night can definitely have an impact with calling ghosts.
With this superstition, I’m not quite sure if I actually do believe in it or not. Because living with my mom influences some of my beliefs, I have started to believe that ghosts exist. Real life stories that my mom has heard from other people have made me aware that there are spirits on earth. The fact that whistling at night can beckon ghosts is probable. If ghosts exist, I think maybe whistling at night can call ghosts, but I don’t see why they would respond to whistling. Also, I think that ghosts would appear and follow people associated with their unresolved problems.
Category Archives: Folk Beliefs
La Malinche
Es la montaña Malintzin de un aspecto bello y hermoso que se levanta implorando lluvias de los altos cielos. Y no es raro presenciar nubes que arrebata el viento, pero las de la Malintzin son seguros aguaceros. Una vez consumada la conquista, los aztecas, al saber que Marina había muerto, trataron de recuperar su cuerpo. Cuando lo tuvieron en su poder lo escondieron en muchos lugares tratando de evitar que cayera en manos de los españoles. En una montaña descubrieron una cueva gigantesca, y en el caballo que le había regalado Cortés la montaron y la subieron al cerro y la internaron en el fondo de la cueva que sellaron con grandes rocas. Apostaron guardias en puntos estratégicos para cuidarla. Desde entonces los nativos de la montaña la llaman Malintzin y desde su cresta nos manda aguaceros. Se mira una silueta que describe su cuerpo que dormido pide las lluvias del cielo.
Beautiful is the “Malintzin” mountain that rises above the clouds imploring the heavens for rain. It is not rare that the presence clouds are stirred by the wind, but the clouds of “Malintzin” are a sure sign of rain. Once the conquest had been accomplished, the Aztecs, having known that Marina had passed away, tried to recover her body. Once they had it in their possession, they hid it in many places in an attempt to avoid it from falling into the hands of the Spaniards. In a mountain they discovered a giant cave, and on the horse that Cortes had given her, they mounted her body and they carried her up the mountain and placed her at the end of the cave and sealed it with giant rocks. They placed guards in strategic places to watch over her. Since then the natives of the mountain call her “Malintzin” and from the peak sends us rain. It is said that the silhouette that describes her body can be seen asleep beckoning the heavens for rain.
My informant learned the legend of La Malinche from his grandmother. When he learned to speak at the age of three or four, he started asking many questions and becoming inquisitive. He asked his grandmother where the rain came from, and she replied with the story of La Malinche. This legend is not only known in his family though. It is a common legend in Mexico and Central America.
My informant does not actually tell this story to others. He usually hears it rather than share it with others. He has no reason to tell others because in most cases, people already know about the legend. Caleb considers this a legend that older people tell younger generations. They use this legend to explain the reason we have rain.
My informant does not think that this legend is true. The story of La Malinche and what happened may be true, but as far as the reason for rainfall, he does not believe it. Even though he does not think that La Malinche is the reason for rain, he thinks it’s important. In the future, he wants to pass it on to his children because it’s part of his culture. To a certain extent, it’s even a part of him. The legend identifies his people because of the struggle between early Americans and Spaniards that conquered the Aztecs. It sets them apart from the Spanish because their beliefs are different.
I agree with what my informant said about the legend. The legend, although it may not be the reason for rain, gives children an explanation for why we have rain. Through this story, children from Mexico and Central America are able to learn about the hardships that the Aztecs had to endure when the Spaniards invaded their land. Maintaining culture in a society is extremely important, especially since cultures are starting to mix and die out. People need to know their heritage, the history of their people, and how they got to where they are today. Culture is one of the few ways that we can still connect to the past. These legends allow people to learn about historical figures that are important in a culture.
“You have an eyelash on your face, make a wish!”
My informant learned this superstition when she was very young, so she doesn’t recall when she learned it. She has been taking part of this superstition ever since she was in elementary school, where she probably learned it from a friend. Whenever she sees a stray eyelash other people’s faces, she takes the eyelash, puts it on their finger and tells them to make a wish and blow the eyelash off. She puts the eyelash on her finger if she finds an eyelash on her face and follows the same procedure.
She said that she does not believe in this superstition, yet she does it anyway. According to her, there is no validity to this superstition, so she doesn’t believe her wishes will come true. She believes that this eyelash superstition exists because losing an eyelash is more unusual than losing strands of hair. Wishing with a strand of a hair would definitely not be as special because people lose many strands of hair everyday.
She tells this superstition because it has become a routine if she sees a loose eyelash. It has become embedded in her that she has an automatic reaction to tell it.
Like the superstition of making a wish at 11:11, I do not necessarily believe that blowing an eyelash off my finger while making a wish will make my wish come true. The willingness of a person to make his or her wish happen is what makes a wish come true. Usually people do not rely on an eyelash wish, so they take action and make it happen. I believe that eyelash wishing does contribute to making a wish become reality, but a person’s actions are what makes it become reality.
“Don’t use your cell phone at the gas station because you can cause an electrical spark and everything will blow up!”
Since the boom of cell phones, my informant’s dad has been telling her to take precaution and not to use her cell phone when filling up at the gas station. As a very informed physicist, Dr. Loo is always up to date with new information that he reads in the paper and on the Internet. He passes on any information that he believes his daughter must know. This urban legend is one of the few pieces of information that she actually attempts to remember because it actually affects her when she thinks about using a cell phone.
My informant, a very cautious teenager, never takes too many precautions. She believes in any information that could have any element of truth, even if it’s not likely. Whenever she goes to the gas station with a group of friends, she never lets a friend use a cell phone while at the station even if the person who wants to use his or her cell phone isn’t the one filling up the car.
She spreads this legend around because she thinks it’s possible, but not entirely true. She believes that it’s a safety issue, so people can never be too safe. The reason she tells people to avoid using cell phones at gas stations is to let them know the possibilities of danger. She doesn’t want her friends to die at the gas station over a silly cell phone call.
I believe that this urban legend is in fact realistic. It makes sense that cell phones can be a danger at gas stations. According to a CNN article published in 1999, “a cell phone’s battery could spark and ignite gasoline fumes if the cell phone were dropped in proximity to a gas pump.” Just the possibility that dropping a cell phone near a pump could cause a spark is enough information to say that using cell phones at gas stations is dangerous. Because people are so busy with so many places to go, they tend to be more impatient, which sometimes make them more clumsy and careless. They try to do several things at once, like filling up and talking on the phone at the same time. There’s a risk of accidentally dropping cell phones, which relates to the legend. Even cell phone manuals are taking caution and warning people to switch cell phones off when refueling. The Nokia 6133 User Guide states to switch cell phones off at refueling points. If cell phone manufacturers are warning the public that using cell phones at gas stations is a potential hazard, then I believe that this urban legend is definitely legitimate.
Annotation:
“Exxon warns dealers of cell phone risks.” CNN.com 24 June 1999. 19 Feb 2007 <http://www.cnn.com/US/9906/24/exxon.cellphones/index.html>.
“Boys will be boys.”
My informant learned this saying from an old television show that he used to watch. This saying has become part of his daily speech. Almost every conversation he has includes his saying “boys will be boys” to the point that the person he is talking to is extremely puzzled. He says it in situations in which they saying makes no logical sense, hence the confusion of the person he’s talking to.
My informant likes this saying for the irony and confusion. He knows that it doesn’t make sense when he says it because he says it at the most random times. When he says it, it somehow relates back to the conversation, but not necessarily. It leaves people speechless because they don’t know how to respond.
For my informant, “boys will be boys” provides him with a sense of nostalgia because it reminds him of watching television as a child. Because he learned the saying from watching a television show, the saying reminds him of childhood and the fun times he had as a child.
My interpretation of “boys will be boys” is quite different from his. In his case, he says it for the sake of saying it. I believe this saying represents how boys act, and many people interpret it this way as well. This saying is a way of asserting that boys are stupid and immature. Boys can act like complete idiots. This saying is just a more polite way of explaining how boys can be. I think that this saying is very useful in life when talking about boys. It isn’t as harsh as saying how boys act. By saying “boys will be boys,” people know what someone means without saying something in a blunt manner.