Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Folk Medicine – Asian

Nationality: Singaporean
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Performance Date: April 19, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Japanese, Mandarin

Folk Medicine- Growing Magic Potion

We have something called, well, translated into English it is called magic potion.  I can’t really pronounce it correctly, but it means magic potion.  Well, it’s made from a series of things: the antlers of a deer, the hooves of a water buffalo, and a snake.  If you want to be luxurious you use shark fin too.  Well, it’s supposed to make you grow, and on top of that it is supposed to make you become healthy and good at sports.  Like, it is supposed to make you like strong and big.  It is strange though because supposedly people say it works on a lot of people.  I’ve actually tried it.  In Chinese, it is actually called Mee Tow.

My Singaporean friend Zhi told me this story about this magic potion a couple weeks ago.  When he told me about his use of the potion, I was intrigued by it.  When I asked him what his experiences were, he said, “I drank it for like two months, and well you knew me when I was younger, I was really short, like really short.  Like I used to be like 5’2 when everyone was like 5’8, and well I grew. I don’t know whether it is because of that or because I just simply got the better genes in my family and I hit puberty, but I mean my parents aren’t tall.  My father is the tallest one being only like 5’8, so you have to admit I am pretty tall for an Asian person”.

I looked up the word potion and figured the very word means some type of magical agent.  This already helps me analyze the belief difference between Asian cultures and that of the “Western World”.  Zhi’s family was willing to concoct this potion in order to help him grow and prosper in tennis.  This leads me to believe their effort to shy away from Western medicines and stay with ancient techniques.  This can be compared to the movie we watched about curing different types of tumors.

Another thing to take note of are the ingredients used in this “magic” potion.  They are not everyday items that you can find at a supermarket.  Also, if you can get these ingredients, they are never used together so this creates a belief that the potion might work.  The animals used are all large and strong animals, which works perfectly with the aim of the potion.

Lastly, this builds a strong sense of identity within the family and Asian community.  This is not something you could find online or in a cookbook.  It can only be taught and passed down through generations, which makes it very unique.  Also, Zhi told me the preparation of the potion took a very long time.  People normally connect hard work and success with the amount of time you put into something.  This could affect the person mentally and cause them to believe the potion is really working.

Folk Superstition – Morocco

Age: 58
Occupation: Homemaker
Residence: Erie, PA
Performance Date: March 25, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Superstition- The Evil Eye

When I was home for spring break, my mother was wearing this red string around her left wrist.  At the time I didn’t pay it much attention, but when I told her about my folklore collection, she told me something about it that I could not leave out of the collection. Wearing a red string around your left wrist prevents bad luck and doesn’t allow the evil eye to interfere with you.  I was not totally sure what she meant by the evil eye, so the questioning began.

I asked her more about the evil eye and where she learned the story.  She said she learned about it on her trip to Morocco.  Supposedly, the evil eye dates back to around 3000 BC.  My mother said wearing the red string around your left wrist is an old Moroccan tradition passed down from medieval times.  She said this was told to her on biking trip there in one of the town’s.  She can’t remember if a local or a tour guide told it, but nevertheless, she bought some type of evil eye souvenir and this red string.  When   I asked her why she wore it and what she thought of the superstition, she said, “I don’t really know if I believe it necessarily, but it is very unique and it brings back a lot of memories from the trip”.

When analyzing this, it is tough to generalize why others wear this string on their left wrist, but I think I know why my mother does.  Every time she looks down and sees this string, it reminds her of the trip.  This instantly connects her with Morocco and the wonderful times she had there.  This also connects her with the Moroccan culture.  It is something that most Americans don’t know about or have, so this changes her sense of identity in some respects.

Another interesting thing to notice is who told her the story of the evil eye.  If it was indeed a local, this could have been simply to tell an old Moroccan belief.  But I also believe it might have something to do with all the evil eye souvenirs.  Tourists who buy these Moroccan items help their business tremendously.  Whether the evil eye “exists” or not, selling things connected with it is a moneymaker in Morocco.

This can also be found in the following:

Evil Eye

Mark P. Taylor

Folklore, Vol. 44, No. 3 (Sep., 1933), pp. 308-309

Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd.

Folk Superstition – Jewish

Nationality: Jewish
Age: 58
Occupation: Homemaker
Residence: Erie, PA
Performance Date: March 28, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Superstition- The Blue Ribbon

When I was born, I came out three and a half months premature.  I almost died and had to stay in the hospital for three months following birth.  Because of this, I think my mom was always trying to find things that would bring me good luck.  When I was out of the hospital and taken home, my mom had a blue ribbon attached to my baby bed.  Of course I don’t remember seeing it then, but my mom kept it with her for quite some time.  She showed me it recently and said that putting a blue ribbon on a baby’s bed prevents bad luck from falling upon the baby.

My great grandfather, who is from Eastern Europe, told this story to her.  Supposedly he was very into superstitions and practiced them frequently.  My mother said this is only used on a baby’s bed, and shouldn’t be used otherwise.  I am not sure of the reasoning, but I have a good guess.

In most cultures, babies are seen as completely pure and innocent.  By the time a baby grows, innocence is already escaping them.  This blue ribbon that can only be placed on a baby’s bed might be done so for this reason.  It will protect them from bad luck during their first few months of life, so they will be lucky forever.

Another thing I found interesting was the color of the ribbon.  Since my family is Jewish, blue is seen as a color of beauty.  Supposedly, it is the color of God’s Glory.  It is a strange coincidence that blue was the color chosen.  I believe this superstition also helped my mom connect with her grandfather.  In a way, it allowed me to do the same.  Also, it probably connected my mom with her Eastern European heritage.  My mother tells people the ribbon was the reason for no complications after I left the hospital, but I think she just likes the story.

Folk Remedy – Juaneño

Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: March 14, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Folk Remedy- How to Stop a Cold Juaneno Style

Ok, your gonna think I am really weird, so please don’t judge me for this.  I am part Native American. My family originates from the Juaneno people.  So, my family has a bunch of different superstitions and remedies that were passed down to us from past generations.  Like, you know, when you get a cold, you take Tylenol.  Well, when I get a cold, it’s a little bit different.  My father makes this concoction of green chili, beans, and bird meat.  He makes it into some type of stew.  He has never showed me how to make it, but he always makes me drink it when I am sick.  The funny thing is, my sickness always goes away.

This cold remedy is something I never heard before, but Raquel swears by it. “ Believe me, I think it is weird too, and it tastes gross.  But I rather be healthy”.  She said her dad made it for the first time when she was about six years old.  She said he would only go to this special natural store to get the ingredients and the meat.  I asked her why she thinks the ingredients are so effective, and she really had no response.  She was not sure and thought there might be something else in the mix that her father would not say.

This concoction serves as a connection to Raquel’s Native American heritage.  I think her reaction to it might be more mental than anything, unless the father knows something the medical world does not.  She also said her father only buys ingredients from a special store.  This makes the stew seem more authentic and pure.  If he shopped at a normal grocery store, I doubt the stew would seem as important.

Another reason I have for this unique remedy is that it builds a bond between Raquel and her father.  Every time she is sick, he will make this for her.  This comforting feeling might be the reason for quick recovery.  Also, it shows her both the importance of her heritage and the knowledge of her ancestors.

Lastly, Raquel mentioned her father is the only one that makes it.  This shows the male dominance in the Juaneno tribe.  It reinforces the fact that he is the man of the house and he can provide during good and bad times.  Whether the remedy is effective or not, Raquel knows she can rely on her father for anything.

Folk Belief – Jewish

Nationality: Russian, Polish
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Anaheim Hills, CA
Primary Language: English

“I guess I can talk about the Evil Eye. And this is almost kind of a universal um idea that not that many cultures have a concept of evil presence, or Evil Eye. And specifically, in Eastern Europe and southern Europe a lot of cultures um have talked about it that there’s this kind of evil presence in the world and uh you just kinda wanna scare it away. It’s really common among older people who are in the immigrant generation like the late 1800s or early 1900s and I’ve heard stories of my great-grandmother who would um almost spit at the ground if something bad was said and there is a Yiddish phrase called ‘Kanahora’ uh which kinda means God Forbid, it’s kinda like ‘knock on wood’ and uh basically you say that if you do say something bad. You say that and it kinda scares away any evil presence that might actually cause that to happen. Um the Jewish phrase is ‘Kanahora’ but I know that a lot of different cultures and religions have this notion of the evil and try to keep it away. I don’t know if it’s so much of a literal eye, I think it’s more just the fact that there is that presence watching over you and you wanna scare it away. I know that different cultures have talked about this and there’s always that fear of the unknown, nobody really knows for sure what’s gonna happen so they just hope for the best. Occasionally I would hear my grandfather who grew up speaking Yiddish yell out or say ‘Kanahora’ after something. But they haven’t told me any stories about them actually seeing any evil. I think my grandfather uses it because his mother or my great-grandmother used it all the time. There was a lot of lack of communication between my great-grandparents who came here from Russia and Poland and my family here now because they spoke Yiddish. Um, my family here basically weren’t so aware of how to speak that language so there is a lot of kind of cultural traditions that were lost there and a lot of lack of understanding ‘cause my parents would have been like the third-generation here so even my grandparents who were like the first-generation born here, there was a lot of Americanization that went on there so even if my grandfather says ‘Kanahora’ I don’t know if he really thinks that there is an evil presence. It might just be him using a term that he heard his mother speak when she came here. So ‘Kanahora’ is kind of the Yiddish version of ‘God Forbid.’ I guess the notion of the Evil Eye, specifically, is common in Eastern and Southern European cultures, mainly Eastern.”

I think this belief in the presence of an Evil Eye is more prevalent among religious cultures because they speculate that if there is a god(s) to help or protect them, there must also exist negative forces out there that harm them. This fear of the unknown reinforces people’s faith in God as they use the phrase ‘Kanahora’ in their everyday speech to call on God’s power to protect them from any unseen evil.

More information on the Evil Eye in the Jewish tradition can be found in:

Brav, Aaron. “The Evil Eye Among the Hebrews”. The Evil Eye: A Casebook. Wisconsin Press: 1981. page 44-49.