Family Black Magic

Informant: “So there’s this thing in my family called “black magic.” I was taught it when I was really young, probably around six or seven. I remember my sister and I sitting in my grandparents’ living room, and they were like, “Alright, you guys are old enough now to learn black magic.” Before that, they had done it for us a few times, and it always felt like actual magic.

Basically, it’s this “power” in my family where one person leaves the room, and someone else stays behind to lead. The rest of the group picks an object, and everyone in the room knows what it is, except for the person who left. When that person comes back in, the leader starts asking questions like, “Is it this object? Is it that object?” and somehow, they always guess the right one.

There’s actually a method to it, but for the longest time, I thought it was real magic. Eventually, they taught us the trick, so now I know how it works.

Now it’s one of those things, if I’m ever with my sister or anyone from my family, we can do it anytime. It’s still really fun, and it still kind of feels like magic.”

Context: The informant is from the East Coast, and the family is Italian American. This occurred throughout her childhood, and was taught to her as a young adult. She is aware it is not actually magic, but believes that thinking it is magic is a part of what makes the tradition in her family so important. 

Analysis: This is a clear example of family folklore. The practice of “black magic” is a structured guessing game, but it is framed as something mysterious and exclusive, which gives it the feel of folk magic or supernatural belief, especially for younger participants.

The way it is taught is important. Being told you’re “old enough now to learn” creates a sense of initiation, a common feature in folklore where knowledge is gradually revealed. Before learning the method, the informant experiences it as real magic, showing how folklore can rely on partial belief or suspended disbelief, particularly among children.

St. Patrick’s Day Tradition

Informant: Patrick’s Day is kind of a big deal for us.

We usually make a whole meal, roast beef and definitely Irish soda bread. But the best part is this tradition we have with our family friends. We always do this group dance, I think it’s called the Siege of Ennis. It’s for eight people, and there are a lot of formations and patterns. It’s a little chaotic, but really fun.

We do it every year, and I always end up filming it. It’s usually a mix of a bunch of drunk adults and me trying to keep up and make sure I get it on video. It’s kind of a mess, but in the best way.

It’s one of those traditions that’s just stuck, and now it wouldn’t feel like St. Patrick’s Day without it.

Context: The informant is from an Irish American family on the East Coast of the US. Both sides of their family are Irish, but are not first-generation Americans. 

Analysis: At the broad level, St. Patrick’s Day provides a fairly basic backdrop for this family tradition. It’s a widely recognized holiday associated with Irish identity, food, and celebration. The meal (roast beef, Irish soda bread) reflects the more traditional foodways the family participates in during the holiday. Even if the exact dishes vary from “authentic” Irish cuisine, what matters is that they are understood by the group as symbolically Irish and tied to the occasion.

The dance, the Siege of Ennis, introduces another layer. Unlike invented family traditions, this is a formal, traditional Irish dance with established steps and formations. When the ngroup performs it, they are engaging in a form of folk dance, even if informally learned or imperfectly executed.

College Theater Macbeth Superstition

Informant: Yeah, actually—when I got to college, there were a lot fewer theater traditions. But one thing we usually still do before shows is kind of tied to theater superstitions, especially around Macbeth. You’re not supposed to say “Macbeth” in a theater, and if you do, there’s this whole ritual you’re supposed to follow to undo the bad luck.

I think what we do comes from that idea. Before a show, we all chant together:
“Shit, damn, motherfucker, motherfucker, damn, this dumb bitch just stole my man, gotta find another fucker better than the other fucker—shit, damn, motherfucking motherfucker, damn.”
And then we repeat it a couple more times, getting louder each time.

It’s kind of our way of shaking off nerves and maybe warding off bad luck.

Context: Informant has participated in main stage theater productions in university and has experienced these superstitions themself. Informant did not learn about this conversion superstition until they came to university. Informant attends school in southern california. 

Analysis: The knowledge about the superstition around saying “Macbeth” during the production of a show is fairly widespread. However, the conversion superstition performed in this entry is not as common. It represents how niche folk groups can make their own beliefs. This performance of a conversion superstition is not something the informant was familiar with when they participated in theater in high school across the country, so it could possibly be evidence of more regionally folk belief as well. This conversion superstition is performed to comfort the actors in a show and help them fight back against any fear they might have at their production being harmed by an individual saying the words “Macbeth.” 

High School theater tradition

Informant: “So in high school theater, we had a lot of traditions before a show. We would always start with some kind of focus activity, which was really nice. Then we’d go around and do a compliment circle, where everyone would give a compliment to someone else.

After that, we’d pass around a “squeeze,” and then the last thing we’d do was this kind of chant-and-movement game. One person would stand in the center and start shouting, “We are riding on a pony, we are riding on a pony, we are riding on a pony…”

Then you’d find a partner, and together you’d do the moves: front, front, front, front—pony; side, side, side, side—pony; back, back, back, back—pony; on a big fat pony.

As it went on, more and more people would join in, and you’d keep repeating it until eventually everyone was doing it together in the final round.”

Context: Informant attended high school in Connecticut and was taught and participated in this theater tradition before their shows. Tradition was passed down from past upperclassmen within the high school program. 

Analysis: This tradition happens right before the performance, which allows actors to mark the threshold between their “normal” life and their staged life. The exaggerated movements and chanting suspend normal behavior, allowing participants to enter a different mindset that is more expressive and less self-conscious.

Additionally, traditions like this are usually passed down from older members of the group to newer ones. This gives older students to pass down to younger ones to continue the ritual as kids age out of the program, but ensures something is left behind by them. 

This also marks who is “in” the folk group of this theater department or ot. Generally, theater communities are known for having their own rituals, superstitions, and games. Participating in these traditions signals membership; if you know the chant and movements, you’re “in” the group.

Thanksgiving Tradition

Age 20

Informant “Growing up, we always watched [Pactical Magic] when I was a kid. Then, during COVID, we started watching it a lot again. My family all lives in the same town, so Thanksgiving used to be a huge gathering—like 35 or 40 people—because we’re basically all neighbors. We’d always go to my aunt’s house.

But because of COVID, we couldn’t do that anymore. Everyone had Thanksgiving at their own houses, and we started having a smaller one at my grandma’s. There were still a lot of people, but it dropped to around nine, which was a big change.

Around that time, we started doing something inspired by a scene in Practical Magic called “Midnight Margaritas.” In the movie, they make margaritas, turn on the song “Coconut” (the “lime in the coconut” song), and dance around the table. We do a kid-friendly version—no margaritas—but after we say grace, we turn on “Coconut” and dance around the table until the song ends. We have to finish the song before we can eat.

It’s honestly such a random tradition. My aunt and I were like, “This would be so fun if we started doing this,” and it just stuck. At the time, we didn’t know how long things would be different because of the pandemic, but now it’s something we do every year.

We only do it if Thanksgiving is at my grandparents’ house—it’s just not the same anywhere else. Plus, no one else really knows the movie like we do. But it’s really fun, and it’s kind of special to look back on videos of it. You can see how much everyone has changed—some of the kids weren’t even walking back then, and now they are. It’s cool to see that transformation over time.

Context: Following the COVID-19 pandemic the informant’s family started a new Thanksgiving tradition based on a movie they watched a lot as a family. It only occurs when they are at her grandmother’s house. 

Analysis: 

While this tradition is ultra-specific to the informant’s family, I think it is an interesting example of “family lore” possibly being created. Twenty years down the line, when this tradition is still possibly occurring the lines of how and why this tradition may be blurred and have a story passed down with it. 

More generally this is a  family-based ritual tradition embedded within the larger cultural framework of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving itself is a widely recognized American holiday centered on food, gathering, and expressions of gratitude, but what the informant described shows how individual families develop micro-traditions that distinguish their celebration from others.

It is also evidence of how pop culture and access to the internet can affect long-held traditions of groups and shape the way they are done moving forward.