Category Archives: Protection

Minor Genre: Folk-Object

Nationality: Puerto Rican/Dominican
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: USC
Performance Date: 2/20/23
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Evil Eye

Context: A symbol that wards off evil. It is used a lot in Santeria which is a mix of Caribbean magic and Catholicism and is kind of considered a form of witchcraft. If you wear it, you are protected. However, you should never buy an evil eye for yourself because it should always be gifted to you or else it is considered a bad omen and will not work. The evil eye is usually worn on pieces of jewelry and has been seen for thousands of years in cultures such in Latin America, Europe, and parts of Asia. To the informant, the evil eye is special to them because their grandmother gave them an evil eye necklace nine years ago and they’ve worn it ever since. It’s a symbol that deflects negative energy towards the person it originated from and allows the wearer to stay safe and protected.

Analysis: It was surprising to find out that if you buy an evil eye for yourself it’s a bad omen because I’ve gotten myself a crystal called the black tourmaline, which has a similar energy to the evil eye that they deflect negative energy and keep you protected from whoever sends that negative energy towards you. However, there is nothing saying it won’t work if you buy it for yourself. It is interesting that now, in contemporary culture, the evil eye symbol has become popular in fashion and home decor, often used in the form of jewelry, clothing, or wall hangings. While some people may use the symbol for its protective qualities, for others it may simply be a fashionable or decorative element in their homes.

Minor Genre: Proverb

Nationality: Russian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: USC
Performance Date: 2/22/2023
Primary Language: Russian
Language: English

“Не пуха, ни пера, к черту” – translate to “no feathers, to the devil”

Context: Before a competition, interview, exam or something that you needed to do well on, your coach, family members, or friends would say this to you. In a personal context, this was said before her ballet competition in Russia every time she was about to compete in order to have good luck. This proverb is used rhetorically as a fixed phrase and was mainly said by elders to a younger audience. This was a very common phrase she heard growing up in Russia and was something she used as encouragement and confidence to succeed in whatever she was doing. She first heard it from her dad when she went to school for an exam and from then on it became a very common phrase used by the people around her, and eventually her ballet coach. Whether she was at school, in a tournament, or about to do something exhilarating, this was the phrase heard every time.

Analysis: This phrase is very similar to one we have in American culture, “break a leg,” which has the meaning of good luck and is said before an important event that you want to succeed in. As a fixed phrase used to give a blessing, the metaphorical meaning behind it is similar to the American version of this proverb. Nobody wants you to actually break your leg, but instead it’s a backwards metaphor saying good luck to you. This was apart of Russian “paremiology” where essentially everyone knows this basic proverb. Similar to the United States, everyone knows the phrase “break a leg” and the real meaning behind it.

Minor Genre: Folk-Speech

Nationality: Puerto Rican/Dominican
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: USC
Performance Date: 2/20/23
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

“Culito de rana si no sana hoy sana mañana”

Translation: “Heal heal frogs butt, if it doesn’t heal today, it’ll heal tomorrow.”

Context: The context of this saying is typically used to provide comfort to someone who is feeling discouraged or disappointed about something that didn’t work out as planned. Additionally if a kid gets physically hurt, they would use the lullaby phrase to make them feel better. It suggests that sometimes things don’t work out right away, but with patience and time, they will eventually improve or heal. It’s important to note that this saying is often used in a light-hearted or playful way, especially when it’s being said to children. However, it can also be used in more serious situations to encourage perseverance and hope. The informant first heard this saying when they were four years old and fell on the playground. After coming home from school that day, their mother recited the lullaby to them and gave them comfort.

Analysis: As a child, this sounds as though it would be very nice to hear when you get a scratch on the playground. Although the phrase is most commonly used for children, I interpreted it having a playful and lighthearted tone, which may help to alleviate stress or anxiety in difficult situations or setbacks. It’s a reminder that sometimes it’s okay to take a step back, relax, and trust that things will eventually work out in their own time.

Don’t Whistle in the Theater

Nationality: American
Age: 47
Occupation: Production Manager Supervisor
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 2023-02-23
Primary Language: English

Context:

HB is an American woman who has had 30 years of experience working in the theater industry, specifically in tech, props and production management.

Folklore:

HB goes on to describe why whistling in the theater is taboo:

“The first stage hands were sailors because theater requires a lot of rigging, there’s pulleys and ropes and things that have to go up and down. And the way sailors would communicate on old sailing ships was by whistling, they had some kind of code…. So in the theater when they would call cues, they would do so by whistling. So it’s bad luck to whistle in the theater because you might accidentally tell someone to drop a sandbag on your head!”

Even though stage hands now have headsets and other forms of communication and other ways to rig a stage, it is still considered to be taboo and bad luck to whistle in a theater

Analysis:

The fact that this is still practiced in modern times showcases thespians’ devotion to history, traditions and the past. The nature of theatrical shows is normally in tribute to past events, whether it be the writing of shows that are set in the past or the reproduction of plays that were written in the past. It makes sense that a common theme in the theatrical environment is to preserve old ways and traditions since it is a behavior that aligns with their goal to relive the past. 

Another taboo action in theater, that HB compared whistling too, is saying the name of a certain play inside of a theater, which is now nicknamed the Scottish Play. The real name of the play was the last name of some characters that killed many for power and were haunted by their actions. Saying this would result in someone dying in the theater. Some would joke around with this and take it more light-heartedly while some were very serious and even perform a curse reversing ritual of sorts if the name of the play was said.

Both of these taboo actions are centered around the power of the past and death or bodily harm. These actions were probably made taboo to emphasize the lesson of respecting old ways and the power of the past.

Folk Object: Buddhist Strings

Nationality: Thais
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: USC
Performance Date: 02/22/2023
Primary Language: English

Context: My informant comes from Thailand, where Buddhism dominates as a leading religion for many. Such a heavy presence of Buddhism has caused locals, many of who are not even practitioners of Buddhism themselves, to adopt the tradition of wearing Buddhist strings as a sign of good fortune. These strings vary in color but typically come in white, red, or shades of orange, similar to the garments that the Buddhists themselves wear. If one is to visit a temple, these strings would receive the blessing of a monk first before being tied around their wrist. In most cases, you should allow the string to fall and come off naturally, which the informant said takes no longer than a week. No ill fortune comes if you take off the string early, but one should at least give it a day for the blessing to “seep” in. These strings are also wrapped around the ceilings of newly bought houses, this way the home is blessed and cleansed for the rest of the buyer’s stay.

Analysis: Folk objects are tangible constructs that have been embedded with some sort of cultural importance, connecting them to a belief and or folk system. Folk objects are powerful because they tie in the mystical, unknown world, to that of ours, or reality. With something as simple as a string, such as those distributed by the Buddhists, they can be handed out in mass. This allows the folk object to be available to a large crowd, being accessible to all gender, races, and classes. The fact that in this case, the folk object is a piece of string makes sense for Buddhism, for its monks reject any worldly desires and focus on self-improvement and healing. Strings in a literal sense are also known as typically being tethered or being tied with something else. These Buddhist strings metaphorically represent being tethered to the divine protection of a blessing.