Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Superstition

Nationality: Hispanic
Age: 54
Residence: Riverside, CA
Performance Date: 3/15/12
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

An old superstition that was told to my father from my grandmother and great grandmother.

My grandmother used to tell my father that if you hear an owl screeching outside at night, then something bad is going to happen soon.

This is an old superstition but I think that it was just used as a way to stop children from going outside at night because it could not have been safe, or too cold, or something of that nature. I believe that because owls are nocturnal and usually flying about I don’t see how that could be a forewarning for something bad happening. Although this could be believed because maybe owls are screeching and flying away because they see danger approaching and are trying to leave.

Folk Medicine

Nationality: caucasian
Age: 75
Residence: Redlands, CA
Performance Date: 3/25/12
Primary Language: English

How to get rid of a cold

My ex-husbands mother from Oklahoma in the ’40’s used to give this to the kids when they got a cough or a cold. But the kids didn’t dare to get sick around her for fear of actually having to take this medicine. What you do is you take turpentine, honey, and the white off of chicken poop and mix it together. You give it to the sick person and they should be better in no time.

I do not actually know if this works because my grandmother didn’t know for sure, but it sounds like poison and I think the children were scared out of getting sick when they knew this is what they had to eat/drink to cure themselves

Folk Medicine

Nationality: caucasian
Age: 75
Residence: Redlands, CA
Performance Date: 3/25/12
Primary Language: English

How to get rid of warts

My grandmother  from Kentucky told everyone she met this. She believed that if you had warts, if you peed on a dishrag and buried out in the street, soon the warts would disappear. She made everyone in the family do it whenever they found a wart and swore by it working.

This being my great great grandmother, passed this superstition belief down for many years so maybe there was some truth to it when she did it. It was probably coincidence that she somehow thought to pee on a dishrag and bury it in the street when her warts went away.

Folk Medicine

Nationality: caucasian
Age: 56
Residence: Riverside Ca
Performance Date: 3/25/12
Primary Language: English

When I was little and I had an earache, my mom would take a cotton ball and dip it in warm olive oil that she had heated up to soothe the pain and make it feel better. It was also supposed to make the earache go away too. I know a lot of other kids had their parents do this too but I know my mom had gotten it from my grandma.

I’ve never had an earache so my mother never did this to me but after further research, I’ve learned that it is bad to put olive oil in anyones ear so I don’t know that this would be folklore I would pass on. I do know that this was a common way of soothing the pain.

Superstition

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 56
Residence: Riverside CA
Performance Date: 3/25/12
Primary Language: English

An old superstition.

My mother used to tell me that if my hand ever began to itch it meant that I would be coming into some money soon. I still haven’t won the lottery yet so I don’t know how well it works.

I had never heard this superstition before my mother told me that my grandmother used to believe in it. After some research, it seems that people believe if your left palm is itching then you will be coming into money unless you are left handed then you will be losing money soon. Some also believe that if your right hand itches then you will be getting money and if your left hand itches then you will be losing money. I think it all depends on the personal beliefs which in this case my grandmother just believed if either palm itched then money would be coming in. This probably stemmed as a sign of hope or belief during such times as the depression when nobody had money if they thought it was coming maybe they subconsciously worked harder or something.