Interviewer: “Please tell me more about your saying, with not splitting the pole.”

AK: “It is NOT just a saying. It’s serious. And to get it right, it’s ‘don’t split the pole.’ It determines whether you stay friends forever or not.”

Interviewer: “And how long have you known this for?”

AK: “Ever since I moved to America in 2022, my first friend told me. I’m super superstitious, so if I hear something, I’m not risking it.

Interviewer: “Ok, so please, share what this is.”

AK: “If any friend is walking with another friend…or a group of friends and you stumble on a pole..whethers thats a door with two different sides, a tall sign, or a short fire hydrant, anything that puts a fork in the path. If one person goes the opposite direction of the first person, that can sever the bond of friendship. It would mean that in the future, you could stop being friends down the line. So no matter what, I will pull someone with me if I have to; that pole will not be split.”

Interviewer: “I have seen you do that. Is there any way to reverse the split? To keep the friendship going, or could one accidental splitting of the pole forever break a friendship?”

AK: “It can be reversed for sure. Pretty easy, you just need to go back and go around the pole the proper way. A little inconvenient, I guess, but you gotta do what you gotta do to save the friendship.”

Context: My friend would always yell at me and the friend group if we ever split the pole while walking together. Always making us go back around or pulling us if we almost crossed the wrong side and almost crossed the threshold to killing the friendship with it. I have heard other people say it casually as a joke, but she takes it super seriously.

Analysis: This is a superstition about keeping friendships alive. This shows how easily superstitions can accumulate and be present in everyday life, as this superstition can occur more frequently than the off chance someone walks under a ladder or spills salt. It also shows how these kinds of beliefs can spread socially. People start to believe it themselves because their close friend believes it so strongly, and you also want to keep the friendship alive.