Tag Archives: homeopathic

Nigerian Superstition

Nationality: Nigerian
Age: 21
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Superstition:

“There’s a Nigerian Superstition that telling people about your good fortune will mean that it can be taken away.”

Context:

My informant told me that this superstition is similar to the “Evil Eye” or the idea of being “jinxed” because of the idea that once someone identifies the positive things/success they are having in their lives, there is the possibility of their fortune changing or being “taken away.” Once the fortune becomes a reality, it changes, and usually for the worse. He told me, “I guess I somewhat practice that superstition.”

Analysis:

The idea of keeping “your good fortune” seems to be a cross-cultural idea. It seems that whenever someone boasts about their accomplishments or talks about the positive things happening in their life, there is always a possibility that their fortune could quickly turn sour. I find this superstition interesting in particular, because instead of performing an action to prevent your fortune from be taken away, your only solution is to never talk about your fortune in the first place. In my opinion, the act of not performing an action is still a type of action, and therefore I would put this superstition under the category of homeopathic superstition.

Magic Superstition – Homeopathic

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Superstition:

My informant and her mom say to each other “don’t put that into the universe.”

Context:

My informant told me that she picked up this superstition from her mom. She told me: “If you say some kind of bad prediction about like an outcome or something — like if you say “I probably won’t get this job” or some other negative thing,” they will say this phrase to each other. “The belief is that by speaking that negative outcome into the universe, it manifests as a possibility that hadn’t quite existed before you saying it. Saying it makes the predictions a possible reality, while keeping it in your head remains out of reality, just in your imagination.”

Analysis:

When doing some more research on the history of manifestation, I found that the concept has roots in the 19th-century New Thought movement. It was/is believed that the mind has the power to influence reality. I find this concept really interesting because although it has been around for a while, manifestation and the idea of self-improvement has become very popular among Gen-Z. I interpreted this phrase as a homeopathic superstition because the person saying the phrase is taking action against the possibility of a negative event from occurring. There is an idea in this phrase that “like produces like;” saying something negative will then lead to something negative happening to the person who said the negative thing. By saying the phrase “don’t put that into the universe” one is warning the other person on the possibility of their luck/fortune changing.

New Years Rituals

“On New Year’s Eve as it gets closer to midnight we prepare our bodies by eating 12 green grapes, one for each month, eating spinach for good health and money, and eating lentils as well. We also tie a red string and yellow string around our wrists or ankles to symbolize love, protection, and health. We never take it off, we just wait for it to naturally break sometime over that year. We also peel cuties and save the skin to symbolize our first fruit of the year. Lastly, we walk around our neighborhood with empty suitcases to symbolize keeping us safe on our travels that we take throughout the year.”

The informant does this tradition on New Year’s eve/day once it hits midnight. Usually at her grandma’s house. In the tradition, everyone plays the same role and it includes “my mom, sister, grandma and I.” It’s a tradition that has been kept in the family that has been passed down for them to take part in. 

These rituals are homeopathic magic rituals, meaning when performed they bring magic to the people performing it. Eating spinach as a ritual brings magically good health and money. It is a symbolic magic, meaning that the performance mimics the desired result. Spinach is green and leafy, like money, and it is good for health. The first fruit of the year may be important for two reasons. One, that fruit symbolizes the ability to eat well. Secondly, fruit is often used as a term of success financially, for example “fruitful returns” on an investment. Both eating well and the word parallels symbolize financial stability and wealth. It is clear that this culture values wealth and food through these rituals, which primarily focus on money. The suitcase may also be related to money, as it could symbolize wealth enough to travel, in addition to the safety component. This is all done on New Years Eve because as the clock strikes midnight, there is a liminal “between” time in which magic is possible. It is important for many cultures to perform rituals during this liminal time to ensure magic for what they desire in the new year is spread into the universe. Liminal times are often seen as magical times, so it is an ideal time to wish or spread magic.

SOUPY VS. STICKY FOODS BEFORE AN EXAM

Nationality: Korean-American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 21, 2021
Primary Language: English

MAIN PIECE: 

Informant: So in Korean culture… Before like a test or an exam you’re recommended not to drink or eat something that’s like soupy or runny. So, like, don’t have soup on the day of. And you should rather have something sticky like sticky rice or taffy or something like that, that has that like “oomph” to it… ‘Cause the correlation there is like, you drink something runny or you eat something that moves, then that information will leave with it. But if you have something sticky, that’ll help your brain stick that information into your head. 

INFORMANT’S RELATIONSHIP TO THE PIECE: 

Interviewer: Do you practice this?

Informant: No, I don’t. It’s just something my mom told me about… I haven’t really thought about it before like now. 

Interviewer: But have you ever tried or tested it?

Informant: No, I haven’t.

REFLECTION:

According to James George Frazer, homeopathic magic is magic in which like produces like. We see that manifested here, as soupy foods are believed to wash away information, whereas sticky foods encourage information to stick. The idea that what you consume can directly impact your performance in daily life is not unique to Korean culture; it is widely accepted that food is tied to health. Science shows that eating certain foods leads to different physical outcomes (ex. eating carbohydrates versus eating protein before working out). What is unique about this Korean belief is that it is not based on the nutritional value of a food, but on how soupy or how sticky it is––on texture or consistency. This is why it is more likely to be considered a form of magic, than a science-based belief.

Running Faucets for Cramp Relief

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: April 24
Primary Language: English

Context: I came home one day at the beginning of this year to all of the faucets running and I asked my roommate what was going on and she told me this story. So I asked her to re-tell me why she does it.

Piece: So basically, I don’t know where my mom… well let me tell the long version of the story. So you know when you are you they tell you not to keep the water running when you brush your teeth? They’re like “turn off the faucet to save water!” Well I would always say that, and my mom always left the faucet running when she brushed her teeth and I would be like, “Mommy, you’re wasting water!” And she has always said, “I have to leave the faucet running or I’ll gag or like throw up.” And I never understood that until I started like, when I’m on my period or nauseous for any reason and so I turn the faucet on and leave the water running. It’s supposed to help you like feel like less nauseous. Something about the sound of running water can like ease nausea. I feel like it might have been something my mom got from my grandma. It sounds like something my grandma would do.

Background: The informant is a 19 year old USC student of Pakistani and Indian descent. She is very close to her family and shares many traditions and beliefs with them. She learned this from her mother and does it whenever she gets her period cramps.

Analysis: This tradition is something I have never heard of before. It is a sort of remedy/ homeopathic healing technique. It is often said that water sounds are soothing, but this is the first time I have heard them help with pain. I have heard of soaking in hot water to ease pain, but it is interesting that this piece refers to sounds, which tackles the mental state rather than the physical.