Splitting the Pole

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

Text

The informants friend introduced him to a superstition about splitting the pole. It basically says if you two are walking together and you come to a pole and walk on different sides of it, you jinx your relationship and will have bad luck in it going forward.

Context

The informants friend taught him it last year and for a while after the informant followed it pretty strongly because the friend was so into it that he also started to be, but the informant has now cared less and less about it the longer it’s been. 

Analysis:

This superstition is something that I follow, I was taught this a couple years ago and have learned that it is a pretty well known superstition. The reason I choose to still follow this is because I am superstitious. For example, walking under a ladder is known to give you back luck, I can’t think of a time where I have ever walked under a ladder. I stopped doing this for a while because I forgot about it and my friends never did it. But when I moved to college a lot of my friends here followed the rule of not splitting the pole. I think it’s interesting how this superstition has spread all over the world, it has genuinely become folklore. I do see this as a superstition that overtime I will start doing less, because it can get repetitive. This superstition relates to themes within Frazers article. Magic has become less serious and rather more entertaining which relates to this because I feel as though it is more of a fun activity to do with friends, family, etc. 



Sit before the Journey

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Language: English

Text:

The informant learned a Russian superstition which is that before you leave to go on a trip, you must sit down in the house with everyone who is leaving for a safe trip. You sit around the table for about ten seconds or you sit on your suitcases.

Context:

This is one of many Russian superstitions that my family believes in. They make the informant feel honestly pretty anxious because when the informant goes on a trip with her friends she freaks out if everyone does not sit down and join the superstition. This tradition has been around since the 1800s but she learned this when she was a very young girl but has been doing it ever since, and will pass this tradition along to her children. 

Analysis:

This superstition is able to make the informant feel safe and secure when traveling, even if it may not make the person anxious it’s always better to do this beforehand. This follows contagious magic because once they sit at the table this safety superstition stays within their mind while traveling even if they may not still be at the table. Frazers article emphasizes that this style of magic is interconnected, you are able to participate in this with others and stay connected during your travels. It is also highlighted in the article that magic is power and who is able to have power in certain situations, in this case one has the power to do this superstition to keep safe.



The Symbol of the button down

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Bay Area
Language: English

Text

Every Easter, the informant and his brothers always wear either pink or blue button down dress shirts. We did this to show our Easter Spirit as we would wake up early to go to 9 am mass.

Context

They are Christian Catholics and take these holidays seriously as it is tradition to dress this certain way, it is proper, and respectful to the values and ideals in the informant family as well as the holiday. The informants family tries to do this “costume or dress code” every year as the color blue represents purity, the Virgin Mary, and heavenly grace. Moreover, wearing Pink symbolizes a liturgical color used on Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent. 

Analysis

I am also Christian Catholic so when listening to this story I was able to make some connections. Related to the symbolism of the colors blue and pink, I feel as though when thinking about Easter I associate those colors with it and visualize it with those. When I was younger I didn’t realize these colors had meanings to them until I was older and started to learn about them. Easter decor that is sold in stores is usually presented in these colors. Also lots of colors in society have symbolic meanings to them but also it may vary for cultures. Vaz da Silva’s article demonstrates color symbolism, such as colors in movies. It shows how we have expanded and modernized color symbolism and its involvement in specific things. 



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.