Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Superstition

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 12
Occupation: Student
Residence: Riverside, CA
Performance Date: April 27, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

The Bermuda Triangle

“Some people say that ships and airplanes have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle. My teacher told us about it because she passed through it but noting happened. I believe in it but I’m not scared.”

To be honest, I had never known of the superstitions of the Bermuda Triangle. I always thought the Bermuda Triangle was a name for a triad of islands. In fact, it is a triangle of islands with an eerie reputation. The apexes of the triangle are relatively Miami, Florida, San Juan, PR, and Bermuda. Encyclopedia Britannica describes the Bermuda Triangle as a “section of the North Atlantic Ocean off North America in which more than 50 ships and 20 airplanes are said to have mysteriously disappeared”. While this encyclopedia leaves an unbiased opinion, there are many firm believers, as well as many firm disbelievers.

According to encyclopedia Britannica, reports of missing vessels dates back to the mid 1800’s. Recovered ships were found abandoned without explanation. Then, with the rise of airplanes as a means of transportation, reports of missing airplanes started to come through over that area and still have not been recovered.

With unexplained circumstances, theories rose about the Bermuda triangle. Some thought it was the work of the supernatural. This superstition is one in which believers are not identified to any specific race or religion, just a shared belief due to their interpretation of the information. Others discount any paranormal activity and with that, many scientific theories have arose. Most common is the role of geography and the environment. According to the Naval Historical Center’s website, a strong current called the Gulf Stream could be the culprit. The Gulf stream, they say, is very “swift and turbulent and can quickly erase evidence of a disaster.” Likewise, discounting the superstitions, they also say that in the past, the combination of hurricanes and the lack of detection equipment for them on boats could leave the ships unaware of a disastrous storm until it was too late. Other explanations they offer include the variations in topography of the ocean floor; and the fact that many ships have been wrecked around the world, and that they occur more frequently in the Bermuda Triangle because it is a popular place with more traffic.

The Bermuda Triangle mystery remains an argued and unsolved mystery today. Like many unexplained events, people will always have opposing theories based on their personal rationalizations. Just like Area 51 or the Lock Ness Monster, unexplained events will always try to be solved and therefore always yield a variety of explanations. However, one conclusion can be drawn- these mysteries make great storylines for Hollywood movies. In addition, they spark curiosity and leave people wondering.

Sources:

“Bermuda Triangle.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 30 Apr. 2008 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/62319/Bermuda-Triangle>.

“The Bermuda Triangle.” Naval Historical Center. 11 Apr. 2007. 30 Apr. 2008 <http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq8-1.htm>.

Folk Belief – Jewish

Nationality: Caucasian, Jewish
Age: 57
Occupation: Hotel Executive
Residence: Haverford, PA
Performance Date: April 30, 2008
Primary Language: English

Kinehora

“I don’t like to give a “kinehora..” I don’t say things like “I have never had a broken bone.” I feel that would be to tempt fate.”

Kinehora is a yiddush word that means “a curse in reverse”. It is something to which many people would “knock on wood” for; or to which an audience would reply, “never say never”. There is of course, no conclusive scientific proof to verify that if someone makes a remark about, for example as my mother said, never having a broken bone, that all of a sudden they will indeed break one just for cursing themselves. It is a superstition that many people use while going about their everyday lives. My mother describes avoiding saying the “curse” altogether, while others “knock on wood” (although many people end up knocking on any surface around them which usually is not wood) to redeem themselves. This avoidance of “kinehora” is probably one of the most popular superstitions in the US. From my experience, I find educated, wealthy, and even naturally skeptical people not wanting to curse themselves. I find people knocking on wood if they reverse curse themselves or loved ones. It has become a very popular gesture in American culture, and probably worldwide. I know that in England they often say “touch wood.” Of course, as well, “kinehora” is a common yiddush saying describing the same superstition.

Regardless of its lack of validity,  I think that people find themselves avoiding cursing themselves or “touching wood” to redeem themselves because it is a little gesture that, if by any stretch of the imagination it does happen to prevent the terrible from happening, is worth little effort that is required to be set forth. It is just one of those things that if it helps people get through their day, then all the power to them.

Folk Remedy – Japan

Nationality: Japanese
Age: 20
Occupation: Sales Clerk
Residence: Japan
Performance Date: April 29, 2008
Primary Language: Japanese
Language: English

Jueki Sheets

“Jueki sheet eliminate toxins in body and improve sleep and speed up metabolism, give u energy, relieve pain. Jueki sheet absorb bad toxins in soles of feet. Pads have powder and will turn brown with all the bad stuff.”

Jueki sheets are a Japanese folk remedy made of ingredients like wood vinegar, bamboo vinegar, sinking Chinese herb, and vitamin C. I know this because when I went to interview this man, who wanted to remain anonymous, I bought some. I stuck them on the soles of my feet before bed, like it said to do, and removed them the next morning to find that they were brown. My boyfriend also did this and when he removed the sheet he exclaimed that it was probably hoax and that they probably turned brown from the body heat. However, upon comparing shades of brown, we noticed that his was significantly darker. Consequently, he has much more of a, lets say, partying habit than I do.

The man in the store said that Jueki sheets are very popular. I have in fact seen infomercials and secretly always wanted to try them. I am not quite sure I can say that I feel any different, but I bought a few and will continue to use them. The main reason that these sheets drew me in is because they claim to do your body good without any effort from you. While many diet pills and other products claim to accomplish a task without having the consumer try very hard, they end up having negative health effects. However, since Jueki sheets do not require anything to be taken orally or inserted internally, I think that consumers, including myself, feel safer trying them.

Asian alternative remedies have been around for thousands of years and have recently become increasingly popular among western cultures. Acupuncture, acupressure, and herbal remedies have all become familiar terms in the United States. The main selling points seem to be the “all natural” and “ancient” qualities. This is especially true in the ever increasing “organic” and “green” revolution where people want to go natural. However, one must be careful as I have started to see gimmicks popping up relating to oolong tea, which they now call the “Wu Yi Weight Loss Tea: As seen on Oprah!”. Some corporation has decided to take an ancient tea and make it into a fad diet. And, while it may slightly increase metabolic rates for a short period of time, it is in no way a miracle tea that will melt off pounds. It is a shame to see, but it is with hope that the real appreciation of such Japanese remedies and herbs will remain among its rooted advocates.

Source:

1. Jueki sheets that I bought

2. “Official Wu Yi Long Tea.” 2007. Natural Brands, LLC. 1 May 2008 <http://www.officialwuyitea.com/>.

Blessing – Japan

Nationality: Japanese, German, American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Redlands, CA
Performance Date: March 30, 2008
Primary Language: English

“When a person is having a bad day or week, someone who cares for them may take salt and sprinkle it over the other person’s head and rub it into their scalp to protect them from evil spirits or demons.  While rubbing the salt into the scalp of the person, it is common to say a prayer to ward off the evil.  The person will also make a circle of salt around the one in need of protection or put salt in front of their door so that the person will be guarded from these devilish spirits.”

Chris told me that his grandmother would often practice this blessing on him whenever he was feeling sad, had been injured, or was angry for one reason or another.  His grandmother is fully Japanese, however Chris claims to be only one quarter Japanese.  Chris told me that while she would rub salt into his scalp she would say different prayers sometimes, although they were usually in Japanese.  When she would say the prayer it would usually be a phrase such as “Guard over my grandson” or “May all evil be gone”.  His grandmother was a Shinto Buddhist and she used prayers from her church when she would speak, however Chris could not remember any of the actual Japanese that she used.  Chris’ grandmother was from Okinawa, which is an island right off of Japan and immigrated to Hawaii after the second world war and finally to Redlands, California where Chris and his family live today.

Chris said that he believed that his grandmother’s parents or grandparents had probably done the same blessing to her while she was a young girl in Japan. Chris was not sure whether his grandmother actually believed in the evil spirits or if it was just a tradition that she learned while growing up.  Either way it can be seen as a way that a person can help heal another, as to give their blessing to them and wish for their well being.  Usually this is practiced in a home, either of the person who needs protection or the person saying the prayer, according to Chris this was usually at his home or his grandmother’s.

Salt is an object that is often used in other superstitions and folklore.  One example that comes to mind is throwing salt over one’s shoulder for good luck.  As a food ingredient that has existed for all of human existence, there is a lot of tradition associated with it, not just in preparing meals, but in other senses as can be seen in this example of a blessing.  For this reason it seems that people have given salt some extra ability of being able to cure others or possibly even protect them.  I see this blessing as a combination of the use of salt as an agent to cure, and the prayer that is spoken to protect against these evil spirits that may be harming a person.

Superstition – Connecticut

Nationality: American
Age: 55
Occupation: Photographer
Residence: Mystic, CT
Performance Date: April 20, 2008
Primary Language: English

“To predict the sex of a baby: Suspend a needle held by a piece of thread over the palm of the pregnant girl. If the needle swings in an oval or circular motion the baby will be a girl. If the needle swings in a straight line the baby will be a boy.”

My mother told me that her good friends from work swore by this superstition and that they used it on her when she was carrying me as a baby.  The friends were also women who were around the same age as my mother when she gave birth to me (in their 30s).  She said that they were very into other superstitious practices as well, and had her try other folk pregnancy tests too.  My mother worked in a photograph archive in the town of Mystic, Connecticut with these women during her pregnancy.  My mom said that basically the only use of the swinging needle superstition was to determine whether or not I would be a boy or a girl.  She does not know where her friends learned this practice, but perhaps the fact that New England is rich in folk traditions can help describe where this custom came from.  In addition, she said that it was not clear when during the pregnancy this was supposed to occur, although she said she believed it could occur any time between conception and birth.  She also said that typically it is another woman who will suspend the needle over the palm of the pregnant woman’s hand.

I am not sure what the actual ceremony means, but I believe that the shape of the swinging needle may refer to the shape of a person’s sexual organs, straight for a man’s penis and oval shaped for a woman’s vagina.  This folk pregnancy test is part of the ritual of being pregnant and the excitement that surrounds the mother and her friends.  This also took place back in 1987, when less technology was used in pregnancies, and perhaps more folkloristic methods were used such as this superstition to determine the sex of an unborn child.

Seeing that this superstition is based on guessing the gender of the baby, I am supposing that it came to fruition before the development of technology that indicated whether or not a child would be male or female.  Also, because of the use of a needle and thread, it can easily be a tradition that could date back hundreds of years and even to other countries.  Since New England is primarily of European descent, I would think that if it did date back so far that it perhaps would come from somewhere in Western Europe.  There are various other possibilities of the superstition’s origin, however, I feel that it has been passed down many generations nonetheless.