Tag Archives: conversion superstition

Stepping on paper superstition

Age: 20s Occupation: Student in Los Angeles Hometown: Kansas City, MO Genre: Folk Belief

Text

The participant believes in the idea that if one steps on paper or a book that will give them bad luck. The only way to ‘get rid’ of this bad luck is to touch the paper, touch your heart, and effectively ‘repent’.

Context

The participant mentioned that she learnt this from her parents and grandparents. The part where they mentioned the repenting they also said that their family is quite religious and practice Hinduism.

Analysis:

The fact that the participant learned this from parents and grandparents highlights the intergenerational transmission of folk beliefs within the family. Because the family is religious and practices Hinduism, this specific superstition acts as a daily reminder of their cultural and spiritual identity. The ritual serves almost as a socializing tool, teaching children from a young age that knowledge is sacred and must be handled with care. The counter-charm being to touch your heart also reinforces this idea by representing atonement between the individual and the divine.

Camp Song

Informant: Let me sing it for you—it’s actually really good. I mean, it’s like a real song with a melody… kind of.

It goes something like:
“Announcements, announcements, announcements—
a horrible way to die,
a horrible way to die,
a horrible way to start the day,
a horrible way to die…”

And then it turns into this chant where everyone joins in—like, “Marshmallow! Shut up! Throw them in the lake, throw them in the lake!” or sometimes the pool.

There’s a whole other part of it that I can’t totally remember, but I swear there was more. And then at some point it just turns into random stuff—like people shouting “Mickey Mouse! Lego!”

It’s very chaotic, but that’s kind of what makes it fun.


Context: The informant learned this song at her sleepaway summer camp located in the Berkshires. The first part of the song was sung whenever someone said the word “announcements.” The second part of the song would be sung, and depending on if they were closer to the lake or pool, the individual who said the word would then be thrown in that body of water. Announcements not happening when they were scheduled to (at breakfast) were seen as bad luck in the camp, thus not wanting the word to be said by campers and counselors during the day.

Analysis: The word “announcements” acts as a kind of trigger word, activating the performance or, in a sense, conversion superstition. This connects the song to a belief system within the camp, that saying the word at the wrong time is associated with bad luck (since missed announcements disrupt routine). The second part of the tradition, throwing the person into the lake or pool, turns it into more of a ritual. Though somewhat of a punishment, it reinforces group norms (don’t say “announcements” casually) within the folk group (campers).

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.” 

Knocking on Wood Superstition

Context: The informant considers herself very supposition and aware of what others say. If her or her friends say something she is worried will happen, she and her friends must engage in this superstition.

Text:

A: “Ok, well I am a big believer of knocking on wood. To the point that I will make all of my friends anytime they say it, I will make them knock on wood.”

K: “Do you say it before you don’t want something bad to happen?”

A: “Yeah yeah yeah. So if they say something like ‘Oh this won’t happen” or ‘Hope that doesn’t happen’, I will literally look at them and say ‘Like find some wood’.”

K: “Like a tree or just wood?”

A: “Usually a tree”

Analysis:

This practice is a magical superstition and conversion ritual, where knocking on wood attempts to prevent future bad consequences. These small physical acts try to control for luck and uncertainty. Knocking on wood specifically connects to Frazer’s idea of sympathetic magic as contact with wood or a tree carries a sense of protection. The informant reinforces this behavior amongst her friends to create shared beliefs in smaller folk groups, highlighting the social and relational nature of folklore. This superstition demonstrates how belief is continually performed and situational, helping people manage uncertainty through everyday actions.

Loss of Knowledge Conversion Superstition Ritual

Context: The informant, A.V., is an 18 year old student with parents who immigrated from Gujarat and practice Jainism. This isn’t necessarily specific to North India, as she has seen South Indian people do it. However, she’s never seen anyone non-Indian do it. She was taught to do this from a young age by her parents, and continues to do it even when on her own/living away from home.

Text: The informant explained that every time she accidentally touched anything containing the written word with her feet, she would have to touch the item and, with the same hand, touch her forehead immediately after. These items could include books, loose papers, and iPads, as long as the written word was directly on the item.

Growing up, she was told that the reason they did this was because if anyone touched the written word with their feet, they were disrespecting knowledge. If knowledge was disrespected, the goddess of knowledge, Saraswati, would take it as an offense and leave; knowledge would abandon you. By this, her parents meant that one’s intelligence and opportunities would disappear. Touching your hand to the item and then to your forehead would allow you to apologize, making it clear that you had not intended to do that.

Analysis: This is a conversion superstition ritual, done to rectify or invalidate actions that would normally result in bad luck in the future. Feet are considered dirty, and touching something with one’s feet is seen as a way of saying that whatever was touched doesn’t matter enough for you to treat it well. Knowledge, being a goddess, is held sacred in Indian culture, and books/words are seen as an extension of her. Much in the way that like produces like in homeopathic sympathetic magic, disrespecting items of knowledge with one’s feet is an imitation of disrespecting knowledge itself and will convey that message unless some apology is made.