Tag Archives: Protection

Dots to fend off negative thoughts

Nationality: Indian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 7, 2013
Primary Language: English
Language: Hindi

“If you’re doing something where you’re gonna be in front of people, or there’s gonna be a lot of people and someone could potentially wish bad upon you, you put a dot somewhere. Your mom or grandma will put a dot on you, and usually it’s hidden or on your forehead. And if someone does think something bad, that will keep the bad thoughts away. So like for weddings, the bride and the bridesmaids will have them, because there’s a lot of people, and they’re thinking about you, and maybe people are jealous.”

 

My informant is of Indian extraction. Although she was born and raised in California, she remembers her mother putting dots on her hairline for protection when she had to give presentations in front of the class. This is another iteration of the cross-cultural trope that seems to imply that celebration or putting oneself on display in a positive way could lead to disaster. The dots serve as protection against the negative thoughts of others, working much like charms or amulets work in other cultures.

Yellow Light Touch the Roof

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Newport Beach
Performance Date: April 15 2013
Primary Language: English

Whenever Andy used to drive in the car with his sister, his sister used to kiss her hand and touch the roof of her car when she went through a yellow light. By touching the roof of her car, it would guarantee safety as she went through the intersection. Andy and his family always touch the roof of their car when they go through yellow lights. However, one time specifically, Andy’s sister went through an intersection at a yellow light and did not touch the roof of her car. That specific time she did not touch the roof of her car, she got into a car accident. Since that day, Andy’s sister and her whole family always kiss their hand and touch the roof of their car when they drive through a yellow light at an intersection. They now consider it very bad luck to not kiss your hand and touch the roof of your car when going through a yellow light.

Sign of the Cross Scuba

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Pacific Palisades
Performance Date: April 5 2013
Primary Language: English

Whenever my friend Kenny and his Dad go scuba diving, they dive down to the bottom of the ocean and kneel on the sand. They both perform the sign of the cross, where they take their right hand and touch their forehead, move their hand down to their sternum, and then cross to their heart and the opposite side of their heart. After they perform the sign of the cross, they look up to the sun. They perform this ritual every time they go diving together in order to keep them safe while they are under water.

Lock the House for Scary Movies

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Francisco
Performance Date: April 13 2013
Primary Language: English

Dylan and his friends always lock every door in their house and close every window before they watch a scary movie. They believe that if you leave a door unlocked or a window cracked, there is a high chance that something evil will come into their house. Before putting on any scary movie, Dylan in his friends need to lock the doors and windows or they cannot start the movie.
One night, which happened to be Friday 13th , which is known as a very unlucky night, Dylan and his friends forgot to lock all the doors before they watched a scary movie. Halfway through the scary movie, a burglar snuck into his house. The robber knocked over a lamp downstairs in the house. He left by the time Dylan and his friends made their way down the staircase to see who was there. Because the one time they forgot to lock all the doors in the house and a burglar came in, Dylan and his friends can never watch a scary movie again without checking to make sure that all the doors are locked and the windows are closed.

The Kitchen God and Chuang Mu

Nationality: Taiwanese
Age: 17
Occupation: Student
Residence: California
Performance Date: March 21, 2013
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

This story was told during the daytime at a friend’s home. Sitting in front of the shrine her family keeps to honor the ancestors and the deities of Buddhism, it was told in order to explain the reasoning behind some of the rituals done on specific Buddhist holidays. She learned about these beliefs from her parents, who are strong Buddhists, and they are part of her self-identification. To her, they are fully real and are the reasons why luck and fortune come and go out of people’s lives. They are also why she believes that honoring the dead and the deities are so important and can never be neglected without severe consequences. Having lived this way her entire life, it also means her way of living to her as well.

The Kitchen God and Chuang Mu are said to keep you safe from evil spirits and misfortune. As deities of the house and home, they take care of the inhabitants if they are respected. As his name implies, the Kitchen God’s domain is the kitchen, but kitchen is very important in meaning to a house. Chuang Mu means the Mother of Beds, and she is the spirit that sits on beds and watches over you to make sure bad dreams and misfortune stays away. Their protection, however, is only bestowed if they are pleased with you and your family. If you anger them through disrespect or neglect, then they will withdraw their protection from your household. As a result, in order to show that you are respecting them and that you have not forgotten about them, you have to burn incense and give offering to the Kitchen God and Chuang Mu every few months.

This piece of folklore shows how much religion is a part of daily life, which is remarkable. It emphasizes respect for the dead and for the gods which is definitively part of Asian culture. It also shows how real religion can be to individuals and how deeply it can be associated with someone’s identity.