Category Archives: Gestures

Ride Safe Sign

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Language: English

The gesture: Out with the left hand extended downward  by his thigh, “O” made a gesture like a peace sign, the index and middle finger extended and the palm turned forward facing the same direction as him.

“It’s the universal for, like a ‘ride safe’ thing when you pass another biker, like on the opposite side of the street, because there’s that sense of community that comes from riding, so it’s like, when you see someone else who’s taking that risk and is out riding and stuff, you always give them that little sign. And it’s kind of a biker only thing. 

Analysis: As the informant identified, this gesture encourages community members to support each other and recognize their risk and commitment. More than that, this gesture seems like a blessing, especially in its almost compulsory nature. The informant mentions that one ‘always’ gives this sign when seeing another rider as a way to say ‘ride safe’. “Ride safe” in itself is a blessing, a wish upon others to be safe on the road, and the gesture creates a nonverbal blessing that riders can give while also riding safe themselves. Because it is expected to always give this sign, the absence of it might indicate ill will or a jinx, making the upkeep of this tradition and gesture more important to those who believe in its significance.

Knock on Wood

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Knock on Wood

“If I say something I think will be jinxed or bring bad luck, I’ll run over to the nearest wood thing and knock on it frantically”

Context: Informant remembers starting this behavior around the start of high school, at about age 14. There is no pattern to the number of times the informant knocks, but they will leave conversations at any point to complete the gesture. The informant does not remember who passed this gesture on to them and does not know of many people who use the same gesture, but hypothesizes the initial knowledge may have been passed unknowingly by interviewer.

Analysis: The folk behavior of ‘knocking on wood’ is meant to ward off bad luck or jinxes brought on by the verbal mention of such knowledge. It acts as a measure of protection for the informant, and requires immediacy. It is implied that if one does not complete this action, they might be accidentally inviting bad things to happen to them. Additionally, whether the practice does ward off jinxes or not, its belief has significance to the perception of subsequent events and may be used as reasoning for good/bad luck following the gesture. Notably, this gesture is in response to a specific statement, not a broad gesture to ward off evil. The individual must speak the opportunity for jinxes into existence, and this gesture is not useful before a statement has been theorized.

“Go big O”

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Syracuse, NY
Language: English

Title:

“Go big O”

Context:

The informant is from Syracuse, NY which is known as Syracuse orange. Anytime the National Anthem is played they do an O with their arms over their head when the lyrics say “O”. This is because Syracuse’s color theme is orange and they have a saying “go big O” which is mainly done at sports games.

Analysis:

I see this gesture as symbolic because they have their own way of singing the song that is able to connect with the city. This is able to bring everyone together and create community. The gesture shares the idea of identity which connect to folklore, people in Syracuse share this same folklore.

BREAK A LEG!

Nationality: American

Age: 20

Occupation: Student 

Residence: San Diego, CA, USA

Date: 02/20/2025 

Primary Language: English

Language: English

Description: 

“I thought this was common knowledge, but apparently it’s not in theater. You’re not supposed to say “good luck”. You’re supposed to say, “Break a leg”, uh, apparently saying, good luck is bad luck. Actually, I don’t remember why that is, but I know why you’re supposed to say, break a leg. I was told that in the old days, there was a piece called the leg that held up the curtain. And if in the olden days if it was too fragile, or if you were too loud, you would…you could actually break the leg and the curtain would come down. And so if you were to nail it, you would be so good that the curtain would come down. So, that’s why people say, break a leg.”

Subject’s opinion: 

Interviewer: Can you talk about how you you might have used it in your personal experiences? 

Subject: Yeah, I, I tell my friends break a leg all the time, even if it’s not in a theater related context. If someone ever says good luck to me before I go on stage, I correct them, because I do not want that bad juju. 

Interviewer: What would you say to me, exactly, if I said good luck to you before you go on stage? 

Subject: I’d say…actually, I probably wouldn’t say anything, but it would bother me. It would actually bother me, and I’d go on stage and be thinking about it. It’d mess me up. 

Analysis: 

A student actor himself, the subject expressed surprise regarding how little people knew of the origin of “break a leg.” Many in the theatre space take the phrase for granted, but few investigate the spirit from which it originated. In fact, most have made their own speculations, drawing links to origin stories that involve the literal breaking of legs—sometimes even monogenic—rather than acknowledging the phrase’s roots in stage logistics. It’s interesting to consider how the oral history of the phrase shifted in this case. “Break a leg” is a visceral image; the opposite of what a performer would want. Once its supposed original reference to the legs of a curtain became more obscure, the phrase’s intensity and ironic appeal may have been a key factor in its longevity. Perhaps if the context was understood more widely, the phrase wouldn’t have the same popularity. 

‘A Person Leaves Behind their Name’

Age: 53

Date of Performance: 02/25/25

Language: English, Japanese

Nationality: Japanese

Occupation: Immigration Lawyer

Primary Language: Japanese

Residence: Tokyo, Japan

“Okay, thanks, Mom, for doing this.”

“Of course! Haha, I might have to think a bit first, though.”

“Take your time. So do you have any experience with these kinds of minor genres of folklore? Right here.”

“Yes, um, so when I was very young, maybe during grade school? We used to have a shrine, or altar? Called a 仏壇 (Butsudan) which was for my grandmother with a lot of things like 位牌 (ihai), which is like a wooden engraving of her name, 仏像 (butsuzo) which is basically a Buddha statue, and rice, and flowers, things you would honor the dead with. And so we’d typically say ‘人は死して名を残す (Hito wa shishite na o nokosu),’ which translates to ‘A person leaves behind their name.’ And… yeah.”

“Okay, and is this saying something you reflect on often, or have reflected on often? Does it still carry the same weight as maybe it once did?”

“Yes, I’d say so. I don’t think about death often, not because I push it away, but I have always acknowledged it. I am not sure if I am making sense, but I am not sure when the last time I have been scared of dying was.”

“No, you make perfect sense. Thank you.”

Context:

My mother came across this saying when she was very young, and her seeing a continual reminder of her deceased grandmother was a formative experience in how she conducts her life. The tradition of keeping a Butsudan shrine is commonly found in many Japanese homes, and it serves as a way to ritually honor the dead. The ihai has pretty much a direct tie to the proverb, as the only thing left of her deceased grandmother is her name, the memory of her name, on the shrine.

Analysis:

Based on my interpretation, it seems that her and her family, instead of shunning away from something as eery and dreadful as the idea of death, embrace it as a natural part of life. Everyone internally understands that death is an inevitability, but to keep a shrine dedicated to one who has passed is almost a symbolic gesture in acknowledging, even welcoming it into their home. It reframes death as not some tall, daunting, and inevitable experience, but a completely natural and almost mundane part of life. The proverb is a direct reflection of this attitude, that all you leave behind is your name. It is to embrace death and nothingness, while leaving behind you and your memory.