Category Archives: Rituals, festivals, holidays

The unlucky Three

Nationality: American
Age: 18
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Chicago
Language: English

Text

When the informants grandma sends her money for her birthday, Chinese New Year, or Christmas it’s always in red envelopes, which are part of the Chinese tradition. The envelope contains two dollar bills or even numbers; but never ends in the number three because it is unlucky in Chinese culture.

Context

She was taught this by her mom, because she was always wondering why she was getting two dollar bills. A two dollar bill adds to the idea that it is lucky and unique. The informant was told this when she was younger and now when she receives these envelopes she knows the meaning behind the two dollar bill.

Analysis

Society over decades has created many meanings to numbers ranging from luck to the devils number such as 6. I also think the fact that a two dollar bill is in the envelope is significant because those are rare and usually people don’t have those. This number superstition reminds me of angel numbers, making a wish on 11:11, and more. This is a living tradition because it’s, “something that is being done, mode of activity that represents the past, based on performance”. As this has been tradition in the informants family for many years.

Post Funeral Practices

Nationality: American
Age: 50
Occupation: Home renovator
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Text:

“After funerals, we always wash our hands with pomegranate leaves in a bowl before we can enter the house. Also, you cannot go straight home directly after a funeral, as it will bring bad luck. You always need to go somewhere else.”

Context:

My informant learned this from the older Chinese generation in his family. His mother would always remind him to do these rituals after attending a funeral.

Analysis:

Chinese culture has many superstitions regarding funerals, as demonstrated through these rituals. This practice of washing your hands before entering the house is related to apotropaic magic in that the symbolic action is intended to wash off any bad luck or ward off evil spirits. This falls under the category of contagious magic, the idea that things that were once in contact will influence each other even after the contact is broken. In the context of a funeral, individuals who have come into contact with impurities must wash it away to break the connection.

Chinese New Year Food Practices

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Brooklyn, NY
Language: English

Text:

Collector: “Do you have any traditional foods that your family makes for any holidays?”

Informant: “For Chinese New Year, we make certain foods based on how they sound in Chinese. For example, we eat something called “fat choy” that sounds similar to “good wealth”. We also make oysters, which is “ho” and also means “abundance”. We always makes either 8 or 9 dishes because 8 in Chinese sounds similar to “good luck” and 9 sounds similar to “longevity”. 

Context:

My informant is Chinese American and lives in proximity to her grandparents who often cook traditional Chinese food, especially for Chinese holidays. Her mother explained to her why they eat certain dishes. 

Analysis:

These traditional food practices for Chinese New Year largely relate to cultivating good luck, wealth, and prosperity for the upcoming year. The foods are symbolic and consuming them is supposed to produce what they symbolize, such as good wealth. It is a form of homeopathic magic, in that consuming a food that sounds like a certain word will evoke that outcome. The number of dishes prepared, either 8 or 9, represent good luck and longevity, respectively. The new year is seen as the fresh start, and individuals do everything they can to cultivate success.

Qingming Festival

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Brooklyn, New York
Language: English

Text:

Collector: “Can you describe any rituals or festivals you have participated in before?”

Informant: “My family and I have a yearly ritual where we go to the cemetery to visit my great grandparents. We visit their grave and burn fake money and clothes to send them these things in the afterlife. We also burn stuff like cars, houses, accessories, jewelry, bags. They are all made of paper but it’s supposed to give them the real thing in the afterlife. We then burn incense and bow and pray to them.”

Collector: “What time of the year do you guys do this tradition? Is it based on your family’s religious beliefs?”

Informant: “We typically try to go a little bit after Chinese New Year. My immediate family isn’t religious, but I believe it’s based on Buddhist beliefs in the afterlife.”

Context:

My informant is Chinese-American and has been participating in this yearly ritual since she was young. While her immediate family is not religious, they practice some Chinese Buddhist traditions such as bringing items to their deceased loved ones and praying to them.

Analysis:

This ritual is a part of a traditional Chinese Holiday, typically practiced in the beginning of April during the Qingming festival, which translates to “Tomb Sweeping Day”. This festival reflects a common Chinese belief in the afterlife, but is not . It is a way for people to honor their deceased ancestors and loved ones, ensuring that they are well taken care of in the afterlife. Some people believe that “sweeping the tomb” is only to be done during the festival, otherwise it would be disturbing the deceased. It is a way for the living and the dead to feel connected. People pray to feel spiritually connected to their ancestors.

The Wendigo (Anishinaabe/Algonquian Legend)

Title: The Wendigo (Anishinaabe/Algonquian Legend)

AGE: 18
Date_of_performance: May 1, 2025
Language: English
Nationality: Canadian
Occupation: Student
Primary Language: English
Residence: Toronto, Canada

Folklore Explanation:
“We learned about the Wendigo in high school—it came up in our Canadian literature and history classes. The story really stuck with me. It’s this creature from Anishinaabe and other Algonquian Indigenous traditions, and it represents hunger and greed taken to an extreme. The Wendigo is said to be a spirit that possesses people during harsh winters, especially when they’re starving. It turns them into monsters—cannibals, basically. Some versions say it used to be human and was cursed, others say it’s always been a spirit.

The teachers were careful about how they presented it—not just as a scary myth, but as something sacred that comes from a specific worldview. It was treated with respect. What really got to me was how it wasn’t just a horror story—it was also a warning. A moral. It shows what happens when you let desperation or selfishness take over. Some of the other kids thought it was just creepy, but I thought it was way deeper than that.”

Analysis:
The Wendigo is a powerful example of Indigenous spiritual and moral folklore, primarily found in Anishinaabe, Cree, and other Algonquian-speaking nations. It functions as both a mythological being and a cautionary symbol, representing excess, greed, and the breakdown of social and natural order. Stories of the Wendigo are traditionally transmitted orally, as part of sacred storytelling practices that blend spiritual knowledge, survival ethics, and moral education.

It is classified as narrative folklore, but also carries characteristics of belief folklore, particularly in the way it intersects with historical experiences of famine, colonial disruption, and environmental change. In contemporary Canadian society, Wendigo stories have also entered literary and pop culture, sometimes problematically removed from their original context. However, within Indigenous communities, the figure remains a respected and often feared presence—not merely a monster, but a reflection of imbalance between humans, nature, and spirit. Its continued telling reinforces cultural identity, ethical restraint, and intergenerational knowledge.