Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Superstition – Turkey

Nationality: Turkish
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Turkish

Superstition- Turkey

Never hand someone a bar of soap

Ahmet grew up in western Turkey and is 100% Turkish. He left Turkey in 8th grade to go to boarding school in the U.S., however, all of his family remains in Turkey and he goes back there every summer. He said he learned this superstition when he was young in Turkey, but he can’t remember the exact time he learned it. He figures he learned it from his maid. The rationale is that the soap is slippery, and if you try to hand someone slippery soap, it will fall. Then an argument will break out over who dropped the soap and whose fault it was (the person handing it or the person grabbing it) and it could break apart a friendship. Ahmet said that this superstition is used by/applies to everybody of all age groups and genders.

This is a very interesting superstition. It makes sense, as it is very hard to hand someone a slippery bar of soap and if it falls, an argument could ensue over whose fault it was that the soap fell. It is different from U.S. superstitions, or superstitions from the western culture, in that the results are immediate and tangible from this Turkish superstition. Many of the superstitions that exist in the western culture deal with bad luck and intangible outcomes. For example, if you see a black cat, it’s bad luck; or if you walk under a ladder, you will have bad luck. Bad luck is a very broad and general term, and the superstitions also don’t state the amount of time you will have bad luck for. With this Turkish superstition, the result of the superstition is very tangible and definite; there are no gray areas.

This might have to do with western (American) culture vs. eastern European culture. In America especially, and the Western world as a whole, fate plays a very big role in the culture and life. As a Christian nation, America puts many things in God’s hands. Religion aside, fate plays a huge role in books and Hollywood, which has influenced American culture greatly. The ‘Happily Ever After’ stories are based mainly on the fate that even though something bad has happened to the protagonist, he will get some luck and something will be right for him that he will have a happy ending. This relates to superstitions in that all the ‘bad luck’ superstitions leave it to fate to decide what happens, if the person will really have bad luck or not.

I’m not very well education in eastern European culture, but it is possible that they have a different way of viewing life and the world. The main religion in Turkey and Eastern Europe is Islam. It is possible that the Islamic people rely much more on physical and tangible events to determine the future, rather than ‘fate’. This superstition could be grounded in the fact that Turkish people are very down-to-earth, and understand life and reality for what they are. Hence, this superstition has a definite ending and a tangible result.

Folk Cure – United States

Nationality: Polish, Italian
Age: 49
Occupation: Housewife
Residence: Hinsdale, Il
Performance Date: April 27, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Cures: Hiccups- United States

In order to cure the hiccups, I think about them and try to make the length in between hiccups longer each time.

Leslie spent her middle school and high school years in Wayne, N.J. in the late 60s/early 70s. She said she made this cure up herself when she was a teenager because no other cures (drinking water upside, holding her breath, etc.) worked. She realized that the cures that didn’t work for her focused on forgetting about the hiccups, so she tried to think about them. Ironically, she found that thinking about them made them go away. She figures that she is concentrating so hard on them that she gains control and that’s what cures them, rather than an outside influence (such as water or peanut butter) trying to suppress the hiccups with strength

Leslie says that she figured out this cure herself, and did not hear it from any other friends or family. It is an interesting tactic. The fact that it focuses on the hiccups, rather than trying to draw the victim’s focus off them or suppressing them with outside force, makes it stand out amongst the hundreds of cures around today. Curing the hiccups is a challenge; everybody finds one cure that works for them, but there is no single cure that works for everybody. For example, I find that drinking water upside-down works for me, and this method does not work.

An interesting note is that this always works for Leslie, 100% of the time and never fails. She said that she has never tried this method, only to find the hiccups remained after she was finished. This is a telling sign that something is right and the cure works, yet I have not heard of this method from anyone other than Leslie. Sometimes it could take hours for me to try and get rid of my hiccups, but for Leslie, it takes less than five minutes. The fact I have not heard of many people trying this method, despite the success it evidently has, shows that there are many cures for the hiccups, and people choose a cure based on what works for them.

Folk Superstition

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Fairfield, NJ
Performance Date: March 14, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Superstition

“Lending a bat to a fellow player is a serious jinx.”

“Some players actually sleep with their bat to break out of a hitting slump or stay in a groove.”

George told me that this superstition regarding baseball is really common and that baseball players are apparently very careful about how they treat their bats.  As he stated, there are a couple specific superstitions that players follow in order to bring good luck or play well in a game.  A lot of superstitions, understandably, are related to the items that the players use during the game.  Bats in particular, along with mitts, hats, and uniforms, happen to carry a lot of weight in terms of bringing good luck.

The first superstition is associated with a players unique batting skills on a team.  Each individual is chosen on a sports team because of their abilities and what they have to offer as players.  When a player has a specific bat they play with, or bats, they associate that bat with their strength, power, and ability to succeed during the game.  The bat is also like a token that signifies a player’s ability to help carry the team.  If players were to switch bats, it most likely believed to be bad luck because it carries the significance of another player’s skills.  Though this clearly can’t be proven, exchanging bats would be like trying to exchange vibes or comfort zones.  Additionally, it is probably simply more comfortable to play with a bat that one has been practicing with and using over and over.  If it is a bat that has brought the player luck and has helped them score, exchanging the bat could be believed to be bad luck because it will stop the luck.

This is similar to the second quote which associates winning/losing streaks with bats.  If a player is doing really well and helping his team win games, he might sleep with the bat to try to stay on that winning streak.  However, if the player stops playing well and the team starts to lose, sleeping with the bat might also help get them out of that slump.  Players most likely believe on that having the bat close to them will literally give them extra playing powers.  Also, some players may believe that the bat will send good luck vibes to their subconscious while they are sleeping.  Being with the bat as often as possible makes the player feel more comfortable with the item they will be using on the field later in games.

The reason these superstitions are probably so popular and common is that they may actually have an indirect effect on the players.  Even though technically sleeping with a bat or consistently using the same bat doesn’t actually give the players physical powers or lucky necessarily, it still has a subconscious effect.  If the players believe that the bat is bringing them good luck, it probably gives them more confidence and as a result they perform better during the games.  Though it can’t be proven, these superstitions are widely held on baseball teams and believed to be true on both a conscious and subconscious level.

Folk Superstition

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Fairfield, NJ
Performance Date: March 14, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Superstition

“During hockey playoffs, a lot of guys grow beards for good luck until the end of the season so that their favorite time will win.”

My manager at the Original Pancake House is a huge sports fan, especially when it comes to hockey.  He absolutely loves the Rangers and goes to as many games as possible every season.  He is a very intense fan, and he and his friends do a lot of different things to try to bring their team good luck.

He said that this superstition is really common, especially with hockey fans.  If a favorite team makes it to the playoffs (and some even do this during the whole season, but it is generally based on the playoffs), a lot of the fans will let their facial hair grow, specifically their beards.  They tend to believe that as long as they keep their hair growing, their team won’t lose.  Of course this isn’t necessarily true, but it gives them something to hope for.  One of the reasons this superstition is probably to common is that it encourages fans to be more involved.  By growing their beards out and doing something that seems to contribute to the team’s success, the fans feel more involved.

The specificity of growing a beard is most likely due to men’s desire to come across as being very masculine.  Since men already tend to love sports because it associates them with masculine qualities, this trend seems to emphasize that.  In growing a beard, which is clearly a trait that is unique to men, they are asserting their masculinity and trying to make a statement that they have the male power to control, or contribute, to a sports team’s success during the playoffs.

Furthermore, growing a beard can be symbolic of the teams success (or lack thereof) because of the fact that bears grow and can be cut off.  As the beard is growing, so is the team as they win games during the playoffs.  However, if the team loses, the fans can easily shave off their beards in order not to be reminded of the downfall.  Growing a beard provides an easy and convenient way of showing support for a team without making any huge commitments, and it still makes a bold visual statement.  When people who are aware of this tradition see a man with a beard during the playoffs, it can serve as a sort of advertisement for the team and for the sport in general.  In many senses, this superstition is a convenient and practical way for men to show their support and assert their masculinity during game season.

Ancestry Story

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 64
Occupation: Retired
Residence: Essex Falls, NJ
Performance Date: April 24, 2008
Primary Language: English

Ancestry Rumor

“There has always been a rumor that the LeCates family ancestors were seafaring pirates.  Another rumor is that we come from a band of thieves in France.”

These amusing rumors about our ancestry are said to have started a very long time ago.  It is obviously quite unclear as to whether there is actually any truth to the rumors, but they have provided amusement to the family for years.  We bring it up a lot at family events and holidays that many of us gather for, especially Christmas and Thanksgiving.  My family generally has a great sense of humor, so we enjoy talking about anything that could provide humor.

I believe this rumor started because of our last name, LeCates.  We are of French decent, though many generations ago.  We don’t really consider ourselves French, but every once in a while if something amusing comes up we’ll associate ourselves as a joke.  The particular rumor about being a band of thieves in France most likely came up because we also happen to be a troublemaking family (to some extent, not necessarily in a serious way.)  We tend to enjoying fooling around pulling pranks, etc.  Sometimes we really do get into trouble with the law for tickets or driving and whatnot, and that specifically is when the rumors come out and start getting repeated.  When these situations are combined with out good sense of humor, this creates a perfect environment to stir up old rumors.

The “seafaring pirates” rumor is very similar in that it comes up when any member of our family gets into any kind of trouble.  This rumor in particular comes up when my siblings or I talk about our spending money.  If we had gone out a lot recently or had done a lot of shopping and realize the next day that we’re starting to run low on cash, we joke around that our seafaring ancestors took it.  We say the same thing if money somehow goes missing, as well.  This rumor tends to provide a lot of humor because it can be interpreted, shared, and repeated in a variety of ways.

Family ancestry rumors tend to be very common because they involve a sense of pride.  Even if it seems to be a somewhat negative rumor, like this one, it is still a way of recognizing and identifying a family.  This makes the members of the family feel proud for their heritage, gives them something to talk about, and helps them feel even more connected with each other to have something to peculiar in common.