Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Folk Medicine

Nationality: African-American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Torrence, CA
Performance Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Language: English

“This treatment was used to relieve ear infections, and drain the contents of your ear. My Venezuelan grandmother would roll paper into a funnel shape, and then stick the small end in my ear, then light the larger opposite end on fire. It would burn down towards my head, and before the fire got too close to my head, she would remove the cone. Then I would lean to the opposite side, and wipe out the contents of my ear. Afterwards she would insert a small piece of cotton in the ear.”

Subject’s Analysis:

“She applied it to me during childhood. I thought it was insane because I couldn’t understand how it was supposed to work. She learned it from her mother Esperanza when she was in Venezuela and couldn’t afford medicine or even just medical clinics.”

Collector’s Analysis:

I think that this is the perfect example of folk medicine that actually works. The process actually helps to drain the infected ear. That is really interesting,and also good because of the fact not everyone can afford to pay for medicine or medical care. I think that I would be scared as well if my grandmother started to light things on fire in close vicinity of my head.

Ritual/Tradition – Greek

Nationality: Native-American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Moorpark, CA
Performance Date: March 30, 2007
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

Blessing of a Home: Before entering a home a person will throw money in the doorway to bless the family.

This type of ritual/tradition is practiced amongst the Greek culture. Nichelle learned this belief from her Greek mother and grandmother who have taught her the traditions and rituals of the Greek culture. This tradition is practiced amongst the Greek families and can be used to bless other homes that are not of Greek origin. If a family is not of Greek origin the tradition may be slightly changed where the person being invited to the house warming will not throw money into the house but will put money in an envelope as a gift to the family. This tradition occurs when family and friends are invited over for a dinner party to celebrate living in a new home. One member or more of the family will take money and throw it in the doorway of the home before stepping inside the home. Nichelle was not sure of what the money symbolized, she was only aware of this practice being a tradition amongst Greek families.

I agree with Nichelle’s interpretation of a Greek house-warming tradition. This certain tradition has taken on many different forms in other cultures as well. For instance, for many African American house warming parties; it is part of tradition to bring an entrée or beverage of some sort in order to celebrate a family’s new home. Money is also another gift that is given in envelopes or cards as a way of congratulating families for stepping into another stage of adulthood. Although money is not thrown instantly at the door, we can see in other cultures that the same tradition is kept, but through different forms and practices. I also could imagine that money could be a symbol of good luck for the family to lead a long and prosperous life in their new home. This practice could also be a way of showing the family that they have friends and family that are there as systems of support whenever they may need financial assistance. For example, the money may go to helping to pay for new furniture and kitchen items for their new home.

Folk Belief – Boston, Massachusetts

Nationality: African-American
Age: 53
Occupation: Field Service Engineer
Residence: Boston, MA
Performance Date: April 29, 2008
Primary Language: English

Church Belief: Cursing on Sundays is damnation.

Don says that this was a common belief amongst the neighborhood of African American homes in Boston Massachusetts. Don grew up in a Northeastern Baptist home where the laws of the church were strictly followed. The consequences of cursing in church would lead to getting “smacked across the face”, first by the church mothers who heard you curse, and then by your mother after she heard the story through the grapevine from the church mother’s gossip.

I agree with this church belief. Growing up in an African American Pentecostal church, which is of similar background to Northeastern Baptist churches, it was and still is considered unholy to cuss on Sundays, the Lord’s Day. If you were caught cussing in or outside of the church a church mother or sister of the church would not hesitate to smack right in front of your friends and the other church members in order to teach you a lesson. The men of the church would not usually participate in the scolding. After she physically punished you, a scripture would always follow to back up you’re sinful act. The women of the church would often quote Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”. For Baptist churches the Sabbath day falls on Sunday, therefore no sinful acts should be practiced on a holy day. Proverbs 10:31 “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out” would also be used to remind all of the children to keep their language profanity-free.

Superstition

Nationality: White
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Moreno Valley, CA
Performance Date: April 18, 2008
Primary Language: English

Superstition

If you get an elephant as a gift and its trunk is down you can’t accept it.

Jasmine learned this superstition from her mother when she was a little girl, when she was probably 10 years old. She remembers her mother telling her to never accept an elephant with his trunk down when her mother received a porcelain elephant as a gift. Jasmine was unsure of the meaning behind this superstition she sated, “All I know is that you are not supposed to accept elephants with their trunk down cuz its bad luck.” (See also Field Guide to Luck: How to Use and Interpret Charms, Signs, and Superstitions.)

I was able to find the historic meaning behind this superstition in which Jasmine was unsure about. According to the article Lucky Elephant by Catherine Yronwode, this belief originates from the “lucky elephant” which is a charm used for wishing good luck. The belief of an elephant being a symbol of good luck derived from the Hindu religion of India. The origination of this good luck symbol came from the god Ganesha (the god of luck, protection, and religious devotion) who was the elephant-headed son of Siva (the creator and destroyer of the universe) and the goddess Parvati (the mountain goddess). An elephant as a good luck symbol didn’t reach America until the 19th century when many elephant charms were imported to the United States from India. Yronwode’s believes the “trunk up” belief has no apparent origin in Africa, India, or South East Asia where elephants are native, but is widespread in the USA, and many Asian and African amulet and statuary makers now produce trunk-up elephant statues for American buyers. It may have originated in the west-British and Irish belief that a lucky horseshoe must face upward or “the luck will run out.”

The diffusion of Hindu belief has been embraced by other cultures. This reflects the importance of how diffusion of ideas overtime can determine how folklore is perceived in later years and the incredible capability for one piece of folklore to branch off into various forms over time. It’s amazing to see how the belief in Ganesha went from being a religious practice to becoming manifested in a good luck charm that is now sold in stores across America.  This also shows how globalization has had an impact on the diffusion of folklore amongst different ethnic groups.

Annotated:

Yablon, Alys R. Field Guide to Luck: How to Use and Interpret Charms, Signs, and Superstitions. Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books, 2008. pp 73-74.

Yronwode, Catherine. “The Lucky Elephant.” The Luck “W” Amulet Archive. 25 Apr. 2008 <http://www.luckymojo.com/elephant.html>.

Superstition/Fable – Greek

Nationality: Greek, Native-American, European
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Moorpark, CA
Performance Date: March 30, 2008
Primary Language: English

Superstition/Fable

Superstition: You are not supposed to sow on the eve of a Greek Holiday.

Story: On the eve of a holiday you’re not supposed to sow and it has something to do with if you prick your finger and bleed, then it is unholy. My YaYa (Greek for Grandmother) told me this story. Her older sister in Greece was a seamstress. She had a big order due and she wasn’t down with her order so she asked YaYa to come help her with the order. She started sowing. The sun goes down and it gets dark. Around midnight she goes to bed and hears a woman moaning. She looks outside and nobody is there. She looks outside again and sees nothing. She looked outside for a third time and they both see a woman who is very white who has an arrow through her chest w/ blood. The next day they go to church and the priest told my YaYa the story about how there was a saint that died. And they believed they saw the ghost of the Saint on the eve of a holiday (Nichelle was not sure what holiday it was). That night warned them to not break religious doctrine.

The story originated from a Greek Orthodox superstition which states, “one is not supposed to sow on the eve of a holiday”. The story that Nichelle told was an experience that her grandmother had when she was a child on the night before the particular holiday. This story was passed down to Nichelle’s grandmother’s children and grandchildren as a warning to not sow on the eve of a Holiday. One is not supposed to sow on the eve of a holiday because it is considered a disservice to the saints of that given holiday.

This superstition and accompanied story seem to be quite exaggerated to those who do not believe in ghosts or the consequences of ignoring a superstition. However, I do believe that those who do believe in superstitions will follow this particular belief, especially after hearing a story like Nichelle’s Ya Ya told. Her story shows supportive evidence of what could happen if you disobey a particular Greek Orthodox belief. I believe this superstition also supports the importance of resting before a Greek holiday, which is an important belief that Greek culture values. One is not supposed to work strenuously before celebrating a religious holiday.