Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Chinese palm reading

Nationality: Chinese-American
Age: 20
Occupation: student
Performance Date: 4/22/12
Primary Language: English
Language: Cantonese and Mandarin

Chinese palm reading and fortune telling is a custom that still exists to this day and was passed on to my source directly from his mother, who in turn learned from her own mother. By reading the top line, one understands his or her own love line. The longer the line is, the longer a love life he or she has, and the more cracks or off-shootings that appear, the more love affairs that person has. Next comes the career line. If it is a solid long line, one will have a good long career; however, if it splits or stops short, he or she will have one or more choices, or will have a poor career altogether. Finally comes the life line. My source seemed to emphasize this line as the most important to Chinese. This line tends not to shoot off in multiple directions, and is very straightforward. A long line means a long life while a short line leads to a short one.

 

I found the fact that my source, despite being born and raised, still learned this fortune telling from his mother. He described it more as a game that people play and being less serious, yet at the same time, the notion of fortune and predetermination seems to be a common East Asian theme.

Personality and Bloodtype

Nationality: Korean-american
Age: 20
Occupation: student
Performance Date: 4/25
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean

The relationship between personality and blood type is professed to be an actual predictable relationship according to my source. She first heard this from her friends in middle school. It is a widely held belief in Korean culture that blood type determines one’s personality. Blood type A represents uptight, more meticulous people, blood type B represents more relaxed and easygoing personality traits, blood type O is ambitious and athletic, but more vain, and finally blood type AB represents cool and controlled, but more critical people. She asked me my own blood type and analyzed my own personality traits in accordance with my blood type.

 

I find that the fact that this folk belief is still widely held, while lacking any real scientific or empirical evidence behind the fact is interesting. Much like how the Chinese calendar and your zodiac animal is said to describe your persona, this folk belief is one in which blood type designates personality. The notion of predetermined pathways in life is a common aspect of many east asian cultures.

Kissed by an Angel

Nationality: Chinese-American
Age: 20
Occupation: student
Performance Date: 4/25/12
Primary Language: English

My source first heard this from a woman who was particularly interested in mysticism and was very superstitious. She apparently was a maid at his house when he was young, and one day she happened to see the bottom of his foot, on which is a small birthmark. When she saw it she exclaimed loudly, “Oh wow! You’ve been kissed by an angel!” According to her, a birthmark on the foot was the marking left after one had been blessed, though he thought it strange, he did not ask her why she believed so. My informant believed her nonetheless and continued to tell people the same thing if he encountered a person with a birthmark on his or her foot, suggesting that those people went on to tell others as well.

Where or when this particular sign is said to have come from, I do not know. However, the powerful nature of folklore when it comes to signs, especially if told to a person when young was very apparent through this collection. He did not question why or where the belief came from, but he believed and spread it nonetheless. It is likely that he will continue spreading this belief, and because I myself have such a birthmark, it is entertaining to believe it as well.

Dog’s saliva works miracles

Nationality: Korean-american
Age: 50
Primary Language: Korean
Language: english

My source attributes her folk notion of dog’s licks curing mosquito bites to something she was told as a young girl in Korea. In Korea, during the hot seasons, there are many mosquitos, and therefore mosquito bites were a constant annoyance during this time period. When her mother caught her scratching at her mosquito bites too much, she told her to get the dog to lick it, because that would relieve it. Being young, she followed her mother’s instructions and was convinced of the efficacy of the treatment. When I tried to ask why that would even work, she simply said that she didn’t know, but it simply did. I believe this to be a common trend with folk remedies.

In my opinion, this is a classic case of placebo effect. In her head, this remedy was going to work, and therefore when the dog licked her mosquito bite, she convinced herself it was going to itch less and therefore it did. Whether or not dog saliva contains anti-inflammatory medication, I do not know; however, I find that simply forcing oneself to believe that something is not itchy is something that the brain can do on its own.

Pickle Juice Cures Hiccups

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: student
Performance Date: 4/25/12
Primary Language: English

According to my source, drinking copious amounts of pickle juice will not only cure hiccups, but will make that person overall more healthful. She first heard this as a young girl from a friend, who explained that pickle juice would cure her hiccups when she had one. One day when she had hiccups, she opened her fridge, and to her mom’s dismay began drinking the pickling juice straight out of the jar of pickles, miraculously curing her hiccups. This notion that was spread to her was not explained but was simply taken at face value, and for her it seemed to work. It was yet another folk remedy that she continued to spread to her own friends when they had hiccups, most of who were disgusted with the thought of drinking the supposedly sour, salty fluid.

This particular folk belief is particularly comical in my eyes. I was always given a spoonful of sugar to cure my hiccups, but perhaps it is the same mechanisms behind both folk remedies that lead to the cure of hiccups. What I find the most interesting about this folk remedy is the fact that she finds it difficult to recall a time in which the cure failed to work, but only remembers when the cure does work. Folk beliefs seem to be notions that people enjoy believing in despite how effective they really are, and will continue to be spread so long as such people carry their beliefs so strongly.