Clapping to Reverse Bad Luck: Eye Twitch

Text:

Informant: “So, like my mom is very superstitious. She’s, um, Vietnamese, and she has a Buddhist background.

So, like, she heard from her parents that if your eye twitches, your right eye twitches, it means something bad’s gonna happen, or, like, more bad luck for the day. So, to reverse the bad luck, you have to clap twice until the twitching stops.

And then the thing is, like, if the left eye twitches, it’s good luck. Something good is going to happen.

I don’t know where she learned that from, or how that happens, but she told me that.

Whenever my eye twitches, I perform the clapping. Which is all the time.”

Context: The informant is a Chinese-Vietnamese-American USC student whose mother has a Buddhist background and is very superstitious. She learned this belief from her mother, who heard it from earlier generations. Even though she grew up in the U.S., she still follows the practice when it happens.

Analysis:
This is an example of folk belief and a protective ritual. The idea that an eye twitch signals good or bad luck functions as a sign, where the body is seen as predicting future events. The act of clapping twice to stop bad luck is a simple, repeated behavior meant to reverse or control that outcome. Even if she doesn’t fully understand where it comes from, she still does it, showing how superstitions are passed down and continue through habit and family influence.

Navajo folklore

Text:

Interviewee: “The family I was with (on a service trip to Arizona) owned around 8,000 acres of land. They told me that about 200 years ago, their ancestor, who was Navajo, helped the U.S. government locate other tribes. In return, the government gave their family that land, and they’ve been living on it ever since.

When I was on the mountain with them, they told me about this snake god that protects the land. The mountain we were on in Arizona had many small gemstones on it. They said that if you try to take anything from the mountain, you’ll be cursed for generations.

They also talked about Wendigos in the wooded areas of their property. From what I understood, they described them as people who were cursed or did something terrible, and after death, they transform into these beings that hunt or harm others.

They also explained that the land had been occupied by different tribes over time, including the Anasazi and the Hopi, before their Navajo lineage. There were stories about caves in the mountains that had been used by earlier groups.

On the reservation, there was also a lot of talk about aliens. We visited a national park with ancient drawings on the walls, which were said to represent a creation myth from the Anasazi, but many people today interpret those images as aliens.”

Context:

The interviewee is a white male aged 18. He was on a school service trip to Arizona, where he spent time with families residing in the area.

This narrative comes from an experience of visiting a reservation. The interviewee is recounting stories, beliefs, and historical explanations shared directly by the people living on the land. These include spiritual beliefs (snake god, Wendigos), historical memory (land ownership and tribal succession), and interpretations of ancient sites (cave dwellings and rock art).

Analysis:

The snake god and curse function as a protective legend tied to the land, discouraging people from taking from it. The Wendigo represents a moral warning figure, reflecting fears of greed, violence, and transformation, which reinforces social norms.

The references to different tribes, such as the Hopi, as well as stories about caves and past inhabitants, show how folklore is tied to the historical landscape. The interpretation of ancient rock art as aliens reflects a modern reinterpretation of traditional symbols.

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.