Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

Golden Cicadas and Good Luck

“So basically, there were cicadas, especially, like, golden cicadas.

In Chinese culture they are, like, a symbol of good luck, because cicadas, I think are silent for, like, 100 years, or something crazy.

Like, they’re silent for their entire life basically, but then during one, one specific year, they’ll chirp, but it’ll be really loud.

So it’s kind of, like, you’re biding your time, but then, when it’s your time, you can, flourish. That is the kind of vibe.

And so, I’m not sure if this is just something that, like, my parents do, but they always, like, have these little cicada statues, and they are golden.

And I have everything at college, and basically, anytime I have, like, a big test or, like, big, important, decisions or, like, things that I’m, like, waiting for, I’ll just, like, rub the top of its head for good luck.

So I remember when it was college decision time. During that time, we would, me and my sister both, like, sit with it in our lap, basically. But, yeah, we basically just rubbed its head for good luck, and, like, before I take a test, I always do that as well.

I just think that the cicadas represent good luck and, like, prosperity. I think rubbing the statue is just something that’s kind of like a physical thing that you can do to make yourself feel better.

Um, so, yeah. I don’t know if that’s like a real thing, though. She’s something that, like, we’ve always done.”

Context: The informant is a Chinese-Vietnamese-American female USC student whose mother is Buddhist. Although she grew up in the U.S., her family maintains cultural traditions, including keeping small golden cicada statues that symbolize luck and prosperity. Now she has brought a golden cicada to college to continue the tradition.

Analysis: This is an example of folk belief combined with a personal ritual and material culture. The cicada statue itself is a physical object that carries symbolic meaning, representing patience and eventual success in Chinese tradition. The act of rubbing the statue becomes a small, repeated behavior for good luck. Even though she’s unsure if it’s a formal tradition, it still holds meaning for her, showing how folklore can be adapted and maintained across generations.

Good Luck Ritual in a Car

Age: 38
Hometown: Menlo Park, CA
Location: In a car

Context:
My mom has done this ritual for as long as I can remember. She does it whether she is the one driving or sitting in the passenger seat. She doesn’t remember exactly who taught her this but she remembers it was a popular thing to do when she was a kid in the 90s.

Content:
Interviewer: “Why do you always tap the dashboard when we’re in the car?”

Interviewee: “So when I was younger, my friend taught me to tap the dashboard twice then the top of the roof then the dash again whenever you see a [car driving by with] one headlight because it’s for good luck.

Interviewer: “Have you always done that? Where did you get that ritual from?”

Interviewee: “When we were kids we did it and I always have.”

Analysis:
This example is a representation of folk ritual which is rooted in superstition. The tapping sequence on the dashboard and roof shows how people rely on repetition and consistency to feel like they’re doing something right in order to get good luck. This habit seems to have started as something that people thought more about, but over time it becomes automatic. Overall, this example highlights a greater human tendency to search for good luck and fortune in places where it might not logically exist, such as a car.

Fortune Cookie Ritual

Age: 19
Hometown: Rifle, Colorado
Location: N/A

Context:
This ritual came up when I was eating Chinese food with my friend. I read my fortune before eating the fortune cookie and my friend let me know that since he was little he had a very specific way of eating the cookie. He is originally from Colorado and doesn’t remember where he first learned this but he thinks he got it from his friends or older siblings as a child.

Content:
Interviewer: “Can you repeat what you just said about how you eat fortune cookies?”

Interviewee: “So my fortune cookie ritual folklore is that in order for the fortune to come true I need to eat half of the fortune cookie first and then I can look at the fortune and see it but then I have to I have to eat the other half or else it’s not gonna come true”

Interviewer: “Interesting, where did you learn this?”

Interviewee: “I actually don’t remember exactly where I got it from but I know I’ve been doing it since I was a kid.”

Analysis:
This is a ritualized folk belief that explains how to interact with an object associated with luck and prediction. The specific sequence of eating half of the cookie, reading the fortune, and then eating the other half of the cookie creates a rule that must be followed for the outcome to “work”. It’s interesting how something that’s really just random ends up feeling controlled because of that routine. It also shows how folklore can turn a normal activity like eating into something more meaningful by connecting it to the future and its outcomes. Overall, it reflects how small rituals reinforce belief in luck and give people the feeling that they can control their future in one way or another.

Wishing on an Eyelash (Top or Bottom Fingers)

Age: 38
Hometown: Menlo Park, CA
Location: N/A

Context:
I learned this from my mom. She learned it as a child but doesn’t remember exactly where she got it from. She does remember that is was a common thing among her peers and they would all do it to each other.

Content:
Interviewer: “What do you do when you find an eyelash?”

Interviewee: “So you have to take the eyelash and you put it between your pointer finger and your thumb and hold it together and then you lift up your pointer finger and your thumb in whichever side the eyelashes on well.

Interviewer: “Why do you do that?”

Interviewee: “You’re supposed to guess which side first before you do that, and then if it lands on the side where you guess top or bottom then your wish will come true, and then you can blow it to make the wish.”

Analysis:
This is act is a form of everyday folklore and superstition, where a small ritual gives meaning to a random event. It has spread through peer groups, especially children, and has been passed down through generations like it has in my family. This also feels like something kids do together, which makes it more about bonding and sharing than just the wish itself. Overall, it shows how people take something simple and turn it into a meaningful moment, even if they don’ fully believe it will work.


Mexican Egg Ritual

Age: 19
Hometown: Rifle, Colorado
Location: Mexico

Context:
My friend told me about this ritual while we were talking about nightmares and bad luck. He is originally from Colorado and moved to Los Angeles for college. His family is originally from Mexico, and thus he got this ritual from them as it was passed down through generations of his family.

Content:
Interviewer: “Can you tell me a little bit more about the egg ritual that you mentioned?”

Interviewee: “So basically in Mexican tradition whenever little kids are having nightmares or anything, like they went through a traumatic event which casues you to have like really bad consecutive nightmares you would go get a limpiar de huevo.

Which is essentially translated to an egg cleaning and like a healer will basically get an egg and she’ll go around your body, like basically glide the egg over your entire body (a whole egg, not cracked).

And then she’ll go off to the side after rubbing the egg down your entire body and crack it into water.

Interviewer: “Are you supposed to see anything in the egg? Like tea leaves?”

Interviewee: “The egg is basically supposed to absorb all the bad energy and then you can see how bad the energy is by how the egg like disperses in the water.”

Analysis:
This ritual is a form of healing folklore, where illness and distress are a result of negative energy rather than physical issues. The egg acts as a symbolic object that can absorb this energy from the person who holds it and turns the invisible problem into something visible and thus interpretable. The act of rubbing or gliding the egg over the patient’s body followed by cracking the egg into water creates a process that gives the healer and the patient a sense of control and a way of diagnosis. It also seems to reflect a cultural belief surrounding the connection between emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being and health. Overall, the ritual reinforces trust in traditional and cultural healing practices and shows how folklore can provide meaning and comfort in response to fear or anxiety around health concerns.